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The best time I had living in Istanbul was in the Moda neighborhood of Kadıköy. It has a phenomenal location near the sea and is cosmopolitan and open-minded.
There’s much less traffic and congestion than in most parts of Istanbul, and the choice and variety of restaurants and bars is excellent. Moda truly feels like a real neighborhood and there are plenty of things to discover while exploring the area.
Kadife Street
Most people will visit Moda for Kadife Street (Kadife Sokak), also known as Bar Street (Barlar Sokağı). It may not look like much during the day but at night it comes alive. I spent many great nights here enjoying beers with friends.
There are several bars and cafés to choose from, some located in colorful Ottoman homes. It’s also home to the Rexx, a great old place to watch movies, and the Rexx Büfe, my favorite place for kokoreç.
Agia Triada Greek Orthodox Church
A block east of Kadife Street is Agia Triada Greek Orthodox Church. It’s a beautiful church with a high domed interior. It’s worth popping inside if it’s open.
Agia Triada was built between 1887 and 1905, with Metropolitan Kallinikos of Chalcedon laying the cornerstone. The architects were G. Zahariadis and Belissarios Makropoulos. The church was consecrated on April 10, 1905, by Metropolitan Germanus of Chalcedon (1835-1920), the future Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus V. He’s buried in the garden.
Greek Primary School
Scattered in the residential parts of the area are a few more interesting sites, such as a private Greek primary school, which at the time of my first visit had just one student.
Religious Buildings
The All Saints Anglican Church is nearby. It was built by the British in 1878, and most of the congregation is now made up of Turkish Christians. The French Catholic Church of the Assumption (Église de l’Assomption), sits behind a large fence in the same area. These churches are both located a half block from the Moda Mosque (Moda Camii), which was built in 1962.
Although the population of Christians and Jews has decreased significantly since the end of the Ottoman Empire, especially after the 1955 Greek pogrom, the fact that these churches are still operating with a solid worshipper base is a testament to the tolerance of this cosmopolitan area.
Public Art
While walking through the area with my friend Civan, he pointed out a few interesting pieces of public art along Moda Street.
First is a sculpture of a happy girl. When the local authorities began removing trees along the street, an artist placed a sculpture of a sad girl next to a hole from which a tree was removed. The sculpture began to attract lots of attention and locals began complaining about the tree removal program. Soon after, the authorities began replacing trees. The artist responded by adjusting the sculpture and turning the sad girl into a happy one.
A short walk down towards the seaside is a sculpture of a dog sitting on a pillow. It depicts a famous street dog that used to sit on that corner every day. After the dog was hit by a car and killed, a local artist created the sculpture. It’s located just outside Pizza Locale.
Other than those two sculptures, there are also a few murals in the area. My favorite depicts Malala Yousafzai.
Moda Park
Finally, Moda has a great little park with a tea garden to sit and relax in the shade. This is called Moda Park (Moda Parkı). There are also nice views of the sea and old city from the tea garden.
