Lokanta Feriye
Dinner under the iconic Bosphorus Bridge, facing Ortakoy Mosque: why you mustn’t visit Istanbul without dining at Lokanta Feriye. Feriye’s grounds, including Lokanta Feriye, lie within the former complex of the neoclassic Ottoman Feriye Palace (‘Feriye Sarayı’), built along the European shoreline of the Bosporus strait.You can dine at the heart of the city, with a backdrop of one of the city’s iconic views, whilst tasting Istanbul’s finest cocktails and dishes, prepared with delicacy and an exceptional attention to detail by a team led by loyal executive chef Birkan Erkoylu – who has held his position as head chef for 26 years.
Menu
As Mr Erkoylu tells us, Lokanta Feriye’s menu relies on locally sourced ingredients, with each dish presenting delicacies specific to a region with Turkey and the wider Anatolia. Mr Erkoylu is keen to stress the point that his is a ‘Zero-Waste restaurant’: Lokanta Feriye serves small-to-medium portions that use sustainably sourced seasonal ingredients, and menus vary according to time of year. Excess ingredients in the kitchen are re-used in inventive ways to divert disposable waste, and together these ensure minimal waste production
Birkan Erköylü presenting the Grilled Swordfish, placed over a bed of Zucchini couscous.
An Evening at Feriye
As the waves lap against the shore and we hear the distant cries of seagulls and the familiar foghorns of Istanbul’s ferries, the waiter brings our first appetizers to the table, and I struggle to decide which to start with. He points to each one, introducing the dishes and identifying the ingredients which are poured into each. He proudly proclaims that each dish is made up of locally produced ingredients; the ‘Gumusdere tomato salad’ for instance, contains pungently sweet tomatoes from a village in Sariyer, Istanbul. The salad, a personal favorite, also contains purple onion, fennel, arugula, and Ezine cheese cream (a type of cheese produced only in Ezine, a district of Canakkale Province in the Marmara region of Turkey).- Lokanta Feriye
- Lokanta Feriye
- Lokanta Feriye
Cocktails
We can’t not give the signature cocktails a mention: for those who prefer a fruity taste, go for the ‘Strawberry Spritz’ – containing Gin, Strawberry & Black Pepper Sauce, Prosecco, and Lime Foam. For those who prefer more of a sour cocktail, the ‘Spicy Sour Berry’, made with Tequila, Grapefruit & Hibiscus Sauce, Blackberry, Sumac, and Isot Pepper is a strong choice. To accurately describe this whole experience, let me share with you a comment we overheard from an observer on the opposite table: ‘Before I ate at Feriye, I thought I was eating. It wasn’t until I dined here that I actually ate’. We would advise you to take her word for it.Feriye: A Collection of Brands
Feriye is not just a restaurant, but rather, a ‘lifestyle’ – Lokanta Feriye is accompanied by a group of carefully selected brands: Voi coffee, Kult, and Seasalt (a coffee shop, cocktail bar and a seafood restaurant respectively), which are situated in a sort of large, sweeping courtyard surrounding The Kabatas Foundation building. Lokanta Feriye included, these all come under the Umbrella Brand, ‘Feriye’. The Feriye experience therefore is split into different sections: Feriye foyer, Feriye Bosphorus, Feriye Gallery, Feriye Kitchen, Feriye Quayside, Feriye Park, cinema and the high-capacity halls.Fine Dining, Film Nights, Art Spaces and More
Thus, Feriye goes beyond a collection of just these brands: its grounds offer space for activities such as open air movie nights – where generally cult films are shown – theater shows, yoga, sporting activities, arts workshops, live music, a venue for academic conferences and their meals, as well as a space for galleries and exhibitions. In fact, since spring, Feriye has held two NFT exhibitions, the latest in collaboration with a brand called MetaCollective, one of the first of its kind in Turkey.
Baharın NFT Hali, Feriye

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