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Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrası in Aksaray is a great place that knows how to do Hatay cuisine in Istanbul. You don’t know what Hatay is? Well, it’s a province in southern Turkey. Heard of Antioch? Yep, that’s located in Hatay and it’s called Antakya in Turkish.
Hatay has been a Turkish province since 1939 and is also claimed by Syria. It has an eclectic mix of people and religions. Arabic can be heard spoken in the streets. It also has, in my opinion, the best food in Turkey, incorporating lots of meats, spices, and incredible flavor.
Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrası
I doubt that Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrası is the ONLY place that can cook up some great Hatay cuisine, but it was recommended by many Turks who know food extremely well, including several of my students.
My first chance to visit this restaurant came when Tim’s parents were visiting Istanbul and they invited me along to dinner. I met them at the restaurant as they were arriving, and a friendly waiter escorted us to our table.
Meze
We started off with a few meze plates – haydari (yogurt with garlic and mint), patlıcan salatası (eggplant dip), and muhammara (spicy walnut dip). All were excellent. The waiter even brought out a fresh loaf of hot bread with Tim’s mom’s name spelled out on top of it in black seeds. Nice touch!
Main Course
For the main course, it was difficult to choose. The entire menu looked phenomenal. There was a plethora of kebabs to choose from, but they didn’t exactly whet our appetite because they didn’t look much different than any other kebabs found at other restaurants in Istanbul.
We asked our waiter for something special, and he recommended two dishes. One was lamb and vegetables cooked in a clay jug, another was chicken stuffed with rice and cooked in a dome of salt. Presentation was wonderful as both dishes were brought to the table in flames.
The waiter very carefully broke open the dome of salt and dissected the chicken before carefully putting it on the plate. He then smashed the clay jug and poured the contents onto another plate.
Both dishes were delicious. The lamb was very tender and perfectly spiced. The chicken was not dry at all, as we were kind of expecting, and the rice was incredible. It was enough for all four of us and very reasonably priced.
Dessert
We didn’t have much room for dessert after such a huge meal, but we had to try the künefe. It was good.
Next Time?
The only thing on the menu I would love to go back and try is the çığ köfte (raw meatballs). I had them often during my visit to Lebanon and Syria and loved the taste. They’re very difficult to find in Istanbul due to health codes, but Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrası has them on the menu.
Conclusion
Overall, we were all very pleased with the meal. We actually came back a few nights later and had the exact same thing. The chicken was a bit dry the second time, but it didn’t take away from the rest of the experience. At least the flavor was still there.
I highly recommend either branch of this restaurant to anyone who visits Istanbul. In addition to the branch in Aksaray, there’s also one just off Taksim Square along Istiklal Street and another in the Etiler area of Beşiktaş.
