Pepo’s Galata: Traditional Turkish Cuisine

While exploring Istanbul in Turkey, we ate at a few amazing restaurants worth mentioning. Located behind the famous Galata tower is Pepo’s Galata restaurant, which was amazing. It sits directly behind the tower in one of the alleyways. This restaurant delivers both delicious food and amazing service. 

Pepo’s Galata

Pepos is known to be one of the most romantic restaurants in Istanbul due to its unforgettable ambiance. The historical building was built as Pepohan in 1891 and still stands today on Window St. It’s among the historical streets surrounding the Galata Tower, which are super fun to explore.

The Galata Tower is also called Christea Turris, which means Tower of Christ. It’s a stone tower in Istanbul just north of the Bosphorus. It was built in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul when it was built in 1348. It was built in the 14th century by the Genoese as a part of a defense wall to protect the district. Most of the walls are gone now, but the tower still stands today at 220 feet high. It’s truly a sight to see. 

Menu 

The restaurant serves as a casual cafe, restaurant, and bar. Serving traditional Turkish food, Pepo’s has so many delicious dishes to choose from. Everything we ordered was fantastic. We indulged in so many tasty plates including salads, artichoke, beef, liver, a cheese plate, and a delicious fudge brownie. Everything was truly phenomenal, especially our waiter, named Yilderay, who gave us some cool cocktails at the end. He also gave us three shots. One of them was Lemon Cello, which he said was a shot you give your friends. He made this experience truly unforgettable.

Experience 

Both the service and ambiance were great. Also, the food was delicious. I would highly recommend Pepo’s Galata if you’re traveling through Istanbul. If you want an authentic Turkish meal, this restaurant is for you. If you’re interested in other great places to eat in Turkey, such as The Old Greek House, you can read more on my blog. We have had some great experiences in Turkey, and I can’t wait to keep exploring.