Primitif Beerhall is located in the garden of Riva’s Moda Boutique Hotel on Moda Sahil but if you don’t check the spot on the map, you might miss it, since Primitif has a signboard that looks it was hand-carved on stone.

With its large garden and lovely ambience, Primitif offers an experience kind of similar to “biergartens” in Germany. They even have pretzels on the menu – not something usual for the menus in Istanbul. There is something here you wouldn’t find in Germany though: the cats of Istanbul accompanying you at your table, especially if you are eating their favorites, like the crazy chicken burger :).

The food menu is rather limited but adequate, consisting mainly of the burgers and snacks such as pretzels, mac & cheese balls, mozzarella waffles,  onion rings and hot dogs. However, the beer menu is large; you can find both international and local craft beers here. I haven’t tried them all, but the 3 Kafadar American was quite delicious (please note that I am not a beer fan though:)). The cocktail menu is simple, yet satisfying; I guess everyone can find something to their taste. If you are into fresh cocktails like me, you can try the Basil. Check out their menu on the Instagram page @primitifbirahane.

Primitif is quite lively, especially on the weekends, and gets busier towards the evening. They don’t take reservations but it is worth trying for the variety of beers and the atmosphere.