An open kitchen and a counter under Passage Petits-Champs, Beyoğlu.

About

There is no wall between the dining room and the kitchen.

Under the direction of partner and chef Mustafa Otar, Kontuar Pera dissolves the traditional boundary between dining room and kitchen. The open kitchen invites guests to witness every stage of the process — from the first preparation to the final plate — within the natural flow of the room.

Meat and fish arrive whole; butchering, ageing and preparation unfold on site. Techniques that demand patience, discipline and mastery form the foundation of the cuisine. The kitchen’s guiding principles stay constant while the menu is renewed at short intervals.

Red stone walls, vintage Thonet chairs and crisp white tablecloths compose a timeless, understated aesthetic. Functional objects bearing the patina of age take precedence over purely decorative elements. The artwork on the stone walls was curated for Kontuar by Galerist.

A dining experience designed for savouring, not for fast consumption.

The kitchenBrutalist in method: product, technique, process. Material-focused rather than centred on elaborate presentation or bold narrative.

The passageBuilt in the last decades of the nineteenth century to join Tepebaşı to İstiklal, and named for the Petit Champs des Morts.

The counterWalk-in only, facing the pass. Reservations are taken for tables of one to ten.

Reservation

Join us at a table, or walk in at the counter..

We take reservations for groups of up to ten. For larger parties or private hire of the whole room, write to us and we’ll build the evening around you. Counter seats are available on a walk-in basis.

Kitchen (last order 22:00)
Tuesday – Saturday · 18:00–22:00

Bar
Friday – Saturday · 18:00–01:00

+90 533 636 62 73

Book a table

Chef & partner

Mustafa Otar

Born in Edremit and raised in Akçay, Mustafa Otar began cooking early. After his degree at Bolu Mengen he deepened his understanding of classical technique at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon.

Open-fire cooking sits at the centre of his kitchen. He defines cooking with fire as a practice that requires harmony rather than dominance — a philosophy built on understanding the ingredient, respecting the pace of each process, and holding the balance that flame demands.

Handcrafted knives, cast-iron cookware and open fire are the cornerstones of an intentionally analogue kitchen. In his view the oldest methods remain the most instructive, valued for their simplicity and endurance.

The building · History

Passage Petits-Champs

Beyoğlu · late nineteenth century

One of the significant late nineteenth-century buildings of Beyoğlu, connecting Tepebaşı to İstiklal Avenue. Its name derives from the former designation of Tepebaşı as Petit Champs des Morts — the little field of the dead.

Designed by the Levantine Pinto family as a residential and entertainment venue linking the two streets, the building was later bought by the banker Avram Fresko — hence Fresko Passage, or Pinto-Fresko Passage. With cafés and restaurants on its ground floor, it became an important stop in Beyoğlu’s social life in the early twentieth century.

Though it eventually lost its passage and residential functions, the building holds its cultural place in the city today — not least through the contemporary art gallery Galerist on its first floor.

Getting there

Find us on Meşrutiyet.

67A, Asmalı Mescit, Meşrutiyet Caddesi
34430 Beyoğlu / İstanbul

On footFrom Tünel, walk down Meşrutiyet past the Pera Palace; the passage opens on your left.

MetroŞişhane (M2), a short walk away.

FunicularTünel, a short walk away.

TaxiStops at the İstiklal end of the passage.

Look forThe arch marked Passage Petits-Champs. Galerist is on the first floor.

Open in maps

FAQ

Before you come.

The counter is kept for walk-ins and is not reservable. Tables of one to ten can be booked by telephone.

Reservations are taken for tables of one to ten. Anything larger, and the whole room, is arranged directly with us — write or call and we will build the evening around you.

The principles of the kitchen stay constant, but the menu is renewed at short intervals with the season and with what arrives. The current lists are always the PDFs published above.

No. Wine and spirits change too often to publish, so they are presented and talked through at the table.

Tell us when you book and the kitchen will write around it wherever the day’s produce allows.

There is no wall between the dining room and the kitchen, so most of the process is visible from the room. The counter faces the pass directly.