Their biggest weapon here is their smile.
This travel article tells the story of a Syrian family’s difficult migration journey to Turkey and the Falafel Shop they opened in Beyoğlu in 2016.
When you exit the Şişhane Metro Istiklal Street exit and turn right, Kumbaracı Slope welcomes you. When you get off that slope and go 100 meters, Falafelköy and its magnificent atmosphere welcome you. We wanted to come here and taste the food they serve because we noticed that Falafelköy was the only vegan restaurant in our area on the app called “Happycow” and when we took a look at the reviews and comments about the place, we thought it was a place worth visiting. We were intrigued that people who visited this little shop on Kumbaracı Slope in Beyoğlu gave it such a high rating.
Let’s talk a bit about the atmosphere of the shop, even before we got to the door we saw people waiting in line. Our first impression was that everyone was friendly and people who didn’t know each other were chatting. We had the opportunity to meet a few people while we were in line in this mostly touristy place. When we asked Sophie and Noah, a couple from New Zealand who was paying the bill as we were entering the place, how they discovered this shop, they replied “We wanted to try it because it was the highest-rated restaurant in the area and we are glad we came because everything was delicious.” Also, Noah said one of his Erasmus friends also recommended this place. “When I go back to my country, I will tell people about the hummus recipe I learned here. Hearing such comments of course made us even more excited. When we entered, we were greeted by an employee named Yezan. We chatted for a while and he started to tell us about Falafelköy. We told him that we wanted to have an interview with Mr. Adnan, the cook, but at first, he didn’t like the idea and politely declined our offer. We didn’t leave the place to observe the atmosphere. During this time, we watched Mr. Adnan meticulously prepare the orders he received. Mr. Adnan, who couldn’t stand our smiling faces and our little questions, said ”’ Let me prepare a plate for you, taste our delicacies. Since we are very busy right now, it would be very difficult for us to make an interview today.” He said. However, instead of leaving the place, we decided to wait for them to finish their shift. In the meantime, we did not neglect to eat our delicious food. Then Yezan offered us one of the Syrian specialty coffees with cardamom. Although the presentation of the coffee was similar to Turkish coffee, it was very different from what we were used to. It was both bitter and spicy, but the taste was quite good. Luckily, Real Madrid and Barcelona were playing El Clasico that evening. Since the tables were full, we watched the match on a Spanish channel with Vivien and Guillermo, a Spanish couple with whom we shared a table. Real Madrid ended the day with four goals and slowly the shop started to empty. As the last guests left the shop with full bellies and happy faces, there was no one left in the shop except the staff and us. We chatted with the staff until Mr. Adnan came to us and a very warm atmosphere was created. While playing Playstation, we talked about their lives here. We were happy to see Mr. Adnan after five hours of waiting and our conversation with him began. According to his story, they took refuge in Turkey in 2014 due to the civil war in Syria, fleeing from the oppression of the army. They first started to live in a shop near Ömer Hayyam and started to make and sell falafel. One night their shop in Tarlabaşı became unusable because the fire in the stove was left on. Then they settled in Falafelköy, where they are now.This small shop of 24 square meters, where they use the upper floor as a living space, has enabled them to hold on to life again. Mr. Adnan, whose condition is getting better every day, also talked about his family and himself. We learned that Mr. Adnan is originally a computer engineer, her mother Zehra is originally a fashion design teacher, and his father Mr. Ahmet was the coach of a football team in Aleppo. This information surprised us very much, none of them can do their professions at the moment. His comment about their current situation was as follows: ”At first everything was very difficult because we were subjected to racism and discrimination. The tradesmen and people of this region are tolerant and respectful. Especially with our next-door neighbor Mr. Yusuf, a second-hand bookseller, we have very good communication even if we do not speak the same language, we drink tea or coffee together every day. We have been treated badly not in this region but in other places, but this did not discourage us, we opened our doors to everyone with our tolerance and smiling faces, and now, thank God, our situation is better and we are happy.” When we asked Mr. Adnan how it feels to have such a wide range of customers coming to your shop, he said: “This is a restaurant like the United Nations Committee, there are people from all over the world who have heard of us, and come here.As you may have noticed, we don’t even have any social media accounts. All these people are coming through other people’s references.” Then we asked him if there is any growth in his plans for the near future, if he aims to open another branch, and if he will be involved in online food applications such as Yemeksepeti. He said that they have already realized growth, they took over the shop next door which used to be a croissant shop and now is also used as a dining hall. He said that this croissant shop also has a story because it used to be run by his cousin Mr. Mahmoud of Syrian origin in France, but then he was deported because he had a residence permit problem. He said that he used to work with Yemeksepeti but he thought that the falafels would not be as delicious when served in such a way as they are here and that the delivery times would be longer due to the density and the points would decrease, so he left the application. According to him, these dishes are fresh here and can be as delicious as their presentation. Mr. Adnan and his cousin Yezan now work here every day because his parents are old and want to rest, and his sister Zeynep, who we have been in contact with before, is married and has a baby on the way. Last but not least, Mr. Adnan says ”Our life here is of course not very good, but at least we are free.” Our interview with him was very valuable and meaningful. As he said “Our biggest weapon here is smile”.
We had the opportunity to take a look at the menu and the products they serve. The portions were quite generous, a one-person menu was enough for two people, and there were many delicious and different combinations of appetizers and dishes. The ingredients of Falafelköy’s special falafel are chickpeas, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, tahini, flour, cumin, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and lemon juice. In addition to falafel, don’t leave without trying their pita bread, special hummus dips, baba ganoush, and tabouleh salads.
It is a great feeling to witness such stories. We need more examples like this. The fact that those who are subjected to racism are being embraced and tolerated is hope for us. Maybe in a small lunch break for just twenty minutes, peaceful and friendly environments where people from different cultures, languages, and religions can come together and can share their values. We would like to thank Mr. Adnan and Mr. Yezan and Falafelköy for this visit. Everyone should have this experience one day.
By Efe Karaca and Selin Gözde Bozkurt