Çiya Sofrası
Restaurant · Caferaga ·
Home-style regional Turkish cuisine with a rooftop terrace
Home-style regional Turkish cuisine with a rooftop terrace
"Take the ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul for a true taste of Anatolia. Çiya Sofrası acts as a memorial kitchen, serving the forgotten dishes of what chef-owner Musa Dağdeviren calls “peasant food.” Start with the salads and meze, then move to the seasonal stews. Don’t forget to save some room for the rich lamb kebabs cooked over charcoal. The food at Çiya delivers bold, vibrant, uplifting flavors in one of the city’s most diverse dining experiences." - Tuba Şatana
"An Ottoman Culinary Revival in Kadıköy One day, I dragged my travel companions—a German, a Turk, and two New Yorkers—to Kadıköy, a neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, to dine at Çiya. Everyone was cranky and hungry by the time we found it, but I knew the second we walked in, the trek was worth it. The chef, Musa Daðdeviren, comes from eastern Turkey, and his dishes reflect the diverse traditions of the region. We shared many small plates we picked from the counters at the front: fresh salads flavored with seeds and unusual herbs, stewed beans, perfectly tender eggplant, Turkish meatballs, and hot pide bread. For dessert, we tried candied pumpkin, which had a taffy-like texture like nothing I've ever tasted. I could eat there every day."
"For the last three decades, Musa Dağdeviren has served grilled meat dishes and thin, crispy lahmacun at this casual Istanbul restaurant on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Strait. Its sister restaurant on the same block, Çiya Sofrasi, offers regional dishes inspired by Dağdeviren’s travels around Turkey. Read the full recap of Musa Dağdeviren’s Chef’s Table episode here." - Greg Morabito
"Paley brought back two dishes he tasted while in Georgia and Turkey: The first is a braised lamb meatball with sour cherries, sumac, and shallots, plucked from the menu at Çiya Sofrası in Istanbul — the restaurant’s chef-owner, Musa Dağdeviren, was featured on Chef’s Table." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"Born from the chef’s fieldwork recording recipes in 40 villages, this restaurant showcases rescued regional dishes—including the once-disappearing “greasy dumplings” that inspired his preservation efforts—and drew around 2,500 people on opening night. Linked to a publishing house that documents regional cookery and to a foundation that trains young students in traditional folk cooking, the establishment emphasizes food as a unifying force, attracts a diverse clientele who share their differences at one table, and reflects the collaborative contributions of the chef and his wife." - Brenna Houck
