One Station, Five Kitchens: Osmanbey

1. 01
   Local

   Look at the Seventy-Year-Old Pickle Stall

   Visit Pelit Turşucusu on Kurtuluş Street, a family-run pickle shop that has been making pickles since 1956. The neighborhood was once called Tatavla and became Kurtuluş after the great fire of 1929. This stop begins a five-kitchen route through the food cultures that settled around Osmanbey, starting with the sourest one.

   Pelit Turşucusu, Kurtuluş, Istanbul, Turkey
2. 02
   Food

   Taste It If You Don’t Believe It

   Stop at Tatbak in Teşvikiye, founded by Gaziantep-born Hasan Katıkçı after he opened his own tiny three-table shop in 1960. According to the story, the name comes from a challenge: “If you don’t believe it, taste it.” Today it appears on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list.

   Tatbak, Teşvikiye, Istanbul, Turkey
3. 03
   Culture

   Find the Pastry Shop Passed from Master to Apprentice

   Find Üstün Palmie Pastanesi, linked to Fehmi Yıldıran, who trained under the Greek master Yorgo Fotiadis and, according to one source, took over his mentor’s shop in 1965. Another source says the pastry shop opened in Beyoğlu in 1970 under the name Palmie. Since 2005 it has been in Kurtuluş and is especially known for its Easter bread.

   Üstün Palmie Pastanesi, Kurtuluş, Istanbul, Turkey
4. 04
   Local

   Look for the Armenian Meze Maker’s Recipes

   Visit Tuşba Uzman Mezeci, a shop that one source says was founded in 1968 by Armenian meze maker Vartan Türker and Doğan Yörükoğlu, then taken over by the Baykal brothers in 1976. The word “Uzman” on the sign arrived in 1980. The recipes changed hands, but familiar dishes stayed in the display, including the well-known topik.

   Tuşba Uzman Mezeci, Kurtuluş, Istanbul, Turkey
5. 05
   Local

   Stand by the Adana Grill in Kurtuluş

   Finish at Adana Ocakbaşı, the latest-arriving kitchen in this sequence. The Ezer family’s grill house brand uses 1978 as its date, while a gastronomy site gives 1965, so both dates remain part of the story. Lamb liver and chops have been staples here for years. The Greek pastry shop and the Adana grill stand within the same few streets, showing how the neighborhood grew.

   Adana Ocakbaşı, Kurtuluş, Istanbul, Turkey

Check opening hours before you go. Hours, access conditions and weather can change.