When I first saw The Istanbul Butcher, I was immediately inspired by this contradiction: elegant, sophisticated, luxurious, golden, very visual, beautiful – and yet it was a butcher shop!

Then, when on our evening walk we just thought of taking a couple of quick photos to start my blog post and come back later to photograph more, it didn’t work out. Namely, the butchers came to the door, beckoning and welcoming us in. We became more and more confused, because the idea that luxury cannot be friendly has become entrenched in our Finnish minds – especially for us the non-elite. But we were now in Istanbul and Turkey, which means in a ”service society”.

The Istanbul Butcher surprised us positively in numerous ways. Naturally, the selection of meat and sausages here is very varied and the meat is cut by skilled experts and butchers. One of the values ​​of the company is creativity. Here I also learned that even meat can be a visual experience in addition to taste. From this same place you will also find various side dishes and sauces made on site for the meat you buy, as well as, of course, wines. Not forgetting the desserts. The selection is therefore very diverse.

If you wish, you can also buy food prepared here to take home or order the catering service for your party (The Istanbul Butcer Butik Catering). Clever, easy and tasty. In addition, to our surprise, the price level was reasonable even in Istanbul.

The warm kindness was also something we will not forget. The manager came to introduce us to the shop and its products. We heard we were in a really unique place because there are only two of these butchers in the world. In addition to Istanbul,  the other store is located in Sydney, Australia.

However, the real joy was unleashed when the manager heard that we were from Finland. This friendly lady turned out to be a big fan of the Finnish Ville Valo (the vocalist of rock band called HIM). So this butcher shop surprised us in many ways and brought a smile to our faces – as well as made us feel very welcome.

The Istanbul Butcher is located on the Asian side in Fenerbahçe, Kadıköy.

More information: www.theistanbulbutcher.com