I had written about the Orient Exoress Restaurant with the following words in October 2024:
‘If you are looking for a refugee in the chaos of Sirkeci, you will find it in the most unexpected place. That is amidst the chaos of the Sirkeci Train Station which also harbours Marmaray that connects the two continents through a tube. The station is visited by thousands each day but Orient Restaurant sits quietly in a corner of the station, unnoticed by many.
The restaurant takes its name from the Orient Express that used to bring European elite from Europe to İstanbul. The train station was the last stop of this legendary journey. This tradition goes far back to 1883 when Orient Express brought its first guests from Paris to İstanbul. This tradition halted in 1977. But Orient Express which was a ‘dream on wheels’ is with us again as it started its trips from across Europe to İstanbul once again.
Orient Express has been an attractive theme for many novelists and the most famous one is definitely Agatha Christie who was a fan of İstanbul. She wrote Murder on Orient Express in 1934. The novel has inspired Hollywood and the best of all movies inspired by the novel is the 1974 Hollywood production with iconic actors and actresses such as Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall.
The movie Murder on the Orient Express was shot in 2017 second time after decades following the 1974 movie. I would highly recommend you to watch the movie to witness the timeless genius of Agatha Christie!
Agatha Christie who was a fan of Istanbul. Popular worldwide, Christie’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold an estimated 2 billion copies (and counting). This puts her third on the all-time bestseller list behind only William Shakespeare and the Bible. (taken from History.com)
If you want to dine at the last destination of this magical train journey that has brought the most important people from Europe to İstanbul for decades, Orient Express Restaurant is for you.
The restaurant fascinates me with its beautiful architecture. Thinking that the station was built by a Prussian architect, one feels the sense of grandeur underneath the high ceiling and elaborate details of the building in which the restaurant is located. There is a sense of nostalgia in the decoration of the restaurant. The walls of the restaurant is covered with scenes from the 1974 Orient Express movie as well as photos of Agatha Christie. The staff is kind. The food is delicious. If you are looking for a special place to dine in Istanbul, I would definitely recommended the Orient Express Restaurant.
And maybe one day, you might want to be on the Orient Express to Istanbul like so many travellers throughout the decades who could not resist the temptation!’
It was only yesterday that I learnt that the Orient Express Restaurant has closed its doors forever due to a conflict between the Ministry of Culture and its owners in july, 2025. It is so sad to see Orient Express Restaurant leave the Sirkeci Train Station without a trace. The Restaurant was the sole witness of the train station’s history and it will be dearly missed!
