Famous fish restaurant on Bosphorus implements alcohol ban

After nearly two decades of undisturbed alcohol consumption, a high-society fish restaurant on the Asian side of Istanbul, owned by the AKP-run municipality, suddenly decides to stop selling adult beverages. The municipality claims local residents submitted a petition requesting that the restaurant stop serving alcohol, but people on the street say otherwise.

Another restaurant in a Justice and Development Party, or AKP-run municipality stopped serving alcohol at the end of last month. Beytaþ Beykoz Balýkçýsý, a famous fish restaurant owned by the Beykoz Municipality, sits on the Bosphorus shore on Istanbul’s Anatolian side. It had served alcoholic beverages for the past 18 years, the daily Milliyet reported. Former Beykoz Mayor Muharrem Ergül, an AKP member, left the alcohol service in place, but the district’s new AKP mayor, Yücel Çelikbilek, has changed that tradition. “Even before he was elected, Çelikbilek was saying that he would put an end to alcohol,” said a 57-year-old retired bank officer in Beykoz, resting in a park near the restaurant. Born and raised in Beykoz, he opposes the ban.

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This type of things I will never understand. Why force one´s own believes on to others? No-one says this mayor or others must drink alcohol, why do they tell others they can´t? Let it be a personal choice!

Not really, your friends in TARAF feel sherbet goes better with fish than raki....politicians follow their expert opinion.

I guess it´s the owner´s decision - they can do what they want.  They must know they will lose some customers - and maybe gain a few.  I am sure there are plenty of other restaurants selling alcohol to accommodate everyone

People´s drinking habits have changed a lot in recent years.  I love drinking wines with food, but have walked out of restaurants twice recently because of other customers who were knocking back spirits, getting extremely drunk, loud, abusive and embarassing other customers and probably not even noticing what the food was like on their plates.   On the second occasion I walked out,  five other parties on nearby tables also walked out midway through their meals.  It can´t be good for business

It may be because the restaurents should pay a high tax to sell alcohol, and then it reflects to all the menu prices  and they lose clients.

My favourite restaurant has no license for alcohol but you can take your own wine.  It is a little seafood restaurant in a beautiful little cove near to where I live and was a local´s secret until a big national newspaper wrote a feature about it - now you have to book months in advance and the place is full of rich and famous.  Grrrrrrrr

And what does it have to do with the subject?

This summer in Istanbul the restaurent without alcohol licence agreed to serve my father red wine in the form of  "cherry juice" in a fruit juice glass. It was all done in a very secret manner, the word "wine" was never mentioned openly, just in whispers, and we never saw the bottle. Otherwise they nsaid they would have to pay a high fine.

 Offffffff!  It WAS to do with the subject!!!! It is about restaurants who do not serve alcohol and pointing out that it is not always about forcing their views/religion on others!!!

Heh ok, I agree. The point was lost later when you started telling about how sad you were and all.

And what does THIS have to do with the subject?

A huge Oha!!

That is Beykoz and there will always be fish and raki there!!!

ps..I would be quite happy if anybody can show any support from daily Taraf which happens to be the only paper telling the truth to Turkish people, for those type of decision..