Also widely known as Çömlek Kurufasulye, the restaurant is a gift to Istanbul from the Günaydın Family. The venue, steadfast in preserving traditional flavors, diligently maintains the quality of its primary dish, the beans, ensuring excellence from farm to table. The second generation, led by Maksut Günaydın and Kamil Günaydın, stands out with their education and visionary approach. Nursaid Günaydın, a business graduate from Koç University, not only preserves the culinary tastes but also steers towards the future with innovative approaches. His siblings, Nurseli Günaydın, who studied Psychology, and Nurseda Günaydın, a Gastronomy graduate, support him at every step.
Originally opened in 1999 at Kısıklı Square, Çömlek Restaurant moved to its current location on Çamlıca Hill in 2008 and underwent renovation in 2018. Offering stunning views of the Anatolian Side and the Princes' Islands, Çömlek provides a delightful dining ambiance. The restaurant also serves breakfast over the weekends. Since its inception, it has expanded its menu and ensures all its ingredients are sourced first-rate directly from the origins. Nursaid Günaydın highlights the importance of maintaining ingredient quality and mentions plans to start producing Ispir beans, known for their thin skins and unique flavor, prepared by master chefs who have been part of Çömlek’s kitchen for nearly 20 years. Indeed, Çömlek continues to offer a feast of flavors. Nursaid also mentioned they had tried branching out with more locations but have now decided against further expansion.
What's on the menu?
The highlight of Çömlek Restaurant’s menu is its famed beans cooked in a stone oven in clay pots, sourced exclusively from Ispir, ensuring the same taste for 24 years. Beans, an essential part of our culinary culture, are cherished for their high nutritional value and satisfying nature at any meal.
A favorite venue for corporate meals and large family gatherings, Çömlek also offers Rize-style roasted meat cooked with butter from Dana, and stuffed collard rolls with diced beef. The meats are sourced from farms around Balıkesir, and the butter from Trabzon. These dishes, irresistible not only to those from the Black Sea region but to all guests, maintain a consistently cherished taste, preserved like a legacy. Vegetarians favor the bean pickle roast, Rize-style collard soup, buttery muhlama made from Rize's famous kolot cheese, and stuffed meatballs are also popular dishes. Red meat lovers can enjoy a feast with Akçaabat, İnegöl, and Kaşar cheese meatballs. Choose to accompany your meal with either cornbread or Trabzon Vakfı Kebir bread.
At Çömlek Restaurant, all dishes are prepared with organic ingredients using traditional methods, making each meal a legendary taste experience. Among the favorite desserts is the Hamsiköy rice pudding, made without starch, the milk simmered for a long time, gradually turning a light golden brown to achieve the perfect consistency, and served with plenty of hazelnuts in clay dishes. Make sure to ask for the daily-made Hamsiköy rice pudding before it runs out. Laz pastry, known in the Artvin region as Laz dessert, though rare on menus, has been served for years at Çömlek Restaurant and is made with handmade phyllo dough.
With a capacity of 350, Çömlek Restaurant is adding a few more special Black Sea dishes to its menu this fall, available only when you visit, particularly between October and January. No reservation is needed to enjoy these flavors. The restaurant, with a 360-degree rotating platform inside, is open seven days a week, offers free parking, and invites diners to enjoy meals while taking in the panoramic views of the Anatolian Side and the Islands.
