It took about six months to renovate the 120-year-old building where Social Cihangir is located, but the results are impressive: the original stone walls lend it a cavernous feel, which only gets enhanced as you step into the underground cistern-turned-wine cellar.
Despite its extensive menu, Social’s prices aren’t anywhere near the upper limit of Cihangir standards: the starters, burgers, salads and pastas range from 15-22 TL, while the main courses are priced at 25-40 TL and the desserts about 7 TL. The highlights here are the chicken with Mexican sauce (17 TL) and the slightly salty çökertme kebap(28 TL), which features both potatoes and meat.
One of the venue’s missions is to provide foreigners with a space to meet. In that vein, Cihangir Social hosts a Greek gathering every Tuesday from 20.30-02.00. Starting this month, they’ll host DJ parties in the garden on Friday and Saturday nights, with Saturdays in January reserved for Erasmus Night.