We can’t teach you to fish but we can find you a great meal

Such simple, stripped-down locations receive a great deal of customers. One is Bizim Balık Evi (literally Our Fish House), which has been operating in the Yeşilköy neighborhood of İstanbul for the past six years. Although it has functioned as a fish restaurant only for six years, it has been a fish seller for 30. This modest restaurant cooks fish in a cute two-story building with 14 employees. The two small upstairs rooms can accommodate a total of 40 customers. In the summer, the tables outside the restaurant teem with customers. What attracts them is of course the taste of the fish. If you drop by in the evening or on the weekend, you may have to wait in line for a table.

The owner of this restaurant is Hüseyin Kulaksız, originally from Rize. He explained that they cook the fish, bought fresh from a daily fish market, without sauce or spices and serve them to the customers -- so don’t expect to eat marinated fish. Kulaksız noted that his is the only fish restaurant in Yeşilköy that doesn’t serve alcohol and added that they don’t even serve mezes, as mezes are generally served as an accompaniment to alcoholic beverages. The restaurant cooks the fishes without any sauce or spice.

At the restaurant, you can choose which fish you want to eat from a large display, add a seasonal or shepherd’s salad to your order, and take a seat. The only fish cooked with spice -- as well as tomatoes and green peppers -- is the swordfish shish grilled on a skewer. We ordered red mullet, bluefish and swordfish shish. To be honest, we haven’t eaten such delicious bluefish or red mullet in a long time. They were fried well and tasted perfect. As for the swordfish shish, it has a unique flavor. It was not like eating just fish. The spices and vegetables are really used and cooked properly, in the proper amounts. To those who want to try a different fish dish the swordfish is recommended. For those fond of traditional fish dishes, give any of the fish without any spice or sauce a try.

Dessert is a must after eating fish, and there are only a few desserts to choose. The hot halva developed by Bizim Balık Evi tastes great. The milk-and-lemon-infused halva is served between two slices of grilled bread. However, it might taste better with a little ground walnut. Those interested in sampling the restaurant’s menu should head over before the weather heats up and the fishing season is over.

Fish without sauce and halva dessert

The only alcohol-free fish restaurant in Yeşilköy, Bizim Balık Evi is a two-storey, 40-person restaurant with 14 employees. You will have the opportunity to enjoy the real taste of fish there. Bizim Balık Evi is open from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. and offers delivery service to Yeşilköy and Yeşilyurt. The restaurant does not accept reservations, nor does it have a website or parking lot. Parking along the side of the road is managed by İSPARK (a subsidiary of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality), so you may park your car on the side of the road for a fee. The fish was delicious, especially the swordfish. The halva dessert was much-loved and the density of the fish soup made with sea bass and cream was perfect.

Prices vary, but the taste is consistent!

Fish soup: TL 5

Sea bass: TL 15

Sea bram: TL 15

Red mullet: TL 20-25

Anchovy or horse mackerel: TL 8

Bluefish: TL 20-25

Turbot (per kilogram): TL 90

Salmon: TL 12

Swordfish shish: TL 25

Salads: TL 5

Halva: TL 5

Beverages: TL 1-3

Bizim Balık Evi

İstasyon Cad. No: 43 Yeşilköy-İstanbul

Phone number: 0212 663 20 85-574 37 92