A Short History of HacI Abdullah Restaurant

More than a century old history of Haci Abdullah Restaurant’s root goes to Akhism Organization (an organized brothership relation in Anatolia related to trade guilds.) Traditional establishments either pass from father to son or are bought by another establishment to change hands. At Haci Abdullah Restaurant these ways are not applicable. The adventure of Haci Abdullah Restaurant started in 1888 and still survives from the master to the apprentice.

Haci Abdullah Restaurant’s story has started in Ottoman era; A restaurant called Abdullah Efendi was opened in the final period of Ottoman Empire at Karakoy Quay. Sultan Abdulhamid II personally gave the managing licence. Private or official delegations of the foreign countries visiting Istanbul were taken to Abdullah Efendi as a sign of respect.

Abdullah Efendi Restaurant moved from Karakoy Quay to Beyoğlu to the ground floor of Rumeli Han in 1915, and continued to render its service, and here the restaurant survived from the master to the apprentice. Abdullah Efendi served native and foreign visitors at Rumeli Han for 25 years, then changed its name to Haci Salih, ownership transferred master to apprentice, moved Sadri Alışık Road in 1940 where the heart of Turkish movie sector beats.

The restaurant where protected Ottoman-Turkish culinary, kept its quality either under the name of Abdullah Efendi or Haci Salih, moved today’s location next to Aga Mosque, Sakizagaci Road in 1958. Haci Salih Restaurant’s owner Haci Salih, because of his age, left here to his apprentices in 1983. The name of Haci Salih always kept honour of quality but because of the official procedure the restaurant’s name has to be changed and took the 1888’s name of Haci Abdullah.

Our restaurant was Sultan Abdulhamid II’s personal choice and since then we kept the same quality and the same taste. You can find all this information between the pages of the book of honour that Ottoman Sultan’s grandchildren wrote