Flavour Guide

Choosing fresh fish is the first step to a great meyhane table. From the eyes to the gills, from the smell to the flesh — there are sure ways to tell. Distilled from our century-old fish sourcing experience, this guide gives you every tip you need at the market or the fishmonger. Eye Check Fresh fish eyes are bright, clear, and bulging. Dull, sunken, or cloudy eyes signal staleness. This is the easiest and most reliable check. Gill Check Lift the gill flap: fresh fish gills a

The most distinctive section of the meyhane table is its seafood meze. Çiroz, lakerda, tarama, shrimp, and octopus salad transform a simple meal into a cultural experience. Koço Restaurant, perched on the Marmara Sea coast, serves these mezes at their freshest. Çiroz: The Meyhane Essential Çiroz is salt-dried mackerel — one of rakı's finest companions. Served with olive oil, lemon, and onion. A good çiroz should be lightly salty, firm-fleshed, and leaf-thin. At Koço, çiroz is

The sweet finale of a meyhane table is as important as the meal itself. After rakı, meze, and fish, the table closes with a light dessert. No heavy cakes or chocolate — pumpkin dessert, halva, quince, or seasonal fruit is the meyhane tradition. Koço Restaurant keeps this ritual alive with recipes passed down for generations. The Philosophy of Meyhane Desserts At the meyhane table, dessert is never the main event. After hours of meze and fish ceremony, the dessert's job is to

Mezes are the heart of the Turkish meyhane experience. These small shared dishes, served before the main course, transform a simple dinner into a leisurely feast. At Koço Restaurant, over 30 varieties of homemade mezes are prepared fresh daily, continuing a tradition that spans nearly a century. Cold Mezes: The Essential Starters Every meyhane meal begins with cold mezes. White cheese and melon open the palate. Then come the classics: haydari (thick yogurt with garlic and min

Istanbul sits at the crossroads of the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, giving it access to an extraordinary variety of fish throughout the year. Knowing which fish is in season makes the difference between a good meyhane meal and an unforgettable one. Fall (September–November): The Golden Season Fall is Istanbul's premier fish season. Palamut (bonito) arrives in September, followed by lüfer (bluefish) in its various sizes: çinekop (small), sarıkanat (medium), and full lüfer. T