Çiya Kebap

There comes a point in a man’s life when he decides, «I think I’ll eat dinner is Asia tonight.» It is typically an amazing feat to travel to another continent just to eat a meal — unless, of course, you happen to be in Istanbul. During my adventures in this city, I only wanted to eat at its best restaurants. According to my sources, the Çiya establishments offered the very best Ottoman food in Istanbul. Hearing this, I knew I would not be satisfied until I tried it. So, I hopped the tram, boarded a ferry for a beautiful trip across the Bosphorus, and entered Asia for an unforgettable meal.
Once I got off the ferry in Kadıköy, I had no idea where I was going, I quickly found a public information booth. When I approached and explained that I was looking for a restaurant, I was cut off in mid-​sentence; the woman who was assisting me immediately asked if I was looking for Çiya. I was already happy I had made the journey. After a short walk, I arrived at the restaurants. It is imperative to note that Çiya is made up of three separate restaurants: Çiya, Çiya Sofrasý, and Çiya Kebap II. Çiya Sofrasý serves an upscale and eclectic selection of Anatolian and Mesopotamian foods. I chose to eat at Çiya Kebap II because of its laid-​back atmosphere, meze bar, and its revered, namesake dish, the Çiya Kebap.
The meze bar is outstanding. Whether you’re in the mood for hummus, baba ghanoush, dolmades, or various types of salad, you will love this aspect of the restaurant. Once you make your selections, the staff will weigh your plate to decide its price. The cost is very reasonable… I paid $ 13TL (around $ 4.50USD) for a very well-​portioned plate. I found the dolmades to be the best I had while in Istanbul. Looking back, I really wish I had gotten a second helping! However, the meze bar is only the beginning. For my main course, I chose the Çiya Kebap, which is tender minced beef that is wrapped in warm bread with pistachios and cheese. In the center of the plate is a generous helping of Turkish yogurt, which adds a notable tang to the dish. Topping your meal off with a nice piece of baklava and a glass of hot tea is highly recommended.
If you are in Istanbul, don’t leave without eating at this Anatolian-​side gem!

This place was recommended on a blog as a great place to go on the Asian side for traditional ottoman cuisine and it didn’t disappoint. The server was really kind and explained how everything worked and what was in every dish. I had a lamb and chickpea stew that was really delicious. The portion size wasn’t so big, but that was fine since I was planning to fill up on desserts! I had the ‘pumpkin dessert’ which was an actual big slice of pumpkin that had been jellied or sugared somehow. It was really delicious but also SUPER sweet. Then I had my old favourite of baklava, which they make here with the addition of heavy cream. It was very heavy but actually not as sweet as normal and so was a nice change from the pumpkin dessert. I definitely would recommend if you’re looking for some traditional food to eat in Kadiköy.

My eagerly anticipated pistachio kebap did not disappoint. It was full of yummy goodness, tender meat, and flavor. This is a worthwhile stop on the Asian side of Istanbul which I think gets overlooked a lot. It’s located on a street lined with many restaurants including three restaurants by Ciya. Actually, we had eaten at Ciya Sofrasi the day before but came back here specifically to partake in the offerings at Ciya Kebap.
We sat at one of the tables outside. It was a little windy but we managed to eat our food without too much difficulty. The service was decent and it was a tad busy as the dinner crowd was starting to fill in.
If you’re in Istanbul, I highly recommend taking the ferry to visit the Asia side. The touristy little area a few blocks from the ferry dock has nice shops, lovely restaurants, and lots of fresh produce and fish in the farmer’s market area.

A must-​taste destination if you are EVER in Istanbul’s Asian side. It was actually the best Turkish food we have had yet… very authentic and delicious.
Everyday they have a new menu, and all-​in-​all there are 400 total recipes. Judging from everything we ordered, they are probably all worth trying!
Get the meze (appetizers) downstairs. It’s very affordable & they charge those plates by the weight. Also order kebap as that’s what this restaurant is known for. I also ordered the stuffed veggies with lamb and mint, delicioussssss.
All in all it was a very welcoming, warm, and delicious experience. ⁵⁄₅!

Bustling restaurant & terrace, known for kebabs & Turkish pizzas from an open kitchen & brick oven.
The kebap is well made however, I cant say the same thing for the service.
We sat upstairs on a hot summer evening assuming that the A/​C was actually working. It was extremely hot and when we opened the window right by our table, the server tried to ‘scold’ us saying that the A/​C was on. There was only one other occupied table at the moment, on our floor, yet it was one of the excuses the server used on us.

Pour notre premier repas dans un restaurant typiquement turc, nous sommes allés au Çiya Kebap côté rive asiatique sur les conseils des précédents avis !
Le restaurant se situe dans une rue où il y a justement que des restaurants, ce n’est pas forcément l’endroit idéal pour profiter d’Istanbul, car il y a beaucoup de touristes, mais l’important c’est de bien y manger. Nous nous sommes installés en terrasse, on nous a servi du pain et de l’eau en bouteille (le pain est gratuit, l’eau est payante). En lisant la carte nous étions un peu perdu, tout est écrit en turc ou en anglais et difficile de retrouver l’assiette de nos voisins dans le menu.
Nous avons opté pour un plat chacun, pour environ 25LT le plat (environ 8 €), une assiette copieuse, pour ma part si je me souviens bien c’était du mouton farcis à l’aubergine et autres légumes et pour mon homme une sorte de ratatouille au mouton également.
Des plats remplis de saveurs, malgré l’aspect un peu repoussant (il faut le dire), c’est seulement que par chez nous, nous né sommes pas habitués à ce genre de plats. Concernant le service il est rapide et c’est un très bon rapport qualité/​prix.

Expensive and too small portions. I ordered a vegetarian kebab which turned out to be minced lamb.only. We had to wait long and remind them to bring us drinks. I would not come back

Our hotel manager recommended this place for Kebaps. We took the ferry from Istanbul to Kadikoy and walked a few blocks to the restaurant.
The first night we went, I loved their Lamb Kebap… it was tender, delicious, well seasoned, crispy on the edges. My BF got the pistachio kebap and it was very good too…
We decided to go back a second time, since we liked the food so much… the second time, my lamb kebap was good, but not was good as the first time… my BF’s kebap (cheese kebap) was not as good as the pistachio one.
Overall great choice, it depends on the kitchen’s cook.

Just about the most authentic Turkish food that you will find – highly recommended by the locals, and a restaurant that they themselves like to frequent. It’s on the Asian side of Istanbul, just a short walk from the Kadikoy ferry landing.

The best kebap restaurant that i’ve tried. The selection is big and the quality of the ingredients outstanding.
I came here after the big feast at Ciya Sofrasi and since i could not eat anymore i ordered to go and we had a great lunch the next day waiting for the airplane back to the US.