Aret’in Yeri

Sometimes you pass a place a 100 times and never notice it. It’s like the man or woman you pass everyday but its only takes that one moment when you finally notice each other that you fall in love. Well Aret’in Yeri, I am in love. Atmospheres at meyhanes I have found can vary greatly. Some are more low key. Some are loud and filled with music and people dancing on tables. There was no loud live music or people dancing on tables but Aret’in (are we close enough now that I can call you that?) was lively.
With the raki and wine flowing, Aret’in did not fall short on the quality of food. Their mezes were fresh, their hot mezes (the calamari is to die for) and their fish were all amazing. The pomegranate salad is a must get along with the fish meatballs on skewers. Oh and for dessert, as if the food wasn’t good enough already, be sure to try the sufle!
The only gripe I had on this excellent first date was the service. While I have come to expect at busy meyhanes slower service, we had to continually get up to remind them. No business want’s their patrons doing that. Honestly however, it doesn’t change my 5 star rating. I mean when it comes down to, relationships are filled with their up’s and down’s anyway.
Don’t worry Aret’in Yeri, im already planning our second date!

We’ve spent a very nice evening here with great atmosphere inside, although it’s hard to find looking from the street up to the second floor where the restaurant is. The fishes were freshly prepared and very tasty and as they serve many hot starters you can try out different dishes during the evening. We would highly recommend this place if you like authentic Turkish fish dishes at very reasonable prices!

The location might seem odd but this place must be the best fish restaurant in Istanbul. The staff is very kind, the food is incredibly good and the prices are fair.

Bön choix de mezze, surtout du poisson. Quantités peut-​être un peu justes pour les gros mangeurs. Jolie salle de restaurant au premier étage. Service super, avec dessert et thé offerts à la fin du repas !

It was an honor to be taken to this restaurant with our Turkish friend and his wife. This is a very traditional restaurant amongst families who have been coming here for years. It was AMAZING!!! I’ve been to many meyhanes and this one is very unique. We didn’t even look at the menu but loved each and every meze that was brought out. My boyfriend who doesn’t even like seafood absolutely loved the fish, calamari, and muscles.
We spent close to 4 hours eating, drinking raki, and spending time with friends. We had such a great time at this restaurant and can’t wait to show this gem to visitors so they can see why Turkey has some of the best foods!

Such amazing food. Tapas sized plates allows you to try a wide variety of the menu for really reasonable prices.

This is our favorite meyhane EVER. We’ve been going to see Aret for years before he opened his own meyhane, that’s how great he is. For us, this is our «Cheers» bar. The food is awesome and the service is top notch. We come with big groups and sometimes just the two of us. This is the place we like to take our guests to, as well to get a glimpse into Turkish food other than kebabs and shish.
This is a place that locals LOVE. Be sure to make a reservation.
You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. We let Aret choose for us and we usually get the same thing each time, happily. For meze, we usually get the parsley salad with walnuts and pomegranate, fava, eggplant salad, yogurt and semizotu salad, shakshuka (my FAVORITE, roasted eggplant sauteed in olive oil with peppers and tomatoes) roasted red peppers and walnuts, and mushrooms. I love the salmon, anchovy shish, and calamari soooooooooo much! This is usually enough, if not we get more fish. :)
Most everyone drinks raki, but some people will drink beer or wine. I would recommend raki or beer, I just think the flavors are better together.
For dessert, and depending on the season, we have a plate of fruit or the hot, tahini helva or the chocolate soufflé. I love to finish dinner with the helva and a turkish coffee. They also have tea — of course! My husband will usually «polish» off the meal ;) with a raki-​sized glass of beer before dessert.
Don’t miss this place for dinner in Istanbul.

This was one of my two favorite meals in Turkey. The entrance is easy to miss, but when you walk upstairs you know magic is happening.
Our waiter walked right up to us and introduced himself and shook both our hands. Just about everyone around us had a bottle of Raki for the table. I ordered a Duble (double shot) and my girlfriend a glass of wine.
We ordered several small plates and I took the mixed fish plate at our water’s suggestion. The pumpkin salad was a delicious medley of fresh pumkin, tahini and walnuts. The roasted red peppers had a taste like none I’ve had before (I usually find red peppers to be very bland). The yogurt plate was the best yogurt I had in Turkey and was excellent to dip the bread in. The hummus was solid but not mind blowing. My mixed fish plate was very fresh and very tasty.
The food is also dirt cheap. Appetiziers are between 7 and 9 TL and mains are around 15 TL. The locals sure seem to love this place. If you are in the Beyoglu /​Iztical area be sure to come by here.