About our rating systemA visit to Çiya is a must for all serious foodies. The ever-changing menu features over 1000 different dishes each year, with more than 100 different rice dishes alone. The proprietor is the humble, smiling chef Musa Dagdeviren, who hails from the southeast of Turkey. A Turkish food enthusiast, he dedicates his efforts to protecting and preserving the regional flavors of Turkey. As well as traditional Turkish dishes, you'll find recipes and ingredients that you're unlikely to see on any other menu in Istanbul. There are foraged Aegean greens cooked in a thick milk-based sauce, whole cloves of young garlic stewed with lamb meatballs, artichokes stuffed with aromatic rice, all manner of offal and candied olives or aubergines for dessert. There are, in fact, three restaurants, Çiya Kebab and Lahmacun (serving delicious and unusual kebabs, including Istanbul's first vegetarian variety), Çiya Sofrasi (acting as a sort of research facility) and Çiya Kebab II. If you want to experience authentic Turkish cuisine, it is well worth the trip to the Asian side of the city. Situated in the heart of bustling Kadiköy, this is a great destination for lunch on a sunny day, when you can sit outside and watch the world go by. No alcohol is served.
