The Turkish HORECA sector of the Republican era has been adding strength to Turkey since 1923. The HORECA sector is among the sectors that made the most social, cultural and economic contribution to Turkey in the first century of the Republic.

The revolutions in the field of agriculture, the establishment of the food industry in Turkey, the entry into our lives of businesses such as modern hotels, restaurants and cafes, and the diversification of traditional dishes inherited from hundreds of years of history with the influence of Istanbul cuisine and westernization are just some of what we have witnessed in the HORECA sector in the last hundred years.

With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, we would like to summarize the development of the HORECA sector, its change and transformation, in fact a whole century, in this article.

Turkish Cuisine in 100 Years of the Republic

Continuing to keep traditions alive as an inheritor of Ottoman culinary culture, Turkish cuisine of the Republican period has witnessed important developments and transformations in 100 years.

The dichotomy of traditional (ala turka) and modern (alafranga) cuisine began to manifest itself in the city-centered Turkish cuisine during the Republic period. In the early periods of the Republic, Turkish culinary culture, modern table manners and habits were exhibited in cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Bursa; Traditional table setting habits and culinary practices essentially continued in rural areas.

While the development of media and communication tools eliminates cultural discrimination; The increase in production with modern agricultural practices and industrialization, and the increase in wealth with the development of the economy, reduced the center/periphery distinction over time.

During the Republic period, modern table manners and different flavors from around the world began to be accessible to all segments of society, especially through educational institutions such as girls' and maturation institutes.

While modern culinary culture spreads from the center to the countryside; "Migration from village to city", which accelerated since the 1950s, brought innovations to the culinary culture in big cities. Starting from the 1950s, Istanbul was introduced to local flavors such as kebab, lahmacun, and stuffed meatballs.

Restaurants Entering Our Lives with the Republic

With the Republic, the habit of eating out has also improved in many cities, especially Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Bursa. Western-style restaurants began to open in Istanbul from the second half of the 19th century and spread throughout the country during the Republican period. Thus, apart from tradesman restaurants, soup kitchens and mobile food vendors, modern restaurant culture also developed with the Republic.

Hotels, restaurants and cafes in Ankara that are identified with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the founding members of the Republic are of great importance. Ankara Palas was a good example for the modern HORECA sector as a guest house and social facility. Karpiç Lokantasi (Ankara City Lokantasi), which was frequently visited by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, served as a gastronomy school, and many people working in this restaurant later opened their own restaurants and pioneered the establishment of important businesses of the Republican period.

Apart from Ankara and Istanbul, restaurants were opened in other cities of Anatolia during the Republic period. The famous Ikbal restaurant in Afyonkarahisar, the restaurant of Çelik Palas Hotel in Bursa, and fish restaurants in Izmir are among the examples that can be given for other cities. Borsa Lokantasi, which opened in Sirkeci in 1927 during the Republican period in Istanbul; In addition, hotels such as Hilton, Park Hotel and Divan Hotel, which offer Western-style, modern cuisine, and club restaurants such as Moda Deniz Kulübü and Büyük Kulübü, can also be considered pioneers in their fields.

Cafes and Patisseries in the Republican Era

The Western patisserie culture, which became known in Istanbul just before the Republic, gained strength with non-Muslim Ottoman subjects and White Russians who fled the Bolshevik revolution and took refuge in Istanbul. During the Republic period, Yugoslavs and Albanians who migrated from the Balkans took over and developed the patisserie culture. Baylan, one of the old Istanbul patisseries that still preserves the taste of the past today, was founded by Filip Lenas, who immigrated from Albania. Lenas, who started working with Mullatier, opened his first shop in Beyoğlu in 1923 under the name Loryan.

Immigrants who went to Russia and Poland from the Eastern Black Sea region to find work at the beginning of World War I also made significant contributions to the cafe and patisserie culture of the Republic. When they returned to Turkey with the establishment of the Republic, they showed their professional knowledge in the field of pastry and patisserie, which they acquired there, by opening cafes and patisseries. It has made great contributions to the development of cafe and patisserie culture in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and other cities of Anatolia. Kars patisserie opened in Kadıköy, Milka and Flamingo patisseries in Ankara, İzmir Reyhan patisserie, Asian patisserie in Isparta, Yunuslar opened in Bodrum in 1968 by Yakup Hoştan from Çamlıhemşin in place of the bakery taken over from the Cretan immigrant, cafe opened by pastry masters from Black Sea Hemşin and can be given as an example to pastry shops.

Agriculture Developed, Food and Supply Sector Grew

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the founding team of the Republic gave great importance to development and industry. While new factories were opened all over Turkey, important breakthroughs were also made in the food industry. Food became one of the important sectors that developed during the Republic period.

As tourism became an economic power in Turkey, the HORECA supply sector also made important breakthroughs. Dozens of Turkish brands that made a name for themselves in the world were born in the field of HORECA supply.

Today, the Turkish HORECA supply industry is among the best in the world in its field. In addition to meeting Turkey's needs in the field of HORECA, it makes significant contributions to Turkey's economic development by breaking records in exports.

Tourism and Hotel Management; Added Economic Strength to the Republic

Türkiye, which became one of the most important tourism destinations in the world with the republic; It attracted attention with its breakthroughs in the field of tourism and hotel management.

The tourism sector, which is one of the fastest growing sectors in the last 60 years, continues to grow uninterruptedly almost every year, and has a significant share in macroeconomic data, is seen as one of the driving forces of economic growth during the Republic period.

While the Turkish HORECA Sector celebrates with great honor the 100th anniversary of our Republic, which was gifted to us by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the heroic Turkish nation; It continues to work for Turkey's future. All together, we continue to walk with confident steps on the path opened by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, towards the goal he showed, and we will continue...

Source: HORECA TREND

Michelin is happy to announce the new restaurant selection of the MICHELIN Guide Istanbul, Izmir, Bodrum. Michelin inspectors included a total of 15 restaurants, 19 in Izmir and 111 in Bodrum, in the new selection of the guide. While 3 restaurants from Izmir and 2 restaurants from Bodrum received a MICHELIN Star, a total of 2 restaurants, 6 from Bodrum and 8 in Izmir, were awarded the Bib Gourmand award.

While 25 of the 2 restaurants newly added to the Istanbul selection received a MICHELIN Star, 8 restaurants were awarded the Bib Gourmand award. Thus, the list of restaurants in Istanbul increased to 77.

Click to see the Michelin Guide Istanbul, Izmir and Bodrum Selection as a list: Michelin Guide Istanbul, Izmir and Bodrum List (2024)

Sharing information about the selection in her speech at the award ceremony, MICHELIN Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec said, “Our inspectors were once again attracted by the Istanbul culinary selection this year. Istanbul, a world city with mixed culture, has a very rich gastronomic panorama, from classic Turkish taverns to trendy or international restaurants, as well as cozy restaurants offering a complete culinary experience. "The 2 Selection, which includes 24 new restaurants spread all over the city, including 2024 new MICHELIN Stars added to the second selection this year, also reveals the rise in gastronomy standards led by a generation of brave chefs who are proud of their traditions," he said.

Regarding Izmir and Bodrum, Poullennec said, “Our teams in Izmir and Bodrum, which entered the MICHELIN Guide family in a remarkably effective way, were particularly impressed by the differences that separate these two regions. We can say that local roots, commitment to the region and strong ties established with local producers are the common features shared by most of the selected restaurants in Izmir and its surroundings. The awarding of the MICHELIN Green Star to three restaurants in the region proves this strong commitment. "Bodrum offers an integral gastronomic concept: While there are luxurious and international venues on the beach, the center of Bodrum is especially picturesque, easy to access, and hosts small and independent restaurants," he said.

7 new restaurants were awarded a MICHELIN Star each

Three restaurants in Izmir were awarded a MICHELIN Star each:

OD Urla, managed by Chef Osman Sezener, stands out with its deep-rooted and original culinary approach. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, at this family-run restaurant, the chef and his team use the finest local ingredients, half of which are produced directly on site, and the rest produced by producers and artisans near the restaurant. All plates, especially those cooked over the restaurant's open wood fire, are simple, natural, sometimes rustic, but always perfectly prepared.

At Teruar Urla, chef Osman Serdaroğlu and his team prepare Italian and Mediterranean-inspired plates that highlight the richness of local products. From lamb saltimbocca to roasted zucchini, fresh goat cheese to dried yoghurt, the dishes are surprisingly rich and minimalist. The wine list is equally impressive and pays tribute to different regions of Turkey.

Ozan and Seray Kumbasar have created a unique place at Vino Locale. This passionate couple has no other desire than to invite their customers to discover the excellence of their region. Ozan Kumbasar uses only the best products in its cuisine and takes care to procure these products from places close to the restaurant. The menu, designed to suit the seasons as much as possible, changes every 6 weeks and invites guests to discover an emotional and sophisticated cuisine. In the dining room, Seray Kumbasar guides gourmets by offering a remarkable selection of local wines. In addition, the selection of digestive drinks is also quite impressive.

In Bodrum, 2 restaurants were awarded a MICHELIN Star:

Run by chef Osman Sezener, Kitchen offers modern Turkish cuisine with delicious international touches. Here, regional and fresh produce is at the center of plates that are always freshly prepared, rich in flavor but at the same time simple and strong-tasting, as in the grilled octopus cooked over charcoal and enriched with salsa verde made from herbs from the garden.

Aegean cuisine enthusiasts, after following the narrow and winding road along the coast, will enjoy Maçakızı, which is also on Michelin's recommended hotels list and has the same name as the hotel. Chef Aret Sahakyan's creative techniques dance with local culinary traditions. In addition to the wine list consisting of first-class Turkish and European wines, the restaurant also has an impressive selection of champagne.

Finally, 2 new restaurants in Istanbul were awarded a MICHELIN Star:

Cenk Debensason, a chef from Istanbul with an international background, reveals his expertise and culinary skills at Arkestra. His cuisine combines different horizons with dishes such as marinated tuna sashimi and sushi rice ice cream, and a slightly syrupy “apicius” sauce that accompanies perfectly cooked duck breast.

At Sankai by Nagaya, chef Yoshizumi Nagaya has created two high-quality omakase menus. The first of these was sushi, meticulously prepared by sushi master Hiroko Shibata, using local fish whenever possible. The second was beef cheek, which honored the kaiseki cuisine by cooking it at very low temperature for 48 hours, enriched with European touches, and then served with beans, ponzu mayonnaise, powdered vinegar and sesame seeds.

These 2 new restaurants, each awarded with a MICHELIN Star, increase the number of One MICHELIN Star restaurants in Istanbul to 6 in total, and Araka, Nicole, Mikla and Neolokal retain their titles this year as well. Turk Fatih Tutak, who is at the top of the local culinary scene, continues to be included in the 2024 selection of the MICHELIN Guide with two MICHELIN Stars, thanks to the excellent and route-worthy plates he prepares.

Four new caring restaurants awarded MICHELIN Green Star

The 2024 selection of the MICHELIN Guide includes 3 new MICHELIN Green Star restaurants, 1 in Izmir and 4 in Istanbul. The MICHELIN Green Star honors restaurants that are pioneers in environmentally responsible gastronomy, and also serves as a reliable resource for gourmets who are truly passionate about this subject and seek to discover inspiring cuisines.

OD Urla, Vino Locale and Hangi Lokanta from Izmir, and Circle by Vertical from Istanbul were among the restaurants awarded with the MICHELIN Green Star. With Neolokal, which was included in last year's selection, retaining its MICHELIN Green Star, the number of restaurants awarded with the MICHELIN Green Star in the 2024 selection of the MICHELIN Guide increased to 5.

16 new Bib Gourmand restaurants added to the selection

2 new restaurants were added to the Bib Gourmand category of the MICHELIN Guide, including 6 from Bodrum, 8 from Izmir and 16 from Istanbul.

While the inspectors were particularly impressed by the variety and taste of the appetizers served at İki Sandal tavern in Bodrum, they did not forget to enjoy the grilled meats served at Otantik Ocakbaşı.

Traditional Turkish cuisine is highly appreciated in distinguished addresses in Izmir. Appetizers, boiled dishes, vegetable soups and baklavas with syrup are in the race for taste at Adil Müftüoğlu, Ayşa Bosnak Börekcisi, Beğendik Abi and Tavacı Recep Usta. Yüksek Lokanta, which was also awarded the MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainable initiatives, offers a more modern and vegetable-oriented cuisine in the old city. Located in the Lucien Arkas vineyard, LA Cellar offers Mediterranean cuisine with its taste and quality, while also highlighting the highest quality local wines.

The 8 new restaurants in Istanbul, included in the Bib Gourmand category, offer a more eclectic culinary panorama, from the Italian flavors of Aida – vino e cucina or Fauna to the Japanese flavors of Inari Omakase Kuruçeşme or the Mediterranean cuisine of Red Balon. Regardless of whether it is modern or traditional, Turkish cuisine has not been forgotten; Circle by Vertical, Efendy, Tavacı Recep Usta Bostancı and Foxy Nişantaşı also took their place among the restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category.

In addition to the new additions to this category, 2023 restaurants in Istanbul, which were previously included in the Bib Gourmand category in the MICHELIN Guide 10 selection, continue to maintain their rank. In this way, 18 restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category shine in Turkey's largest city.

36 new recommended restaurants were included in the selection

In addition to the restaurants awarded with the MICHELIN Star or Bib Gourmand, the inspectors also added 6 new restaurants, 15 of which are in Izmir, 15 in Bodrum and 36 in Istanbul, to the recommended list, which stand out with the quality of their cuisine. Among all these new restaurants, diversity is at the forefront, whether it is tasting Anatolian specialties at Lokanta Göktürk in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district, enjoying appetizers at Bağarası in Bodrum, or tasting excellent meats at Kasap Fuat in Izmir. Those who love Asian cuisine will not want to miss the Japanese specialties of Akira Back Istanbul and Zuma Bodrum or the Cantonese flavors of Hakkasan Istanbul. Those who prefer Italian cuisine will visit Isola Manzara in Bodrum or Ristorante Pizzeria Venice in Izmir. They will also be able to enjoy fish and seafood at Eleos Yeşilköy in Istanbul, SOTA ALAÇATI in Izmir or Sait in Bodrum.

In addition to the 15 new restaurants that entered the list of recommended restaurants from Istanbul, the number of recommended restaurants in the city increased to 37 with 52 restaurants that continued to maintain their place in the list of recommended restaurants this year.

Three Special Awards from MICHELIN

To honor their outstanding knowledge and highlight their diverse roles in restaurants, inspectors decided to additionally honor 3 talented professionals who contributed to unforgettable dining experiences.

The MICHELIN Sommelier Award, announced for the first time with the MICHELIN Guide Istanbul, Izmir, Bodrum 2024 selection, is the MICHELIN Green Star Award in Izmir.

Seray became the owner of Vino Locale, one of the MICHELIN Star restaurants in Kumbasar and Izmir.

The MICHELIN Service Award, supported by Mastercard, went to İsmail Kahveci and the service team of Tuğra Restaurant in Istanbul for their extraordinary sense of hospitality.

Finally, the MICHELIN Young Chef Award, which honors promising young talents, was given to Ulaş Durmaz from The Red Balon, who was included in the selection from the Bib Gourmand category.

MICHELIN Guide Istanbul, Izmir, Bodrum selection in summary:

• A total of 77 restaurants, 15 in Istanbul, 19 in Izmir and 111 in Bodrum, were on the recommendation list.
• 1 Two MICHELIN Star restaurant (Istanbul)
• 11 One MICHELIN Star restaurants (6 in Istanbul, 3 in Izmir, 2 in Bodrum)
• 26 Bib Gourmand restaurants (18 in Istanbul, 6 in Izmir, 2 in Bodrum)
• There were 5 MICHELIN Green Star restaurants (2 in Istanbul and 3 in Izmir).

The full selection of MICHELIN Guide Istanbul, Izmir and Bodrum is available free of charge on the MICHELIN Guide website and application. The restaurants are offered together with a selection of MICHELIN Guide hotels, which include the most unique and exciting accommodation venues in Turkey and the world. Each hotel featured in the guide has been chosen for its exceptional style, service and character, with options to suit all budgets, and hotels can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The MICHELIN Guide, a reference point in the field of gastronomy, also sets a new standard for hotels. To explore every restaurant in the selection and book a hotel of your choice for an unforgettable experience MICHELIN Guide website You can visit or download the MICHELIN Guide app for free on iOS and Android.

Note: For more detailed information about the Michelin guide, see HORECA TREND's “What is a Michelin Star? A Brief History of the Michelin GuideYou can read the article titled ”.

Source: HORECA TREND

Introducing newly opened restaurants, cafes and bars in New York, London and Berlin; The number of city guides and web portals that follow the events in the city is quite high. These guides are followed by millions of people, and the places they recommend can be booked up to two or three months later.

The number and influence of city guides is increasing rapidly in Turkey. One of Turkey's most comprehensive city guides for HORECA Trend readers,Nothing Like AnkaraWe visited the office of ” in METU Teknokent and talked about their projects with the team of “Nothing Like Ankara”.

Let's start with the curious question first: Is there really nothing like Ankara for you?

It will be a short and clear answer, but there really is nothing like Ankara! We are sincerely connected to Ankara and we want to eat, drink and travel in this city; We like to go to a good concert, to a play. Ankara is a city where all our team has a history and experiences.

You are creating a city guide with few examples in Turkey. What does a city guide do? What are you doing at Nothing Like Ankara?

In fact, we compile places to eat, drink and visit in Ankara and follow the events. We do not receive any money from any business and share our objective views. Our main communication channel for now @ankaragibisiyok our Instagram account named username and www.ankaragibisiyok.com our web portal.

We reached 6 thousand followers on Instagram in a short period of 21 months. 98% of our followers are from Ankara and this is a very homogeneous mass. A content we share gets more than 16 thousand accesses organically and the places we recommend are often full and overflowing.

Although Ankara is featured on Instagram right now, it is actually a web portal. Our web portal is visited by thousands of people every day. You can find venues in Ankara, information and comments about venues on our portal. We also have an extensive calendar of events that is updated every month. Whatever is going on and going to happen in Ankara, you can reach it from Ankara Like Nothing.

As far as I follow, you are mostly critical of the places and activities you evaluate. For example, you openly write that you do not like most of the places you share. This is not a situation we are used to in Turkey. What was the reaction of your followers and visitors to this situation?

They liked it. Naturally, they found us more friendly. Almost all of our followers know that we do not receive money from the places we go, and on top of that, we pay the bill and leave. This gives us a great deal of freedom. We can write “we didn't like” for a meal we didn't like, and “bad” for a bad concert. Saying "we like" a dish we don't like is unacceptable and immoral in our opinion. We never did, never will. Frankly, we condemn those who do.

What are the future plans of Ankara Likes Yok? How will you develop the guide?

We are present in almost every area of ​​the internet. We are also developing our mobile application and we plan to bring it together with the people of Ankara in the first half of 2023. Currently, we reach two hundred thousand Ankara residents every month through our web portal and social media accounts. Our goal is to be a guide that 2% of Ankara's population applies every day in 25 years. Obviously we are working towards that. 

Source: HORECA Trend