Borsam Tasievi

Borsam Tasievi is a restaurant specializing in traditional Anatolian stone-oven cooking, occupying a restored historic building in the Ortakoy neighborhood of Besiktas on the European Bosphorus shore. The restaurant's name references its defining cooking medium: the tas firin (stone oven) and the tasievi (stone house), both of which characterize an approach of slow-cooking in sealed clay and earthenware vessels at high temperatures — a technique that concentrates flavors and produces exceptionally tender results. Signature dishes include lamb in clay pot (kuzu guvec) slow-cooked with tomatoes, onions, and spices until the meat falls from the bone, clay-pot chicken preparations, and traditional flatbreads baked directly on the stone. The menu spans a range of Anatolian regions, incorporating the olive oil-rich traditions of the Aegean alongside the spice-forward dishes of the southeast. The restaurant occupies a charming stone building typical of old Ortakoy — one of the few intact historic structures in a neighborhood that has seen significant development. The Ortakoy location, adjacent to the neighborhood's famous mosque and the Bosphorus waterfront promenade, makes Borsam Tasievi a natural destination for visitors combining waterfront strolling with a traditional Anatolian meal.