Discovering Hidden Gems: My Night of Traditional Entertainment in the Heart of Kyrenia

Rediscovering Cultural Entertainment: A Night Out in Kyrenia’s Old Town

Last night, I went to a traditional Saturday evening night out that offered a blend of modern and traditional cultural entertainment. I have to admit that I am used to trying new things every weekend, so I had forgotten the last time I had been to a traditional “meyhane” style entertainment.

The Ultimate Foodie Adventure: Exploring Kyrenia’s Culinary Scene

Over the past couple of years, more and more interesting places have been popping up in the city I live in and love to enjoy; Kyrenia. We are on a mission to experience the food from every single country on the map. Just in the last couple of months, I have tried a Georgian chef in the old town of Kyrenia with a saxophone show, a French restaurant where I tried escargots for the first time, a Greek Cypriot restaurant with a traditional ‘Ouzo’ shot after the meal, had ‘Kleftiko’ at the Armenian town of Kormacit. The list goes on, but you can check our map below for our progress so far.

For music, the 18th International Bellapais Spring Music Festival is currently happening, outdoor clubs are opening this season, and there is always a techno event somewhere, so I don’t often get to enjoy the settings with local music. Nevertheless, last night I was invited to a friend’s birthday party. The place was right in the Kyrenia city center, in the region of its old town. On the way there, you can enjoy the beauty of the old town, which creates contrasting scenes from the past lives with the Kyrenia Courts with its British Empire built historic architectural beauty, among the Bells of Orthodox Greek Churches and Minarets of Ottoman Mosques. The old-town looks beautiful under the soft and colorful lightning, bringing the historic beauty of a blend of different parts of history to light.

The Hidden Gem of Kyrenia’s Old Town: A Cozy Entertainment Setting

This is a street I visit almost every day as I am a realtor, and that’s where the attorneys and notaries are densely operating. Despite passing by this place almost every single day for the past four years, I have never noticed it. It has been hiding in plain sight behind huge hand-welded metal gates which locals call ‘gancelli’. The building itself is a repurposed historic house with a huge fireplace in the middle and gardens turned into a convertible terrace with a big hall filled with long tables crammed up for a cozy entertainment setting. In the enclosed terrace area, there was also a DJ booth (I will get to this later). But most importantly, it had an on-premises parking space which is impossible to find in the old town of Kyrenia -probably even in the Kyrenia City Center- and it had valet services. The parking itself was enough to impress me from the moment I entered the place.

A blend of modern and traditional cultural entertainment

To my surprise, it seemed like I was the only Cypriot who did not know of this place. It was crammed with hundreds of locals, and I probably bumped into almost all of the locals I know in town. This place was not strictly a traditional meyhane. A traditional meyhane experience will be comprised of a variety of mezes/tapas as cold starters, followed by hot starters and grilled meat dishes, alongside the alcoholic ‘Raki’ drink, and some live music with a local music genre called ‘Fasil’ played with instruments such as ‘Kanun,’ violin, ‘Darbuka,’ and a type of flute. However, this place had a DJ booth, and throughout the night, they played 90s-2000s Turkish pop, which has been quite popular in the recent years, and I was very pleased with it.

Traditional Cuisine with a Modern Twist: The Menu Highlights

The food was traditional meyhane cuisine and there were typical choices of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available. You can check out the list of dishes served throughout the night in detail below.

Dancing the Night Away: A Local Music Experience

Once everyone enjoyed their starters, the night turned into a lovely and warm entertainment. Right before the main course dishes were served, we were all given a ‘Def’, which is a simple instrument used to keep the beat with the music, and everyone started dancing. These were the scenes I missed the most about my people and culture when I was living abroad.

Making New Friends and Reconnecting with Old Ones: The Social Scene

We danced all night long, occasionally taking a quick bite and then getting back up on our feet to join the crowds. There were firework candles, cake, and the music just kept getting better and better. The last course included a variety of desserts and a huge fruit platter to end the night on the sweetest note.

A Night to Remember: Fond Memories and Sweet Endings It was definitely a night that I enjoyed very much with my friends and sister. I met so many new people and also bumped into a lot of friends and acquaintances whom I had missed.

Courses and the full list of dishes served:

STARTERS

1. Pide – Cypriot pitta bread

2. Cakides – green olives prepared with garlic, lemon squeeze and coriander seeds

3. Ezine Cheese

4. Cig köfte – vegetarian meatballs made from bulgur, onion, tomato or red pepper and isot pepper

MEZZES/TAPAS (COLD SIDE-DISHES)

1. Babaghanoush – grilled eggplant salad

2. Acili ezme – spicy mashed dip with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, garlic, and parsley

3. Cacik – yogurt with cucumbers and herbs

4. Köpoğlu – spread, relish and salad made principally from roasted eggplants and garlic

5. Potato Salad

6. Muammara – Roasted red pepper dip

7. Atom – dip made with strained yogurt, dried cayenne peppers, garlic, and butter

8. Caramelized red pepper

9. Pembe sultan – dip containing beetroot, yoghurt and garlic

10. Hummus – dip made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon squeeze and garlic

SALADS

Salads made with seasonal, fresh ingredients

HOT SIDE-DISHES

1. Donner kebab

2. Lahmacun – Turkish pizza

3. Grilled Halloumi – Cypriot Cheese  

MAIN COURSE DISHES

1. Adana kebab

2. Lamb chop (shish-kebab)

3. Chicken chop (shish-kebab)

4. Grilled Chicken wings

DESSERT AND FRUIT PLATTER

1. Semolina Halva – semolina pudding that is sweetened with syrup and studded with nuts and raisins

2. Seasonal fruit platter

Written by Soylem Coli

– Realtor- Head of Regional Sales at Avertiss exclusive partners

Mobile: +905338641652

17th of April 2023