Bomontiada: Istanbul's Old Brewery Turned Entertainment Center

A historic beer factory in the Bomonti neighborhood of Istanbul has undergone a complete renovation and repurposing to become Bomontiada, a large complex full of restaurants, shops, an art gallery, and a concert hall. We took a closer look at all the exciting things happening at Bomontiada and all its venues interconnected in one exciting space.
Bomonti is starting to become a very popular neighborhood, with the rapid construction of modern high-rise apartments, cafes, offices, and restaurants. One of the main standouts is Bomontiada, which has become a household name thanks Babylon, the city’s most important concert venue, which moved from Beyoğlu to the Bomonti location. As soon as you walk into Bomontiada, the modern design, which pays respect to the façade of the former beer brewery, is instantly striking. It’s one of those places where you can spend an entire day, from breakfast to after-dinner drinks to a late-night concert. Repurposed from the historic Bomonti beer factory, the public and commercial social space is located next to the modern peaks of apartment buildings and the Mimar Sinan University Bomonti campus. The large outside area was designed for cultural activities, screenings, concerts, food festivals, and more, while the buildings are full of various venues.

The outdoor area is designed to host concerts and other events

At Bomontiada, you will not only find the larger and more impressive Babylon concert venue, but also a co-working makers studio, a photography gallery, three restaurants, a local gastronomy market, and a brewery. The Alt Art Space presents visual and performance art that focus on both global concerns and changing local conditions while ATÖLYE is a meeting spot and productivity platform for people in the creative fields. In terms of shopping, Delimonti offers local, regional, and hand-picked unique flavors from 54 cities in Turkey for shopping or on-the-spot dining. One of Bomontiada’s coolest restaurants is definitely Kilimanjaro, which was designed by Istanbul’s renowned architecture firm Autoban. Here you’ll find a very modern interior with a huge bar and dimly lit tables, serving some excellent dishes made from natural and seasonal products, as well as delicious cocktails.

The design of the interiors remain sympathetic to the building’s origins as a brewery

For something a little more laid-back, Istanbul’s Kiva restaurant also has a branch at Bomontiada that serves up the best of the Anatolian kitchen, as well as live music with dinner. If all that doesn’t suffice, the modern brasserie and third wave coffee maker Monochrome and The Populist, craft beer experts with three separately themed bars, are also open for business.
Last but not least, the Leica Gallery Istanbul is a unique place that aims to become a hub for the photography world in Turkey, promoting the work of local artists to the international scene. The gallery’s program includes internationally renowned photographers, as well as local artists who create challenging work that either have gained international recognition or await discovery. The Leica Gallery also offers classes, a professional studio, and a post-processing work area with printing facilities.

To keep up with events at Bomontiada, make sure to keep track of their Facebook page and definitely keep an eye on Babylon’s program.

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