Yel değirmeni is located in Kadikoy district, one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Istanbul. It is very close to Kadikoy port and only a few minutes walking after you get out of the ferry.
It was the first time I was in Yel degirmeni, although I had heard a lot of nice things about this area. It is great to see old apartments (apparently the first neighbourhood to have apartments in Kadikoy), little nice cafes, street cats, graffities.. etc. Surprisingly, it still keeps the spirit of old times. You can hardly leave your camera away because you just want to take pictures of every corner.
Finding local places in this traditional neighbourhood is just great and one of them is Damla Pide, which has been in Kadikoy for more than 15 years. This little restaurant is very famous for its pide (pitta) and lahmacun (Turkish pizza). That’s all there is on their menu, so please don’t expect any nice and fancy plates or tables because everything is so simple in this walk-in restaurant. If you are looking for a local place in Istanbul, here is your answer.
We had lahmacun with ayran (made of yoghurt and water) and it took only 3 minutes to finish it all – it was that tasty.
They have tables outside along the sidewalk as well as inside. They also provide take-away service if you’re staying nearby.
