Lunch at Ethiopian and a lovely afternoon in Taksim

Taksim Square

Last week I met with one of my closest friends in Istanbul, Joy. We wanted to check out the new Ethiopian restaurant, She-Va, that recently opened in Istanbul. It was a nice warm day and we decided to spend the entire afternoon exploring the Taksim area. Taksim is a famous area on the European side of Istanbul with tons of bars, small shops, art galleries,and restaurants. 
I live on the Asian side of Istanbul. One way for me to get to the European side of Istanbul is to take a seabus. One of the major seabus terminals on the Asian is located near my house and it’s very convenient for me to just hop on the boat and be on the European side in 25 minutes. I actually really enjoy taking the seabus. Not only I beat the crazy Istanbul traffic, but I also get a chance to catch up on my reading while on the boat. 

Bostanci boat terminal on the Asian side of Istanbul

One of the backstreets of Taksim

My friend and I met at the boat terminal on the European side and walked to the restaurant through Taksim. We took our time walking down the Istiklal street, taking pictures, and checking out small shops. As I was taking a picture of my friend on one of the backstreets off the major Istiklal street, which we turned on to to find the restaurant, a Turkish woman approached us and politely warned us to be careful and watch our bags. Although both of us have been in Taksim many times and my friend knows the area very well, we thought the woman had a point and decided to head straight to the restaurant without looking too much like tourists.

When we found the restaurant, we were a little confused, because its entrance didn’t look anything like a restaurant’s entrance. We opened the door and found ourselves on the first floor of a building with no restaurant in sight. The concierge of the building told us the restaurant is on the second floor. We went up and an Ethiopian woman greeted us at the door. The place was empty. We sat down and ordered two things off of the menu that have been my favorites since I discovered Ethiopian cuisine back in Atlanta. We decided to try the Lamb Tibs and Alisha Wog. Our food came 20 minutes later on a large metal Ethiopian tray. It’s been awhile since I had Ethiopian food and was very excited to try it in Istanbul. Overall, both dishes were pretty decent, but we liked the Lamb Tibs better than the Alisha Wog. We finished our lunch, paid the check, which was only 45TL ($25) and headed back to the Istiklal street. 

                                                                        Entrance to the She-Va restaurant 

Inside the She-Va restaurant 

Our lunch: Lamb Tibs and Alisha Wog 

As we walked down the Istiklal street, we checked out several art galleries and book stores. The art galleries didn’t do much for me. I’ve come to realize that I don’t really  get or like the contemporary art in Turkey, but I am fascinated with the art of the Ottoman era. On the same Istiklal street, we came across two beautiful old Catholic churches. Both of them are fully functioning. 

Istiklal Street in Taksim

An old Catholic church in Taksim

Before we knew it, it was time for me to go the Kabatas boat terminal to catch the boat back home. My friend showed me a shortcut to Kabatas through one of the backstreets. We walked down the tiny street all the way to the sea and to the boat terminal. It was truly a perfect day and I told myself that I need to get out of my area and do stuff with my friends more often. 

One of the old backstreets in Taksim. The shortcut from Taksim to Kabatas.

SeaBus