Istanbul

Istanbul in Vaulx-en-Velin is a halal restaurant whose name celebrates the great city that straddles Europe and Asia — once the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate and still one of the most important cultural capitals of the Muslim world. The menu brings the flavors of Istanbul and wider Turkey to the Lyon metropolitan area: adana and urfa kebabs from the charcoal grill, iskender kebab with its tangy yogurt and browned butter, pide stretched long and filled with cheese or meat, lahmacun thin and crisp, mezze featuring cacik, haydari, muhammara and stuffed vine leaves, and sweet finishes with baklava and strong Turkish tea. Everything is halal, and the kitchen takes its Turkish heritage seriously. The dining room is welcoming and informal, and the atmosphere carries the easy hospitality for which Turkish restaurants are known. Vaulx-en-Velin is a commune in the Lyon metropolitan area with a substantial Muslim population, including a notable Turkish community alongside Arabs, North Africans, sub-Saharan Africans and others. Restaurants like Istanbul serve both the Turkish diaspora and the wider Muslim community looking for the satisfying flavors of Anatolian cooking. During Ramadan the restaurant hosts important iftars — the tables set before Maghrib with dates, olives, soup and bread, the quiet waiting for the adhan, then the communal breaking of the fast that has been a rhythm of the Muslim world since the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Eid celebrations bring family gatherings and joyful meals. For a traveler in the Lyon area, a meal at Istanbul is a small journey to the Bosphorus without leaving France. Turkish cuisine is one of the great culinary traditions of Islam, shaped by the palace kitchens of the Ottoman era and the home cooking of Anatolian villages alike, and every meal carries a little of that richness. Order a mixed grill, take your time over mezze, finish with tea and a piece of baklava, and enjoy the unhurried rhythm of a proper Turkish meal in the middle of France. A meal at Istanbul is a small journey from the Lyon suburbs to the Bosphorus, and a quiet taste of the long Islamic heritage of Anatolia.