A Beyoğlu institution, the old Rejans restaurant has been reborn as 1924 İstanbul, with much of its nostalgic atmosphere intact. The well-executed menu features Russian and Eastern European dishes such as borscht, chicken Kiev, caviar and pelmeni dumplings, accompanied by cocktails made with house-infused vodkas, and sometimes live harp music.
Black-and-white photos in the entrance hallway show some of the luminaries who visited Rejans over the years, while a small corner table with a bottle of rakı (aniseed brandy) and two empty glasses is marked as being reserved in perpetuity for one famous former customer – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
