Grilled Meatball Restaurants of Istanbul - 6

Yazar: Erşen T. • 7 Ekim 2020 • Derlemeler

Tarihi Özkan Köftecisi – Eminönü

There is an old meatball shop hidden in a narrow street at Tahtakale, hustle bustle of Eminönü: Historical Özkan Meatball Shop. Its establishment lies to 1960. I dropped by the restaurant before its closing on an evening. The inside was not very busy but customers were keep coming. It is a tiny and old shop. It has a plain decoration. Newspaper articles related with the restaurant and photos of celebrities visited the restaurant hang on the walls. They put tools instead of chair. Therefore, it is not a place for long visits. I ordered meatball and blarney.
The blarney came to me quickly. It served with adding of onion, carrot and lettuce as topping of beans. I found it tasteless. There is no salt, vinegar and oil add. These ingredients were not already on the table. Meatball also came to my table after a short time. There are 6 pieces of meatball as portion. It is serving with pepper sauce and pepper pickle. There were not classic grilled tomato-green pepper siding may be due to the winter season. The sauce is nice due to it has a light hot. The meatballs have an elastic and soft texture. They cut easily. No need to knife. The meatball looks like Sultanahmet style in respect of vision but it has not such a hard layer as it. I did not like it as I expected in respect of taste. It has a standard taste. I did not feel a catchy taste. It is totally made of veal. I did not feel a dominant spice taste. Its minced meat is too oily for me. It freezes lightly, after you cut. The personnel were very bored and grim. Maybe because of my evening visit. I am not sure. Service is fast but senseless. The plates they used were very pale and faded. Most of meatball inside the fridge have consumed like the semolina halva. It left the impression of successful as visual. The price is affordable according to weight. If you eat meatball and blarney, it costs 25₺. Personnel should be more attentive. It is not a nice behaviour arguing in front of customers. To sum up I tried the meatball of a historical restaurant but I could not find the taste I expected. It will be better if they care the meatball presentation and fix the blarney. #KanGurular Erşen T.

Taste: I could not find the taste I expected. Its texture is nice but taste is standard.
Braising: Meatballs cooked without drying or burning.
Portion: It consists six pieces of meatball. They gave pepper pickle and pepper sauce as siding. Blarney is without egg but serving with onion, carrot, lettuce. The vinegar-olive oil should have been put the table due to it was tasteless.
Hygiene: I have not experienced any burden in respect of hygiene in the restaurant.
Service: Service was very quick but the personnel manner is grim.
Price: The price of portion meatball is 18₺, blarney 7₺. It is so affordable according to the size.

Çukurcuma Köftecisi - Tophane

Here is a small family business operating for 15 years on a back Street lying to Çukurcuma Street. Tayfun Bey continues the management started by his father. The family was busy with antique dealer job before. After they gone bankrupt; they started to this job. The restaurant has a sincere atmosphere. You can feel yourself as if you were at your home. There are aesthetic details in decoration. It has an open and wide kitchen. Seating capacity is about 15-20 people. Articles in English related with the restaurant hanged on the walls. I ordered firstly lentil soup, then a portion of meatball. The soup was juicy but a bit warm. They ask your prefer for onion and hot sauce before servicing the meatball. Six pieces of meatball serving with bulgur and salad. It is a nice detail that it is a tossed salad. Meatballs made only from porterhouse of veal. Its taste was not bad. Its braising was nice. There was no spice domination. Its texture was very soft. Its fat was freezing lightly. Its portion price (24₺) is normal according to its size. There are chopstick, soujouk, entrecote, olive oil plates, and liver in the menu. There is no handmade buttermilk. You can find dessert kinds rarely also. It is an ideal place that it has regulars and like your home. There is no problem unless keep your taste expectancy very high.
#KanGurular Erşen T.

Taste: The taste of meatball neither nor good. It is a nice detail that there is no spice domination.
Braising: the texture of them were very soft. It grilled a little much for me but very easy to eat. They cut without using knife.
Portion: 6 pieces of meatball serve with bulgur and a little salad. There are no grilled tomato-green pepper as classic siding. I do not have idea if there is hot sauce or not.
Hygiene: The restaurant is old but nitty. I did not experience any boredom in respect of hygiene.
Service: It was fast due to I was the only customer. The personnel were also fast.
Price: The price of portion meatball is 24₺. There are options like half bread, ¾ bread, and Alexander meatball. Their prices are affordable too. The price is normal according to the weight.

Ekspres İnegöl Köftecisi– Kadıköy

Express İnegöl is well-known meatball shop for years and visited at least once by people living on the Asian side. The main reasons of this success are its meatballs liked and its location is being at the heart of Kadıköy.
To sum up the restaurant we can say that “elastic meatball” “homemade fries”, fast service” and “always busy”. The founder of the meatball shop, Ali Çelik was born in 1920 in Bulgaria. He migrated to Bursa with his family in 1930. Having lost his sister and mother in his early ages, he started to work at the Mehmet Besler’s Bursa İnegöl Meatball restaurant to earn his life. He has gained the trust of Mr. Besler and learned all subtleties of it by him. He wanted to set up his own business in 1962 and opened his first shop in Ankara not being rival to his master. The second generation of Çelikler had opened their second restaurant in İstanbul in 1986. They have been giving service to us until that day with the third generation of Çelikler. The founder Ali Çelik has also passed away in 2011 ( R.I.P)
As soon as we give order; crispy bread and pepper sauce, come to the table. Pepper sauce is successful as it should be. We ordered the classics of the restaurant too. Lentil soup (6₺) portion İnegöl meatball (22₺) and blarney (8₺). Lentil soup is classic. There are no extra features but it is delicious. Blarney is whole with boiled egg. Its braising, freshness are nice. It is not as nice as İspir kind bean but its taste is enough. Portion İnegöl meatball service with homemade fries and pepper pickle. When you see the fries, your appetite is already increasing. It is golden coloured nicely cooked. Due to the size of meatball is tiny, portion consists 10 pieces. Meatball texture is very elastic as I said before. I feel the partly the taste of meat. It is a nice thing that the ingredients using in the marination are not dominant. The meatball is not my style but interestingly it is a different one so I found myself inside the restaurant when I was passing by it. Sometimes I crave. If you prefer, they serve fries as portion. Chicken and lamb skewer, steak are also in menu. They serve shredded wheat with milk, pumpkin dessert, Kemalpaşa as dessert. Consequently, a restaurant make the İnegöl meatball successfully and without changing it for years. It is pleasing to find the same quality always in the same manner. If they keep on in this manner, here becomes a restaurant continue as 4th, 5th , 6th generation. I wish it, which is a value of İstanbul, would be successful along years. #KanGurular Gültekin U.

Taste: This style meatball is not for me but many people love it too. According to me, they serve a successful product in respect of this type meatball. If you like elastic meatball, I might say it is delicious. Their fries is my favourite one. Blarney is as it should be. Pepper sauce is successful. Bread is crispy.
Braising : They offer meatball not too much burned or dried.
Portion Size: Although it consists 10 pieces of meatball, it might be inadequate. It is useful to order soup or blarney as side dishes..
Hygiene :The restaurant is clean. Tables are not too near each other.
Service : Here is working exactly like an artisan restaurant. Tables are cleaning fast. Order and service are also fast. The name of express is appropriate. The restaurant has kept pace with busy of central Kadıköy.
Price : The cost of portion size is 22₺. It is an affordable price for a restaurant located in central position. The prices of soup, blarney, beverages are also affordable

Due to our meatball articles also consist, details related with restaurant and ingredients of meatball, we need to take detailed information from restaurants. Though we have talked with authorized people, a few times for this restaurant, we could not take answer to our questions. Thus, we can’t give some additional technical details.

Filizler Köftecisi – Üsküdar

Firstly, we think that the social media directory should not be in this way for a firm having three branches, giving service along 25-30 years. We could not get answers for our a few question from neither its social media nor its branch. Unfortunately, we do not want to write our articles on restaurants in this way but we also need to share our experience that partly lived. Whatever! we share our non-detailed experience. We again dropped by the restaurant where we visit several times before especially, due to its location to our meatball file. Filizler Köftecisi have become famous in Tuzla for 25 years. It continues the tradition of Balkan meatball. It emphasized this tradition with the branches operating at Salacak and Pendik. Especially the location of Salacak branch is at the most beautiful spot of Asian side for me. You can watch both Maiden Tower’s and historical peninsula from here.
When you remind the question of “How can I host my family, friends or guests in Bosporus with affordable prices?” Filizler Meatball shop is one of the first answers of this question. Are the prices very affordable? Of course, due to its location some prices are a bit high but consequently it provides Bosporus enjoy also for low income people. Let us talk about meatball and its sidings. As soon as we sit the table, olive oil, vinegar and bread serviced. Pepper sauce also should be offer as offering. First, we took chicken soup. It is an average soup. After the soup, we wanted blarney and 6 meatballs Filizler. This one has also 4 meatballs version. I think it is for kids. Blarney is as it should be with its egg, onion. Its freshness is at the right consistency. Even you sauced it taste is not perfect, average. Meatballs are serving with grilled pepper, rice and mashed potato. Meatballs could be accept as delicious thanks to Balkan meatball tradition. I can feel the taste of meat. I can prefer a bit less grill. Using rice and mashed potato as siding, I think it aimed not to remain the plate empty and make the portion more satisfied. Six pieces of meatballs are partly satisfying. You must order a few sidings. We paid 45₺ per person as satisfying against the Bosporus view. According to me, it is successful. Their menus is so wide, including breakfast. It also consists grilled meats, fajitas, steak, fish, olive oil plates and desserts. The price of breakfast is between 24,5₺-42,5₺ according to the size of plate per person. The one with the price 42,5₺ is a wide breakfast with 19 kinds. Here is a joyful restaurant also consisting sitting groups viewing Bosporus at Salacak. We visit here from time to time for weekend breakfast and grilled meat kinds. #KanGurular Gültekin U.

Taste : Meatballs are reflecting the tradition of Balkan meatball.it might be said delicious. Blarney and soup is average. It is a negative point for me not servicing pepper sauce with meatball.
Braising : It has grilled at the right consistency but it should have grilled less for me.
Portion Size: the portion is consisting 6 pieces of meatballs but it might not be enough. It is useful to order siding like soup or blarney.
Hygiene : The restaurant and tables are clean. Inside area has a nice view. There are sitting groups in open air.
Service: Sometimes seeing by a waiter takes time at the outside area. However, after they see you, they make the service fast.
Price : the price of portion meatball 6 pieces is 27₺. Blaney is 9,5₺. Soups are 8,5₺. Prices are a bit expensive according to classic meatball restaurants. When you think the Bosporus view it can be accepted affordable.
Due to our meatball articles also consist, details related with restaurant and ingredients of meatball, we need to take detailed information from restaurants. Though we have talked with authorized people, a few times for this restaurant, we could not take answer to our questions. Thus, we can’t give some additional technical details.

Köfteci Yusuf – Ataşehir

Köfteci Yusuf is a firm that primarily known and grown up with its first shop opened in İznik. But we usually gained our first experiences its on the road restaurants. When the times people were afraid of stopping not to be overcharged and encountering with poor foods, Köfteci Yusuf has showed itself. It enshrined people’s memory with meatballs that it made and affordable price and keep to give service with its 90 branches. Köfteci Yusuf has founded as a meatball shop with a few tables in İznik in 1996. Its name comes from Yusuf Akkaş who has opened this shop. Due to they have demanded much along two years, they continued their way with a 600 person capacity restaurant in İznik. When this restaurant not become enough they opened their second branch at Orhangazi, their third branch on the Bursa- Yalova road. These critical moves has played leading role to transform into its current position. Now it has 90 branches and 7000 personnel. It is almost like a great meatball factory.
They have already a meatball factory in Yenişehir, Bursa to meet the demands of branches. As we know, this type of factory is first and unique in Europe.
Their meatballs is İznik style meatball. It consists %70 veal, %30 lamb meat, bread, salt, hot pepper and white onion. The weight of one meatball is 40 grams and there are 5 pieces of meatball in a portion. They offer salad, fried bread and Köfteci Yusuf hot sauce with meatball. Their own buttermilk brand is also service as glass or bottle. If you want, you can take blarney additional to salad. They serve butter lentil soup as starter.
They provide veals and lambs as specific races used in their products %20 from their own farm in Yenişehir, Bursa; %70 from contracted farmers and businesses; %10 is coming from big wholesalers. The mixture of veal and lamb is mixing with their spicy mixture having a special formula. Gloved women personnel give the final shape to the preparing meatball dough and these meatballs are grilling using oak coal. The price of 200 grs meatball is 16₺, including offerings. Glass buttermilk 2₺, bottle buttermilk is 7₺. Portion blarney and yoghurt is 5₺.
They serve trademark of here, crumpets in syrup as dessert with clotted cream and hazelnut. If you want to eat different desserts, they also serve tres leches with ice cream and gulab jamun with clotted cream.
Credit, bankcards, and most of the meal cards are available in all branches. Working hours are changing according to branch but Örnekköy, Susurluk and Bozüyük branches are open along 24 hours. After the information, let us talk about our experience. I think that we can evaluate their growth process due to we have tested for a long time at different branches. Except their on road branches we took service usually at Novada Mall branch. As you sit to table as pepper sauce, salad and fried bread in all branches. I do not like their pepper sauce much. My style is classic recipe. This one is more paste. Offering salad is fresh and nice. Breads are already our blue-eyed boy. There is no need blarney if you have salad but we also wanted to try it. Blarney is as it should be with its egg, onion. The freshness of bean is nice. Its taste is average.
Meatball grilled a bit much for me. They squeezed. They should have grilled less. Unfortunately the taste of meatball is not as nice as we had eaten when their first time. The performance of the meatball taste dropped after the growth. It is hard to come up to the same quality such a great volume in production. But I realized that the taste is partly better in branches towards İznik. This feeling is psychological or a difference related with braising. I do not want to evaluate other products due to it is a meatball file. If you can find you can eat a tasty “küşleme” with cost of 20₺ for 200 grams. It is not possible to eat another place with same prices. Crumpets in thick syrup also make this restaurant famous. At first times, we astonished from the clotted cream putting as topping for crumpet. Of course, the cream is not so dense etc. but though it is assertive. Crumpets with tahini and clotted cream is exactly like bomb. We never miss it.
Of course, the quantity of clotted cream is not as much as it used to be. They gave a partly bad account of themselves because of the boredom in olive oil they served. Following the subcontractor producer is a hard thing in such a big capacity but I believe that they will elude this process. We should support these kind of firms providing working opportunity for many people except unless they endanger your health.
However, their performance decrease in some products, it seems that they will give service for long years with assertive prices. We sometimes continue to our visits. #KanGurular Gültekin U.

Taste: Their meatballs is exactly my style. If they cook at right consistency, it is delighted. Their fried breads are delicious. Offering salad is fresh and successful. Blarney did not satisfy in respect of taste. Pepper sauce is weak. Bottled buttermilk is affordable and tasty.
Braising : It changes from branch to branch. The meatball we have eaten in Novada Mall branch was overcooked. We ate cooked a turn meatballs on-road branches.
Portion Size: there are 5 pieces of meatball as portion. It is said that it is 200 grams but I think it diminishes due to it is very oily. It is partly satisfying with offering side dishes. It is useful to order 1,5 portion if you are hungry. Price is already affordable. The affordable price enables this.
Hygiene: Novada Mall branch is very crowded. Therefore, hygiene sometimes fails but personnel is doing their best.
Service: Waiters service fast you according to their service regions. It might be some small fails because of density. However, that crowd are satisfying successfully.
Price: The cost of portion meatball is 16₺, bottle buttermilk is 7₺. You can satisfy with a glass of buttermilk and one portion meatball thanks to offerings. Total cost is 18₺, very affordable. Blarney is 5 ₺

First, we want to thanks to the people who manage the social media of firm. Thay shared the information related with meatball and firm with us in short time and gave support for an overall article.

P.S: Prices have updated after pandemia like it was everywhwere. Braised meatball price per kilo is 95₺. Portion meatball is 19₺.