Nevizade Street is one of the most buzzing parts of the Beyoğlu district, the heart of nightlife and cultural activity in Istanbul, but it has weathered its fair share of ups and downs in recent years. For a variety of economic and political reasons, Nevizade’s vitality has suffered, and we’ve had to witness the closure of some of the area’s most emblematic spots. But just last year, a fantastic new restaurant here brought together an unlikely pair who have quickly formed what is without a doubt the area’s most dynamic duo: Ibrahim Usta and Mehmet Akkök.
With his beaming smile, white hair, and bushy eyebrows, Ibrahim Usta (usta being “master,” as of a craft) became famous for the delicious hummus that he whipped up in Antakya for nearly four decades. When the February 6, 2023 earthquakes struck, his home was destroyed, leaving no choice but to pack up and move to Istanbul to live with his son.
Mehmet Akkök, more commonly known by his legion of regulars as “Doctor Mehmet,” is a bespectacled, ebullient waiter who is probably the best of his ilk in Istanbul. For years, he ran the front of the house at Astek in Kurtuluş, once one of our favorite meyhanes, but Doctor Mehmet recently left his post (and, as a result, we no longer frequent the eatery).
Veteran bar owner and restauranteur Tahir Bulca saw what could be a match made in heaven and tapped the two to open up Antakya İşi Sokak Lezzetleri, which is all at once a grill house, meyhane, street food joint, and ambassador of the rich culinary culture of Antakya. On the menu is a variety of kebab, lahmacun, kokoreç, midye dolma, and of course, Ibrahim Usta’s famous hummus, the quality of which is unmatched anywhere else in Istanbul, or perhaps even Turkey.
“After leaving my job at Astek, I thought about trying a sort of adventure,” Mehmet said. “I took about five or six months to rest. Thanks to Tahir [I took this job]. The fact that this is a busy place is better for me. I came on as the manager and since I like bustling about, I’m sweating by evening. I love to work.”
Mehmet’s perfectionism and sincere care for his customers made him a legend at Astek, and he brought the same level of enthusiasm to his new gig. We’re thrilled to see him back in action as his departure from Astek, and the Istanbul restaurant scene, resulted in a colossal void. But as he underscores several times throughout our conversation, he loves to work, and he’s not slowing down any time soon.
Despite being one of the hundreds of thousands of people from southern Turkey that experienced unfathomable tragedy due to the earthquakes, Ibrahim Usta today is all smiles, and also expressed his gratitude to Bulca for bringing him together with Mehmet.
“When I was seventeen I went to Lebanon, and there I learned [how to make hummus] from an Armenian usta. I stayed there for ten years, then returned to Antakya, where for thirty-six years I made hummus, bakla [crushed fava beans] and other meze,” Ibrahim shares. “After the earthquake, I came to Istanbul. My house was destroyed and my workplace was slightly damaged, but all of my goods in storage were ruined. I sustained a great loss.”
Now, he works his magic at his own hummus station at one end of the restaurant. Ibrahim Usta explained that the secret behind superb hummus involves making his own tahini and using a specific brand of chickpeas, which are boiled and ground with the nearly half century of mastery he brings to the table. The hummus is divinely creamy and packed full of flavor, spiked with a dose of extra virgin olive oil, a liberal dose of spicy red pepper flakes, and garnished with slices of tomatoes and pickles. For Antakyans, hummus is no mere meze but a meal on its own, and Ibrahim Usta keeps this legacy alive despite his relocation.
We’ve enjoyed this high-class hummus on each of our three visits to the new restaurant, and found all the other meze to be top-notch, as Doctor Mehmet and İbrahim Usta wouldn’t have it any other way. Most recently, on a muggy afternoon, Mehmet brought us a kokoreç sandwich, which was crispy and spice-laden and paired perfectly with an ice-cold draft pint of Efes. This combination is one of the happy hour specials Antakya İşi Sokak Lezzetleri offers before the dinner rush, and at around $10 it’s a steal, especially as rampant inflation has made Istanbul alarmingly expensive.
In its first months, Antakya İşi Sokak Lezzetleri has already won over a steady stream of customers, in no small part due to the lofty reputations of Doctor Mehmet and İbrahim Usta. The restaurant has rejuvenated Nevizade, giving us a solid reason to come back. It’s also an excellent development for the Beyoğlu district, the spirit of which remains undefeated in spite of the commercialization and proliferation of tourist-traps that threaten to stifle it. Some of our favorite establishments may have closed, but this exciting new spot has already begun to fight on behalf of those fallen soldiers.
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Published on February 17, 2025
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