Enjoy authentic Turkish cuisine at the famous restaurant "Meyhane Ozeri" in Tokyo, Nakano, and Arai Yakushi

Hello. I'm Bonjiri, a Nakano Tourism Reporter. I live in Nakano with my family of three and am raising a one-year-old boy.

We used to enjoy traveling a lot, but now we've been so busy with work and childcare that we've had much less fun. Traveling abroad is just a dream... but we still want to try foreign cuisine somehow! With that thought in mind, we visited this place. It's about a two-minute walk from the north exit of Araiyakushimae Station, and it's a Turkish restaurant called "Meyhane Ozeri." *Prices are as of the time of the interview. Please note.

Turkish cuisine is said to be one of the three great cuisines in the world, alongside French and Chinese cuisine. The most familiar dish to us is probably the kebab. At Meyhane Ozeri, you can enjoy a variety of dishes, both for takeout and for eat-in.

There's a wide variety of take-out options too!

The flowers on the tables are stylish. The interior of the restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere and there is also seating on the second floor.

This time I went for lunch with my family. I was a little worried when I entered the restaurant, wondering if it was okay to bring my baby, but the owner welcomed me cheerfully, saying, "Come in!"

The lunch plate also comes with soup.

I ordered the lamb skewers and my husband ordered the beef doner kebab.

(Grilled Lamb Skewers)

(Beef Doner Kebab)

The savory aroma of the meat will whet your appetite.

Lentil soup with a mild flavor.

The lamb skewers are heavy and filling. The perfect amount of salt brings out the flavor of the meat itself, making them delicious! Another great thing about the doner kebab is that you can choose the sauce you want. I recommend the "hot (spicy) + yogurt" sauce recommended by the owner.

The spicy and yogurt combination is addictively delicious when combined with the umami of the meat. The yogurt makes the flavor milder, so you won't get bored of eating it until the very end.

You can choose between bread or rice on the lunch plate, and this time I chose rice. At first glance it looks like ordinary white rice, but it's actually cooked with salt and butter. The flavor is soaked into each and every grain of rice that it's hard to stop eating. My husband said, "It's no exaggeration to say that this is the reason we came to this restaurant!" It's that delicious, so please give it a try.

We spoke with the Turkish owner, Mr. Ozeri.

Ozeri opened his restaurant in 2011. He came to Japan to help out at his younger brother's restaurant and worked as a Turkish chef, but then he married his Japanese wife and decided to open his own restaurant here in Arai Yakushi. By the way, the name of the restaurant, "Meyhane," means "restaurant that serves alcohol (izakaya)" in Turkish.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of alcoholic drinks available. You can enjoy pairing them with Turkish cuisine!

I asked her about the most popular menu item. "Kofte. It's a hamburger steak made with a mixture of ground lamb and beef. My Turkish friends say it's delicious and often come to eat here."

(Kofte)

I've had it before, and it was delicious with plenty of meaty flavor!

Ozeri cuts the doner kebab with practiced hands. He stacks the meat several times, heats the edges, and cuts off the burnt parts. "It's grilled for eight hours straight, so it's really hot in the summer and really hard," Ozeri said cheerfully. It seems that delicious kebabs are made by repeating these steps over and over.

Ozeri-san is also fluent in Japanese. While I was listening to him talk about Turkey, I was touched to see him exchanging greetings with students who passed by. He is loved by the locals.

I shared a little bit of lentil soup with my child. He seems to really like Turkish food!

I was very satisfied to be able to enjoy Turkish cuisine while in Nakano, Tokyo. Please visit "Meyhane Ozeri"!

Meyhane Ozeri

Location: 5-46-8 Kamitakada, Nakano-ku

Access: 2 minutes walk from the north exit of Araiyakushimae Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line

Business hours: 12:00 to 15:00, 17:30 to 20:00

Closed: Mondays