It was famous back in the 60s as THE meeting place for hippies and travellers looking to head east. The name in fact comes from the vast amount of travellers and hippies who couldn’t in fact remember the name of the restaurant but could remember its vast array of tasty desserts.
It was opened by two brothers: Idris and Namik Colpan in 1957. They had no idea that it would become so popular for tourists travelling over to Asia in the sixties.
The restaurant was a popular rest stop for tourists; those looking for some fairly priced Turkish food and perhaps some advice from a fellow traveller on where to go next. The restaurant was and still is famous for its Tavuk Gogsu, a pudding made from pounded chicken breast, rice flour, milk, sugar and topped with cinnamon.
Back in the day the café was decked out with booths, books and rock music playing in the background. The general decoration was minimal and the décor came from the visitors. It’s also in a prime location, opposite the Blue Mosque.
The restaurant also served as a hub for transportation onwards out of Turkey and as a Turkish information centre. The brothers introduced a bulletin board so that travellers could enquire about what we now call “car share”. It was also used for more personal notes, have a look for Megans notice to Macolm. I wonder what happened in Greece?
Today the restaurant looks and feels a lot different to what one might imagine it felt in the swinging sixties. It even featured in the book and film, Midnight Express, which further increased its reputation. The bulletin board is still there, but it has more practical messages on there, no mores notes from Megan.
The restaurant now serves authentic Turkish food, at a reasonable price accompanied with a priceless atmosphere
It was opened by two brothers: Idris and Namik Colpan in 1957. They had no idea that it would become so popular for tourists travelling over to Asia in the sixties.
The restaurant was a popular rest stop for tourists; those looking for some fairly priced Turkish food and perhaps some advice from a fellow traveller on where to go next. The restaurant was and still is famous for its Tavuk Gogsu, a pudding made from pounded chicken breast, rice flour, milk, sugar and topped with cinnamon.
Back in the day the café was decked out with booths, books and rock music playing in the background. The general decoration was minimal and the décor came from the visitors. It’s also in a prime location, opposite the Blue Mosque.
The restaurant also served as a hub for transportation onwards out of Turkey and as a Turkish information centre. The brothers introduced a bulletin board so that travellers could enquire about what we now call “car share”. It was also used for more personal notes, have a look for Megans notice to Macolm. I wonder what happened in Greece?
Today the restaurant looks and feels a lot different to what one might imagine it felt in the swinging sixties. It even featured in the book and film, Midnight Express, which further increased its reputation. The bulletin board is still there, but it has more practical messages on there, no mores notes from Megan.
The restaurant now serves authentic Turkish food, at a reasonable price accompanied with a priceless atmosphere
