Archives for “fish” tag

Whenever I have a visitor coming to Istanbul for the first time, friends or business, or whenever someone asks me where to take their first timer visitors, one of my top three choices is always Doga Balık.

Not only for foreign visitors, of course. I never fall short of reasons to go there for a feast on overwhelming selection of mezes (small portions of starters) crowned with freshest fish.

The name of the restaurant translates into English as ‘Nature Fish’. The owner and chef Ibrahim Sogukdag likes to serve fish as naturally as possible along with a superb variety of fresh greens. He was a fisherman himself before he got started in the restaurant business, and he knows the fish very well. He is aided by his wife in the preparation of mezes.

They have some 35 different very exotic and healthy forest greens, most of them coming from Aegean coasts. You can order a mixed selection where they serve several of them. They get all the more aromatic with a sprinkle of olive oil together with lemon and garlic sauce. Don’t miss their non-green mezes, mercimek köftesi ( lentil balls) and monk fish salad are their specialities. I usually end up loading myself with mezes and sharing the main fish course with others.

Recently relocated to the eighth floor of the Citycenter Hotel, on a side street very close to Taksim, they have a commanding view of the Bosphorus and old city. Best time is towards the sunset in the evening. 

It is such a rare thing for a fish restaurant without a nice sea view, located between the small roads of a neighborhood to become so traditionally popular. The secret is the taste of their great mix of tasty starters and simple fresh sea food mains.

Open since 1945, now being operated by the third generation of a family with Crete Island origins, the place has a nice unpretentious ambiance, and buzz. Might as well be a bit too popular of a place especially for the weekend evenings, better is to go for a long nice lunch.

The olive oil they use in their salads and other little entry dishes, is their own produce from their own olive grove in Mudanya. Rice (pilav) with mussels and roasted angler fish are their most famous specials.

Their bread comes toasted, and especially whole wheat one goes well with juicy mezzes and fish. Grilled calamari (squid) here is one of the best in town: extra ordinarily soft and delicious. Of course better with a Turkish Raki, but as good with a nice bottle of white wine.

Don’t forget that the fish is much better and fresh in Istanbul from September on, during the fall-winter seasons.

Karakoy Balıkcisi, does not even have ‘the restaurant’ connotation with its name. The name simply means: Karakoy Fish Seller. ‘Tarihi’ used at the beginning of the name is just an adjective meaning ‘Historic’, and founded in 1923 it is ‘historic’. Its location is rather quirky: just behind the Karakoy Fish market and adjacent run down coastline, in the very interesting and historic Ironmongers’ Market.

This unassuming, two story box-like place is open only for lunch, and they don’t serve any alcohol. Most customers are people working in Karakoy neighborhood and their business connections. And of course anyone who has had the chance of tasting their fabulous specials find a reason to come all the way from wherever they are. And mind you, in Istanbul’s heavy traffic, traveling just for lunch requires quite some time and a strong will.

The days’ fish along with their daily prices, and the other menu items are announced on a blackboard written with chalk. The most famous duo are the Fish Soup, and the Sea Bass cooked in Paper. Their fish soup is probably the best in town. They only use the fresh natural ingredients, that is no frozen shrimp or whatsoever. You can consult the stuff about what’s the best catch of the day.

Upon the strong demand the owners opened an evening venue, just next door. Called ‘Griffin Balık’ this second place has a stunning view of the old city. But the atmosphere in the original lunch place is ‘original’.