Tire Kebab Restaurant Ali Usta: Even Tastier Than The Orginal

All time source of quality vegetable, fruit, sea food, pickles and offal, Havra Street is the settlement place of the first Jews in Izmir.

Extradited from Spain and Portugal in the 15th century, the Sephardic Jews were first welcomed by Istanbul and Thessaloniki people and then Izmirians. As it means Synagogue in Turkish, Havra Street is named after the synagogues that line along the settlement. Although a few synagogues are still actively used, many of them are left to their fate as a result of dwindling Jewish population. However, the Izmirians who love and appreciate the atmosphere of the street keep it alive and colorful all the time. For this reason, although you are not into buying anything, you may pay a visit to the street just because of its busy shops, vivid crowd, and everything authentic to the street including its noise, colors and smell.

If you’re searching for somewhere to chow down after a hunger-inducing stroll around the street, Tire Kebab Restaurant Ali Usta is one of the Izmirian restaurants that I won’t hesitate to recommend. You may find it just little a farther than the place where you enter the street, right in front of the historical Agora walls. Although it is one of the İkişerlik Street occupants, thanks to its simple façade, it doesn’t seem to give away the fact that there is a taste festival happening indoors.

As the originator of one of the iconic flavors of Kemeraltı, Ali Usta (tr. Master Ali) left Tire (pronounced as tee-ré) 40 years ago and perfectly trained Mehmet Usta who was just 15 years old. After all the years of working together with his brother, Ali Usta left the whole restaurant to Mehmet Usta and got retired.

Remaining faithful to the original recipe of Ali Usta, the minced meat is sourced from the front legs and ribs of calf and kneaded using only salt. No onions or spices are added according to the recipe of Tire meatballs.

Once the meatballs are fried on a grill over cinder, they meet the butter and tomato in a copper pan to get fried further. If you like it spicy hot, a few dried red peppers from the bunch that has become the decoration of the restaurant will be thrown into the copper pan.

To serve, Mehmet Usta spreads some yoghurt onto the plate, and then he throws on it the meatballs with a great tomato-ish smell. Lastly, he crowns the dish with some minced parsley.

The restaurant also offers mouth-watering haricot bean salad with a plenty of parsley and onion as an alternative. I totally recommend you to visit Tire Kebab Restaurant Ali Usta after a walk around the festive Havra Street. I can say that you’ll find the Tire meatballs here even better than the ones you had or will have in Tire!

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life…

Tire Kebapçısı Ali Usta

İkiçeşmelik Street, No:36/C

Mezarlıkbaşı, Kemeraltı

İZMİR

+90 232 483 72 19