Turks in London organize ‘meyhane’ nights as part of Nevizade UK

LONDON

Within the scope of a project called “Nevizade U.K.,” a group of Turks living in London has been converting the restaurants they rent into traditional Turkish “meyhanes” in a bid to enjoy traditional mezes and local food and drinks together.

A “meyhane,” which means “house of wine,” is a traditional restaurant or bar in Turkey, and Nevizade is the name of a street in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, typically famous for its splendid meyhanes.

As part of the project, Nevizade U.K., a group of Turks, rent a restaurant in England’s capital once a week or fortnight, convert it into a meyhane and serve Turkish alcohol drinks and traditional mezes.

Turks living in London buy tickets for meyhane nights on the project’s social media accounts to enjoy a “Nevizade night abroad.”

“These pop-up meyhanes are new social activities in London for Turks, as most of the participants are them,” a news site reported on June 29.

A Turkish couple living in England since 2013 said they enjoyed attending a meyhane night.

“There are Turkish restaurants here in London. But this meyhane concept is different. This experience reminded me of our university days in Istanbul,” said Çağrı and Tuba, who are both architects.

In front of these “pop-up meyhanes,” there stands a mussel-seller, same as those found on Nevizade Street of Istanbul.

Ahmet, who used to work as a website designer in Istanbul, is now working as a mussel-seller at these meyhane nights in London.

“In Turkish, we call a mussel-seller as ‘midyeci.’ My target is to create a brand here in London named ‘The Midyeci.’ I want to expand the business,” Ahmet said.

“Most people who come to experience a meyhane night enjoy their evenings,” Ahmet said.