Meyhane culture, while mostly reserved for special occasions these days, is still one of our favorite aspects of living in Turkey. The many shared plates of delicious meze, the flowing rakı, the music and locals singing along to nostalgic ballads of the past, and simply taking the time to share an evening of joy with a group of wonderful people… it’s all part of some of our favorite memories here.
So, after having it suggested to us many, many times, we’re finally making moves and kicking off an Istanbul Meyhane Nights series. We’ll be visiting beloved meyhanes around the city and inviting different demographics of our audience to come together for fun, intimate nights out. As we’ll regularly be changing locations, so too will the program which includes everything from themes, prices on fixed menus, and who is able to join.
Our first session is Friday 17 June at 20:00, in the heart of Taksim (Beyoğlu). We will be keeping the location private, as it’s invite only and space is quite limited. For this session, we’re inviting members of our audience between (and including) 25 to 35 years old.
Space is limited to around 25 to 30 people, so it’s quite likely that everyone who RSVPs won’t be able to join. Luckily as this is a reoccurring series, there will be many chances to join. If interested in participating, please just fill the form below.
The theme for session #1 revolves largely around the live music side of meyhane culture. The night’s live music includes fasıl performers, a sort of traditional Ottoman-rooted style of music that’s quite popular in certain types of meyhanes. Professional singers and dancers, as well as a DJ will round out the evening’s proceedings. It should make for an especially lively evening.
For the simplicity of our bookings generally, we’ll be adhering to fixed menus. The fixed menu from the restaurant reserved for session #1 is set at 400 TL per person and includes:
- A minimum of six cold starters to be shared (portioned out accordingly for number of attendees sharing the plates)
- Salads & Fruits
- A daily hot meze
- A main course of fish, köfte, or chicken
- A 35cl Rakı for two people (beer or wine can be substituted in accordingly)
Please only fill in the above form if you’re confident you’ll be able to join. If you’re planning on attending with another person, please be sure to have them fill in this form as well and note it in the form above.
