Home-cooked Turkish food. I’ll say it again: home-cooked Turkish food. In a restaurant, surrounded by family. Sounds like a dream come true for expats and exchange students missing their families. Okay, so it’s not your actual family but it’s a very good substitute. Always greeted by big smiles and a loud “Hoş geldiniz!” from Adem and his family, who run the restaurant, Aperatif Cafe is a quaint little escape from the urban jungle of Rumeli Hisarüstü. Frequented by students from Boğaziçi University, it’s known as the best lunch spot, as well as a place to meet up and fill your belly before those infamous Erasmus parties.
I’d heard about Aperatif from my Erasmus flatmate many times and one day I finally made her take me there. She knew everyone there, and it really made me miss being a student and having a hangout. Not only did she know the patrons, but she also walked right into the kitchen and gave the cook (Adem’s mother) a giant hug and Turkish-style kisses. She told me, “This is my Turkish mother.”
Adem explained to me how the menu works. We could choose up to five mezes, or cold side dishes, and/or order from the hot menu, consisting of various chicken, beef and vegetarian dishes. They also serve köfte, meatballs, and mantı, Turkish-style ravioli. I was overwhelmed by the selection of mezes, there were three different salads, five different olive oil seasonal vegetable dishes, stuffed peppers, hummus and haydari, yogurt dip. I picked my five mezes and sat down with my friend. Once seated, I finally got a chance to check out the décor. The walls were covered with little notes from past patrons declaring their love and devotion to Aperatif. My meze plate came and I was in heaven. The last time I ate such good food was at my boyfriend’s grandmother’s house. I could really taste happiness in each bite of kısır and şakşuka. Basically, I stuffed my face.
This is the best homemade Turkish food you’ll eat outside of a Turkish grandmother’s house and it won’t break your bank, either. Check out what’s on today’s menu on Facebook and throw them a “like” while you’re there.
Aperatif Cafe is located at Rumeli Hisarüstü Mahallesi Cami Sokak Sarıyer, 34470
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February of 2014. It was updated for relevance on December of 2018.
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