On Istanbul’s Nevizade Street, pushy waiters try to lure you into their restaurants, diners bump elbows in the narrow maze of outside tables, and boisterous revelers (and smokers, this is Turkey after all) shout over the street musicians, making plans for the night’s next stop. Krependeki İmroz is one of the oldest meyhanes (taverns) on the street, its name referencing the original restaurant’s location on Krepen Pasajı in 1941. Should you be able to score a seat at İmroz, you’ll be poured a glass of milky raki (Turkish anise-flavored liquor) to sip while you peruse the menu of grilled fish and meats, and a waiter will appear with a heaving tray of mezes (small dishes of shared appetizers) for you to point at and eat. Dinner will likely be a long, multicourse affair filled with things you’ve never tried and don’t remember ordering, but you’ll know you enjoyed all too well.
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A Piece of Authentic Istanbul
On Istanbul’s Nevizade Street, pushy waiters try to lure you into their restaurants, diners bump elbows in the narrow maze of outside tables, and boisterous revelers (and smokers, this is Turkey after all) shout over the street musicians, making plans for the night’s next stop. Krependeki İmroz is one of the oldest meyhanes (taverns) on the street, its name referencing the original restaurant’s location on Krepen Pasajı in 1941. Should you be able to score a seat at İmroz, you’ll be poured a glass of milky raki (Turkish anise-flavored liquor) to sip while you peruse the menu of grilled fish and meats, and a waiter will appear with a heaving tray of mezes (small dishes of shared appetizers) for you to point at and eat. Dinner will likely be a long, multicourse affair filled with things you’ve never tried and don’t remember ordering, but you’ll know you enjoyed all too well.
