Koço's World

Kadıköy's Multicultural Culinary Heritage: Greek, Armenian and Turkish Tables United Kadıköy is one of Istanbul's most deeply multicultural districts. Greek, Armenian, Jewish, and Turkish communities have lived side by side here for centuries, sharing their tables and their recipes. Many of the meze found on today's meyhane tables are the living heritage of this cultural richness. Greek Heritage: From Sea to Table Kadıköy's Greek community made a profound contribution to seaf

Since 1928 Koço Restaurant has been a meyhane in Moda, Kadıköy, across from Moda Pier. The story of its founding, its literary regulars and the Aya Ekaterini holy spring beneath it.

Hidden beneath one of Istanbul's oldest restaurants lies a remarkable piece of the city's multicultural heritage. The Aya Ekaterini Ayazma (Holy Spring), an underground Orthodox shrine dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, has been sheltered under Koço Restaurant in Kadıköy Moda since its discovery in 1924. Discovery and History The holy spring was discovered in 1924 by Greek fishermen who noticed water seeping from the ground near the Moda coastline. Upon excavation, t