Çiya Sofrası

The drunken guy on the street spoiled the mood of my girlfriend which surely affected her first meal in the city! Trust me that did not affect the ratings! I am a proper foodie…
I just did not see the hype! It was big on here and even the Hilton recommended it! So the expectations were high and the food did not come anywhere close to it! Aladdin in withington (Manchester) has better food!
There was no hot vegetarian food! Even the falafels were cold!
Please don’t take a ferry just for this!
The guy charged whatever he wanted! No price list on anything! So 80 liras down the line surely I felt robbed … Not by the drunken guy!

In an area studded with superb dining Çiya still stands out. Çiya is a group of restaurants in Kadiköy, in the heart of the bar and café area. This review is of Çiya Safrosı. What makes Çiya different is its use of local seasonal ingredients and an eclectic menu that can change from day to day but is always delicious. We had smoked bulgar, plum lamb, occe, kibbeh and the house added yoghurt. 70 TRY sans tip. Singly or mixed, each dish was a delight. Çiya does not do alcohol. But you won’t notice and if you do there are countless bars nearby. Eat outside if the weather is right. But beware the smokers. I want to give Çiya 5 but can’t quite. 4 but really a 4.7.

Everything about this place was delicious. The highlights for lunch were the sausages (using intestine as a casing) stuffed with rice and meat, the lamb stew, and surprisingly the rice. If you opt for the mixed kebab platter, know that it’s enough for 2 people. Friendly service, fast service, delicious food.

This is by far the best restaurant I had the pleasure to eat at in Istanbul. Are you frustrated by all the ridiculous places with pictures of food on the menu? Stay away from those. Unlike those places, Ciya does not need a greeter to force you inside. You come in, pick the food from what is cooking in front of you and they bring it to your table. Everything was delicious and the service we could not ask for a better one. The best way to describe Ciya is the food your Turkish great aunt would make. Turks describe Ciya as reminiscent of food from their childhood. Definitely worth a ferry trip to Kadikoy.

The food is pricey, service and the taste of the food is average. I have been here 4 – 5 times and I think this is a over rated restaurant.

Tons of options for everyone. Delectable southern Turkish cuisine with the menu changing every day. I suggest to go inside and pick from the open kitchen instead of the menu. Also, a heaven for vegans — see the picture.

I’m giving 3 stars because, while there is nothing wrong with this place at all and it’s actually quite good, I thought it was way too pricey for the portions, quality and ambience you get compared to similar spots in the neighborhood.
I went twice. The first time, I must have been a little late on a futbol night and they, having been busy, were pretty much all out of food. All that was left was some of the peasant-​style food where you point to what you want and they make you a little plate of it. I tried a couple things that were left and they were pretty good. But considering the hype this spot has, I expected to be a little more impressed.
The second time, I ordered from their kebab menu and, again, it was good. But I didn’t think it was all that amazing to be honest.
Both times I thought it was a little pricey for what you got compared to other places in the area with similar ambience (fluorescent lights, diner-​style tables). I ordered the same kebab dish (yogurt kebab over pita) at another café with a way nicer ambience and it was about ¹⁄₃ cheaper and tasted better!

An exceptional and culturally important restaurant.
The ‘peasant-​style’ food is directly inspired by the chef, Musa Dagdeviren’s, travels across Turkey and the surrounding countries, and is so different from the typical fare found in the rest of Istanbul.
Indeed, reading about him and his desire to set up a centre of excellence to pass on the culinary traditions of old Anatolia, I am struck by similarities to Ferran Adria, despite the very different culinary worlds they inhabit. Passion, respect and inquisitiveness shine through.
There are two menus, a fixed kebab menu, and a season-​led menu which changes daily.
To simplify the ordering process, I recommend that you place your appetite in the hands of the very friendly and helpful waiters, and let them bring you as many half-​portion size plates as you think you can eat. No dish is particularly pricey, so you can afford to experiment.
On my visit today, the stand out dishes were wild garlic, lentil and yoghurt, a sour pomegranate kebab, and a hollowed baked celeriac with lamb. Desert was a selection of candied fruits, nuts and vegetables (eggplant and pumpkin!). Oregano chay was the final surprise.
I’m going back.

This place is simply amazing for traditional yet interesting unique Turkish taste, go ahead and try something new!

The varieties of foods are just great, kebab menu and all home made dishes, salad bar and the non alcoholic local drinks all worth to try.

Absolutely divine. Nice home style cooking with a very extensive menu. The service was fast but kind. Great for a quick lunch stop as the food comes out pretty fast, but high quality. Would easily eat here again.

Un certain guide classe (ou classifiait) les tables avec les termes «Vaut le voyage «, «Vaut le détour «) et bien ici c’est bien «Vaut le détour «qui devrait être utilisé. Et en ce qui concerne le déplacement, cela demande un petit effort, mais quel plaisir ! Très souvent l’on oublie que le coté asiatique d’Istamboul est aussi très agréable à visiter et pour s’y rendre, rien que de plus agréable de prendre ces grands et beaux bateaux sur la Corne d’or qui traversent par la suite le Bosphore. Une magnifique balade sur l’eau qui peut vous emmener a Kadiköy à quelques 20 à 30 minutes pour quelques centimes… Un quartier très animé, même plus authentique que certains endroits de Sultanhamet… Une fois à quai, promenez-​vous dans les ruelles, prenez le temps de fumer le nargilé en buvant une tasse de thé et en jouant au backgammon… Tout bonnement fantastique.
Si vous vous y trouvez la journée je vous suggère de parcourir le quartier du marché au poisson et ensuite de déjeuner chez le fantastique Çiya qui évoque comme son nom, les hautes montagnes et les fleurs. «Ciya «ou «Ciya Sofrasi «est en fait répartit sur trois restaurants: un spécialisé dans les kebaps (Kebapçi), le second dans les plats et mezzés, le troisième un mélange des deux (Sofrasi). Chaque restaurant espacé de quelques mètres proposent également des terrasses dans la rue. Le soir c’est un peu plus compliqué si vous n’avez pas votre propre moyen de locomotion car les bateaux de retour s’arrêtent à 21 :00.
Si vous pensez connaitre la cuisine turque… et bien il y a de fortes chances que vous n’ayez qu’une vision très limitée de celle-​ci. Cet établissement est surement une des plus belles tables d’Istanbul. Mais attention, ici rien de chic; quelque chose entre une cafétéria et une brasserie, fréquenté majoritairement par les turcs et les travailleurs qui y viennent pour le lunch. D’ailleurs vous aurez un peu de peine à vous faire comprendre car ici on né parle pas ou peu l’anglais…Le seul moyen sera de montrer du doigt ce que vous souhaitez car les cuisines sont ouvertes, ce qui évidement facilite un peu la chose.
Les «créateurs «de ce restaurant vont vous faire faire un voyage avec des plats ruraux d’une grande diversité géographique, de l’Anatolie, de la Mésopotamie aux Ottomans, des Balkans au Caucase, en réalité de l’Asie à la péninsule arabique ! Une cuisine avec nuance et sophistication basée sur des sauces légères souvent réalisées avec des herbes.
En sélectionnant les plats derrière le comptoir, sachez que le propriétaire Musa Dağdeviren, est reconnu comme étant «le cerveau de la cuisine en Turquie «. Dağdeviren commença à cuisiner il y a une vingtaine d’années dans une de ces tables de kebab des rues avant de devenir une image de la cuisine turque, invité régulièrement par des magazines de cuisines ou journaux internationaux tels que «The New Yorker «. Il fut aussi membre de la branche californienne du «Culinary Institute of America «. Ce chef Anatolien de Gaziantep prépare entre autre différentes spécialités de sa région.
Vous aurez le choix de vous servir de mezzés froids qui vous seront facturés au poids ou alors comme précédemment relaté, commander directement les plats chauds auprès des cuisiniers.
Ici chaque plat est une redécouverte de l’histoire du pays et tout est absolument extraordinaire. Choisissez pour vos assiettes (qui seront en réalité creuses en métal ciselé), divers plats tels que l’incontournable «visneli kofte «, un extraordinaire plat à base de petites boulettes de viandes de bœuf cuites dans une sauce aux cerises aigres (griottes), tomates et oignons.
Aujourd’hui de la région de Gaziantep et Nizip, de délicieuses blettes farcies au bœuf haché au couteau, boulgour et épices. Une variation des feuilles de vignes sans acidité et peut-​être plus subtil en bouche mais tout de même différent des «dolma «.
Un «Enginar Tavasi «, ragoût d’agneau, artichauts frais, oignon, ail, tomate, poivrons verts et épices. Un plat très parfumé et gourmand.
Un «Sebzeli Tikliye» à base de boulgour, agneau haché, pois chiches, courgettes, yaourt et menthe. Un plat qui provient également de Gaziantep et Nizip. Le yaourt a été filtré afin d’enlever son eau, le boulgour a été utilisé pour façonner avec sa farine des petites boulettes qui accompagnement la viandes et les légumes, le tout dans une sauce assez liquide et légèrement acidulée.
Tout est absolument incroyable, parfumé, gouteux, mémorable…Allez sur leur site et contemplez les dizaines de plats en photos… inimaginable…Le nom, les ingrédients et l’origine…
Un restaurant qui vaut réellement la peine de traverser le continent (même plusieurs fois.) avec un chef qui fut référencé en 2006 comme dans les 100 favoris du magazine Saveur (USA), avec plusieurs références dans le New York Times ainsi que dans Zagat Survey’s Europe’s Best Restaurants.

This was easily one of our favorite meals in Istanbul, definitely worth the effort to take the ferry over from Sultanahmet if you’re a tourist.
The only real weakness is the complicated method for acquiring your food, it took us some effort to figure it out.
My tips…
— Cold mezze’s — pick up a plate and serve yourself, have it weighed and give the receipt to your server
— Ask the waiter to see the menu to get the lay of the hot food land (things will make way more sense when you see them hot)
— Walk up to the hot food bar inside and work with the very nice men behind the counter to identify what you want — you’ll need to write it down (and they’ll write if if you’re nice)
— Hand that slip to your server and they’ll get the food brought out
My favorite dishes were the cold mezzes, an artichoke heart dish and the eggplant casserole.
The manager of this spot, Ibrahim is a super nice guy too. Very interesting to speak with.
No alcohol during ramadan, I’m not sure what the policy is during the rest of the year — I think it might be BYO, but check ahead if that’s important to you.
Make a reservation ahead for dinner, this place is hopping!

This restaurant was recommended to us as a good, traditional place to eat on the Asian side of Istanbul. We went at an odd time, after the lunch crowd, so we were able to easily grab four seats on the patio.
Here’s how it works: there is a cold buffet on one side and hot main dishes on the other. For the cold items you are handed a plate and you self serve. This plate is then weighed to determine the cost. You turn the receipt over to the server until you are ready to pay the bill. The benefit of this is that you can try a little bit of everything, which I did, and it was all very good. For the main items, you pick what you want from the hot counter. The dishes are then brought out to you at your table. This part was a bit confusing, partly because we were unsure of the costs as there were no labels with the costs. It was good to do this as a group as we were able to try several dishes. A good place to try if you are in Asian Istanbul!
The cold appetizers are fairly inexpensive, the hot items are a bit more expensive.

I’m totally enamored with this restaurant. The two hours we spent basking in the sun at a table on the street and gorging on food one Saturday after was the best two hours of our recent weekend holiday in Istanbul. Ciya Sofrasi is well worth the ferry journey from the European side to the Asian side. If we hadn’t been so lazy, we would have returned for dinner the following day.
Like many restaurants in Istanbul, the restaurant — or subdivisions thereof — may be spread across many different restaurant spaces on the same street. In this example, there was Ciya Sofrasi and then directly across the street was Ciya Kebab (that’s not the real name but that’s the specialty served there). You can sit at either restaurant and order off both menus, so if you cannot find a table at Ciya Sofrasi, then head over to the less popular Ciya Kebab and see what they’ll do for you. The bottom line here is that they want your business more than anything.
Three aspects to ordering:
–Ciya Sofrasi plate-​style menu (meaning plates that are cooked by the kitchen and delivered to your table)
–Self service — this only includes the cold salads and desserts that are resting on the window ledge
–Kebab menu (exactly what it says, kebabs and such)
We opted for the self service and kebab menu. Here’s what I would suggest:
–Self service: Just tell your server that you want self service and then he’ll nod and you’ll walk inside and load up on a plate. The cashier will place your plate on the scale and give you a printed ticket. Return to your table with your ticket and plate and the server will stop buy and collect your ticket at some point. Repeat this process until you are full.
–Order the turkish pizza off the kebab menu.
–Order the puffy/​puff bread — this bread goes much better with the cold salads than the bread that is served in the basket.
–Beer, beer, beer.
–Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

We wanted to try a lot of different turkish dishes. This one was recommended in Lonely Planet. The food is really nice here. You get to choose from several hot dishes at the chef or you can choose cold dishes from the salad bar where the price is by weight. We shared six or seven small hot dishes which was enough for one more person. A dish is around 15 – 25 TL but they are small so you’ll need a few unless you order from the menu card. Great service. The area is crowded on weekends.

It was okay.
I really love mumbar so I wanted to try them by when I was there because it was a really long time since I ate mumbar because I haven’t been in Adana.
I learned that Ciya Sofrasi is an Antep Cuisine so taste of the mumbar was different than what I expected.
Basically I was a little disappointed but still it was good.
They sold the food by its weight which was very unusual. I will definitely go there again to try something else.

Awesome traditional food. We had soup which was perfect for the cold night we were there. A little spice enough to combine with the heat of the soup to warm us up.
The main dishes were perfect. Most you can order half portions and share, which we got 3 halfs and 1 full. Kebab with pomegranate sauce, kebab with garlic, stuffed dried eggplant, and lamb shoulder.
Delicious and authentic.
It’s a bit of a process to order, but don’t give up, it’s worth the food and experience.
Don’t forget amazing dessert and of course chai!

I’ve heard that this place is one of the best restaurants in Istanbul, and while the food was good, it didn’t completely blow my mind. I knew I wanted a more traditional meal than street food though, and this was a solid option.
I ordered the Ciya kabob. The yogurt sauce was tangy and good, but the kebab itself didn’t really stand out to me! Perhaps I should’ve tried some of the meze plates that most people seemed drawn toward.
The service was rather friendly and there was lots of space for seating. My meal was next to a couples fight, so it was kind of like dinner and a show (they got back together, btw).
TL;DR — do the meze plates.

On my first of several visits to Istanbul last year, my meal at Ciya (Kebab) Sofrasi stood out among my dining experiences. I had not been back and in interim visits to the city, I have had some exceptionally good meals at other restaurants on the European side of the city. So, on my most recent stay, as I rode the ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side for a return visit to Ciya Kebab, I worried that the food would not be as good as I recalled.
That worry proved to be unwarranted. The food was as good as I remembered. While I’m certainly not ready to proclaim that this is the best restaurant in Istanbul, lthe food is certainly more than worth a ferry ride to Kadikoy from which the restaurant is a short ten minute walk from the ferry terminal (in an area with plenty of interesting shops and stalls where often you will find items at prices lower than at the Grand Bazaar or Spice Market)
Among the mezze offerings, I can’;t get enough of is their stuffed dried eggplant. Reconstituted dried eggplant has such concentration of flavor, and Ciya’s preparation with onions, peppers and mint comes together beautifully. And don’t miss the fluffy baloon-​like bread than they bake there in wood-​fired clay ovens. For a main course, i really enjoy their pistachio kebab.
They offer some interesting juice beverages. Their mulberry juice was something quite unique and delicious, and I was disappointed that on my return visit, the fruit had gone out of season. But they offered me tastes of watercress juice and lemon-​based juice. Both were pretty good, but I did miss the mulberry juice. Desserts can be interesting, with some of them made from sweetened olives, whole walnuts (in shell) and squash. These are worth a taste. Less exotic desserts are also available and can be recommended.
As for prices, this is not the good-​cheap-​food joint that Istanbul seems to have in some abundance. But it is not expensive and the quality of food more than justifies the price (my meal came to about TL 50). And menus in English are available.

This spot obviously has great reviews on Unilocal and Trip Advisor, so we were excited to check it out. However, we left still wondering what all the fuss is about.
The service here was absolutely terrible. It took forever to get a menu and an understanding of how the ordering process works.
In addition, the food did not particularly stand out. We had had much better food in other parts of Istanbul when it comes to price/​value, flavor, and quantity.
This spot definitely feels like 80% tourists, too, so whatever authentic vibe that might be here was lost.
Honestly, walking down all the streets to get to Çiya Sofrası was more fun than actually eating here. Even if you’re determined to eat here, I suggest being open to other options as you are walking around the Asian side.

Wir waren zum Abendessen im Çiya. Ohne Reservierung haben wir sofort ein Tisch für 2 bekommen.
Nach eine kleine Anweisung wie der Ablauf funktioniert (teilweise selbstbedienung) konnten wir aus viele (vegetarische) kalte & warme Mezze ein vielfalt an Gerichte selber zusammenstellen.
Dazu haben wir ein Efes (türkisches Bier) getrunken und Brot gegessen.
Nachdem wir satt & zufrieden die Rechnung erhielten (82 TL) so gegen halb 9, war das Lokal und die Terrasse komplett voll (ca. Hälfte Touristen).
Çiya Sofrası hat uns gezeigt das türkisches Essen nicht nur fast food ist (Pide, Döner, Lahmacun, usw) so wie es (leider) oft in Deutschland, aber auch Türkei angeboten wird.
Jeder der in Istanbul ist, sollte mal in dieses Lokal vorbeischauen und die vielfalt der türkische Küche geniessen.

Wie bereits beschrieben, waren wir aufgrund der Empfehlungen hier.
Vom Hafen Kadiköy braucht man ca. 10 Minuten bis zum Restaurant. In der Straße angekommen, kann man das Ziel gar nicht verfehlen, weil es sich über die Halbe Straße/​Gasse hinzieht (gefühlt). Als wir ankamen waren gerade viele Einheimische Zugast.
Der Kellner kam auch gleich und sprach sehr gut englisch. Es gab eine Standardkarte mit einer riesen Auswahl, hauptsächlich Kebap-​Arten sowie eine Tageskarte. Nach der Bestellung dauerte es auch nicht all zu lang bis das Essen kam und es sah zuerst sehr sehr lecker aus. Genau so hat es auch geschmeckt ;-)
Die Preise fand ich angemessen! Beim nächsten Istanbulbesuch kommen wir auf jedenfall wieder.

Beschreibung später: suuuuper! sehr empfehlenswert

Unutulmaz bir damak tadi.
Mutlaka deneyin.
Öyle kabak tatlisi başka yerde yemek mümkün değil.

Ich kann mich im Grossen und Ganzen an meine Vorredner anschliessen, was die Küche zu bieten hat — hier kann man wirklich noch ein Stück intensive türkische Küche geniessen — Die Auswahl ist groß, sodass man oft dazu verleitet ist, von Allem ein bisschen zu probieren — Vom Ablauf ist es etwas eigen — man sucht sich seine Gerichte am Besten beim Reingehen aus und lässt es sich dann auf den Tisch ordern — Nur klappt das nicht am Abend — denn dann ist es immer so voll und man kann froh sein, wenn man überhaupt einen Platz ergattern kann — Überhaupt ist es am Abend so laut und voll, dass man gar nicht mehr von einem Ambiente sprechen kann — es ist eher ein Restaurant, bei dem man zwar gut und günstig essen kann, aber das Service rundherum und der Flair eher an einen Fliessbandbetrieb erinnert — Daher empfehle ich eher zu Mittag bzw. am Nachmittag dort vorbeizuschauen !
Und: Noch etwas in eigener Sache: Nicht Alles, was angeboten wird, stammt aus deren Küche — so z.Bsp. auch die dreieckigen, pistaziengefüllten Baklava (auch Söbiyet genannt) nicht, die extern eingekauft werden, aber unbedingt probiert werden müssen !! Kurzum: Im Ciya findet man ein ganzes Stück tolle, türkische Küche für wenig Geld — zum entspannen zu Zweit, fehlt leider die Atmosphäre…

Passend zur Mittagszeit: ein paar Bilder vom Restaurant Çiya (Inh. Musa Daodeviren)
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Ciya-​Dessertteller (z.B. süß eingelegte grüné Walnüsse) (selbst zusammen gestellt) demnächst wesentlich ausführlicher

vorneweg: das Lokal ist in einschlägigen Feinschmeckermagazinen und der Weltpresse (New York Times etc.) lobend erwähnt worden, sonst käme man als Tourist sicher nicht darauf, sich abends extra in den asiatischen Teil aufzumachen. Man ist aber nicht der einzige Tourist im Lokal und der weite Weg lohnt.
Zu erreichen bequem über die Fähre nach Kadiköy, hinter dem Hafen an der Post vorbei die Gasse bergauf nehmend und eine der Quergässchen nach rechts. (auf der Karte wird der Ort nicht korrekt angezeigt aber af der homepage steht eine gute Wegbeschreibung). Es gibt in der Strasse 3 Lokale in unmittelbarer Nähe, 2 sind mit Kebab betitelt und das 3.- Sofres — bietet eine Auswahl an allem, wonach man nach einem anstrengenden Tag verlangt. Vorspeisen werden nach eigenem Belieben vom Buffet genommen und nach Gewicht bezahlt und die Hauptspeisen kann man ebenfalls vor dem Bestellen in den Töpfen anschauen und sich auf englisch erklären lassen. Alles schmeckt hervorragend, das tolle an der Küche ist, dass sich der Inhaber der traditionnellen osttürkischen Küche verschrieben hat und sehr autenthisch (fast vergessene) Rezepte mit regionalen Zutaten auf den Tisch zaubert. Man fühlt sich wie in 1001 Nacht, wenn man die unterschiedlichen Speisen in den Silbertellern kostet und dabei Zutaten findet, die man beim besten Willen nicht identifizieren kann! Dennoch ist das Lokal keines dieser Gourmettempel, sondern etwas für den kleinen Geldbeutel, also ca. 15 Euro pro Person mit Vorspeise. Es wird kein Alkohol ausgeschenkt. Die Gasse ist übrigens eine Marktgasse mit überquellenden Fisch, Gewürz, Gemüse und Käseständen, allein deswegen lohnt schon ein Besuch.
Kadiköy liegt etwas abseits der ausgetrampelten Pfade, was es meines Erachtens so reizvoll macht, kann man hier doch noch miterleben, wie Istanbul lebt und einkauft und geniesst.