When you hear the name Lokanta Maya, you may not automatically think of Turkish food. But everything about this restaurant is local and native. Open since May 2010 in Karaköy, Lokanta Maya is set on one ideal: offering flavorful dishes made from local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients.

Lokanta Maya’s dynamic menu reflects this ideal, changing between lunch and dinner, from one day to the next, from one season to the other. The zeytinyağlı (olive oil based) dishes and soups change daily and are written on the blackboard. Lunch menus are lighter and carry a slightly more home-cooking style, whereas dinner menus are heavier and revolve around mezes. The seasonal changes affect the menu as well—lighter dishes take the lead during summer, while slightly heavier dishes are on during winter.

The foremost deciding factor of what’s on the menu is the ingredients. Chef and owner Didem Şenol goes in search for the freshest, most seasonal products, and creates a daily menu based on them.

Istanbul does not offer the best of every ingredient so Şenol reaches far and wide—but always within the borders of Turkey. For example, bread travels from the city of Bolu from the Black Sea Region, while olive oil travels from the southwestern city of Marmaris.

Although the majority of dishes on the menu are inspired from Aegean and Mediterranean cuisines, the menu is varied enough to include specialties from other regions of Turkey, such as hamsi (anchovy) from the Black Sea Region.

Just like the menu, the venue is quite contemporary, too. The minimal décor features a stand by the entrance filled with Turkish spices. The rustic tables, especially the long communal one in the middle, give quite a homey feel. The little details make all the difference in this simple but tasteful interior, like the fresh flowers on each table and the cool hanging lamps. The walls are covered with shelves of books and walnuts. Yes walnuts. An entire wall is covered with what looks like thousands of walnuts held behind metal wires. We don’t know why but we know it works. 

What really sets Maya Lokanta apart is definitely the food. We wanted to get a taste of more than one region so we started off with Mücver, salatalıklı yoğurt sos (fried vegetable patties with yogurt-mint-cucumber sauce). This classic dish had taken a truly original turn with the sauce that matched the crunchy-but-still-juicy patty. The beetroot salad (with greens, hazelnut, orange rind, and cheese) was light and refreshing. Although a very classic dish like mücver, the çıtır hamsi (fried anchovy) had a similiar twist to it as it was served with aioli with lemon and dill. To finish off, I went for the home-made lemonade instead of dessert. Would it suffice if I say I would buy a take-away bottle if it was possible?