Jash İstanbul

I’ve been to Jash with friends, for a small birthday dinner, for a big birthday dinner, for lunch with the owner’s friends, with Armenians, with non-Armenians, for dates with more than one ex. I think I’ve covered most occasions and in each of them, Jash made me swoon with the grace imbued in the air.
It’s hard to describe and perhaps not even relevant to non-locals but Jash is the result of some sort of elegant aesthetic, a cultured understanding of service and business. The upstairs floor hosting large parties is like an attic in an old French castle. The outside seating area is purposefully covered with plants, bushes and short trees to separate it from the exhaust gas and car honks of the busy streets and the glaring lights of the taxi station. It is a little haven of rakı and mezes.

What to order: Jash delivers on its price point with quality food. Go for meyhane staples such as lakerda, other fresh mezzes, fish wrapped in wine leaves, and grilled liver. The mackerel dolma is a special dish of Armenian origin. A whole mackerel is filled with a mix of a mirepoix of pine nuts, onions, warm spices and some of the mackerel meat, and then the whole fish is covered in panko and deep fried.

What to know: There is non-intrusive live music occasionally. A gentleman with an acordeon lights up the environment. And if you book the upstairs you can use the piano to enjoy the night yourself, at least that’s what we had done.