Agora Meyhanesi (Tavern) 1890

Agora Meyhanesi 1890 located in Balat district, which is one of the oldest settlements in Istanbul and is known across the world as one of the most photogenic areas, has witnessed to a history of 130 years.

Perhaps, you are familiar with the song about Agora Meyhanesi 1890, which is ‘considered to be a reflection of Sultan Abdülhamid's tolerance towards the social life of non-Muslims’, which has the following lyrics:

“This is Agora Tavern

The maddest, the greatest

Of entire love lives here…’’ 

The historical Agora Meyhanesi, which inspired this song, or rather poem, was established in 1890 in the Balat district of Istanbul. The poem "Agora Meyhanesi" written in 1959 basically tells the story of the boy who worked as a journeyman in this tavern.

In 1890, Greek Captain Asteri opened tavern in Balat bazaar and named it as "Agora", which means "Square’’. The barrel tables, which are still popular today, were used back then. The tavern also gained a great reputation through its cheap wines in a short time. However, the main reason behind the popularity of the tavern is the poem known as Agora Meyhanesi, which was inspired by the sad love story in Izmir.

Agora, which has been redecorated and restored with glasses, mirrors, lamps and jugs that have been preserved over the years, has been serving as a restaurant and tavern with the name "Agora Meyhanesi 1890" since 2013. In Balat where many languages ​​such as Syriac, Georgian, Laz, Zaza, Kurdish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Albanian, and Latino are spoken; Agora Meyhanesi, has become the symbol in which the culture and traditions are kept alive and also has great importance in terms of the values ​​that characterize culture and entertainment since the first day of its establishment.