Rakı and the meyhane: the back story

About Rakı and the meyhane: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The meyhane tradition grew in Beyoğlu and along the shores, in taverns kept for centuries by Greek, Armenian and Jewish families. The ritual has hardly changed: cold meze, then hot starters and fish, rakı and long conversation, often with fasıl musicians moving from table to table.

Rakı

Rakı is an aniseed spirit distilled from grapes. Pour it into a tall glass, add cold water (and ice afterwards if you like) and watch it turn milky white. Sip slowly and always with food: white cheese and melon are its classic partners.

How a meyhane evening works

A waiter brings a tray of cold meze to choose from: haydari, fava, ezme, stuffed vine leaves, marinated anchovies, seaweed salad, lakerda (cured bonito). Then come hot starters such as fried calamari, börek and liver, and finally fish or a grill. Pace yourself: the evening is long, toasts (şerefe!) are frequent, and in some places fasıl musicians play old songs.

Rakı turns milky white when water is added, which is why it is called lion’s milk.

Where to go

Asmalımescit and Nevizade, off İstiklal Avenue, are the classic meyhane quarters, with tables in the lanes on summer nights. Kumkapı by the sea walls is the old fish-tavern district, and on the Asian side Kadıköy and Moda have their own lively tables.

Beyond rakı

Istanbul also has superb cocktail bars, rooftop terraces with views over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, craft beer and a growing culture of Turkish wine, from Thrace to the Aegean and Anatolia.

Our advice: book a meyhane table for 8 pm, let the waiter guide you through the meze, drink rakı with water and food, and finish with a walk along İstiklal. Then take a nightcap on a rooftop for the city lights.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Rakı and the meyhane: the back story before you go.