Istanbul Hawaiʻi begins with a mother and daughter—Chef Nili and Chef Ahu—carrying the flavors and aromas of Anatolia and their Mediterranean hometown of Mersin. In Hawaiʻi, the recipes they grew up with are shaped by the islands’ farms and waters, while remaining unmistakably contemporary Turkish. Their table unfolds through meze, warm bread, vegetables, seafood and fire, joined by expressive cocktails and a cellar of fine Old World wines.
Prix-fixe Lunch Menu: $32
Mersin Tantuni
from chef Ahu’s childhood in Mersin · wagyu · tomato · onion · mardin sumac · kahuku parsley · maui lemon · wrapped in warm thin lavaş bread (served as two wraps)
the story
Mersin is the mediterranean hometown of chef Ahu and chef Nili, set along the ancient lands of Cilicia on Türkiye’s southern coast. Inhabited since neolithic times and shaped by centuries of civilizations and mediterranean trade, the region is known for its citrus, fertile landscape, and distinctive food culture. Tantuni is one of Mersin’s defining dishes — and for chef Ahu, a taste of childhood.
