Metet stops serving when the döner runs out, and on a good night that happens before the posted closing time. It grills over charcoal, almost alone in Istanbul, on the one long street through Kuzguncuk on the Asian shore. The crossing is a ferry from Eminönü to Üsküdar and a walk up the coast road, and the walk is half the reason to go.
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private days since 2011
Why There Is Usually a Queue
Almost all döner in Istanbul comes off a gas burner now. Charcoal has become rare enough that people cross the city for it, and that is what the line outside Metet is. On a weekday evening it can reach down the block.
What everyone is waiting for is közde döner, meat turned over embers rather than a flame. It comes off the spit crisp at the edges, still loose in the middle, and you smell the charcoal before the plate reaches you.
The room is tiles, a counter and a few tables, and everything the kitchen cares about is on the plate.
What to Order First
The menu runs longer than it needs to. Two things carry the queue, and one of them is not the döner.
- Közde döner. The house dish. They serve it on rice, in bread, or on a plate with butter.
- İçli köfte. A bulgur shell around spiced meat, fried, and the dish visitors most often walk past.
- The grill list. İskender and Beyti, for anyone who wants the kebab version of the same meat.
- Künefe to finish. The pistachio and clotted cream version is on the dessert list, and it is worth the wait it takes to bake.
Getting There From the Old City
Metet is not somewhere you pass on the way to something else, so the crossing is the real decision. From Eminönü, take the ferry to Üsküdar. The pier puts you a 25 minute walk north along the water, or ten minutes by taxi.
Walk it if you can. The Bosphorus stays on your left the whole way, and the road drops you at the bottom of İcadiye Caddesi, the street Metet is on.
The Street Metet Sits On
Kuzguncuk is one street of painted timber houses, greengrocers, coffee places, and a market garden the neighbourhood fought to keep. Film crews shoot here for the same reason guests slow down here. It still looks like the city people imagine before they arrive.
A mosque, two synagogues, an Armenian church and a Greek one share the same short stretch as Metet, and all of them are still in use.
That is why our guides put the walk before the meal. This is a working piece of the Asian side, best taken slowly and on an empty stomach.
When to Go & What Sells Out
A few things decide whether you eat or stand looking at an empty spit.
- They close when the döner is gone. The published hours run to a quarter to ten in the evening, and the meat regularly goes before that.
- Lunch and early evening are the safe windows. Late evening on a weekend is the one to avoid.
- No reservations. First come, first served, and the queue moves faster than it looks because the kitchen is built for it.
- Three branches, one Kuzguncuk. Metet also cooks in Çiftehavuzlar and Suadiye. The İcadiye Caddesi kitchen is the Kuzguncuk one, and the only one worth a crossing. Branches and hours are on metetdoner.com.
Eating Here With a Guide
We take guests to Metet on Asian-side days, always after the walk through Kuzguncuk rather than before it. A guide also reads the spit on arrival: how much meat is left tells them whether you queue now or walk the street first.
Down the shore in the other direction, İsmet Baba does fish on the water at Kuzguncuk pier. The two together make a full day of eating on this side without crossing back.
Private Istanbul Food Days
Eat the Asian Side With a Local
A private food day built around where you are staying and what you actually want to eat, with a licensed guide who knows this side of the water. Kuzguncuk is one of the routes.
Questions People Ask About Metet
Is Metet worth crossing the Bosphorus for?
If you want one döner in Istanbul to be the good one, yes. Metet grills over charcoal, which almost nowhere central does, and the crossing puts you in Kuzguncuk, which is worth an afternoon on its own. If you have half a day and no interest in the Asian shore, eat closer to your hotel and keep the time. Our Istanbul food days build the crossing into a route rather than making it a special trip.
What time does Metet open, and when does it sell out?
The Kuzguncuk branch opens late morning and its published hours run to a quarter to ten at night, but it stops when the döner runs out. Check the current hours on metetdoner.com before you set off, and aim for lunch or early evening rather than the end of the night.
Do you need a reservation at Metet?
No, and they do not take them. It is first come, first served at every branch, and the queue outside moves faster than its length suggests.
What should you order at Metet if it is your first time?
The közde döner and one portion of içli köfte between two people. The içli köfte is the dish regulars order that visitors miss, and one portion is enough to try it alongside the döner.
Is there anything else to eat in Kuzguncuk?
Yes. İsmet Baba serves fish beside the pier, and İcadiye Caddesi has a run of bakeries and coffee places along its length. A guided food day on this side usually strings three or four of them together.
Plan Your Asian Side Day
You eat the plate straight off the charcoal, then walk İcadiye Caddesi back as the lamps come on. The ferry carries you home with charcoal smoke still on your jacket.
Tell us when you are in Istanbul and how you feel about ferries. We will say honestly whether Kuzguncuk fits your days, plan the crossing, and reply with a route you can adjust freely.
Metet is a great restaurant! Their food is amazing. Soups, pickles, salad and doner, just wow!
Their new branch is very spacious with beautiful views and great service, specifically Omar and Mukremin, very helpful and attentive. Certainly a must go!!
Thanks for your comment. Metet is awesome! But I hope the restoration work is over soon!