There’s a Philly-themed restaurant in Turkey with cheesesteaks — and a Furkan Korkmaz jersey on the wall
Philly’s, located in Istanbul, sells five types of cheesesteaks and has Philly sports gear hanging all over.
Philly-themed restaurants are popping up across the globe. There’s a bar in Tokyo called Nihonbashi Philly, London’s more subtly named Passyunk Avenue, and even a place called Phat Philly’s in New Zealand — and all of them serve cheesesteaks and come decked out in Philly memorabilia.
On social media Tuesday, fans found the latest international outpost: Philly’s, located in Istanbul, Turkey.
The restaurant’s logo is reminiscent of the Phillies and Sixers logos, and it has a number of Philly jerseys on the wall, including a Furkan Korkmaz jersey. Which begs the question: Is it the only establishment in the world with a Korkmaz Sixers jersey on the wall?
Korkmaz, who is from Istanbul, played in the Sixers organization from 2017 to 2024 before he was traded to the Pacers at the trade deadline. Indiana waived him on Feb. 8. Korkmaz is one of just five active Turkish NBA players. Ersan İlyasova, who played 76 regular-season games and 10 playoff games in 2016-2017, and Furkan Aldemir, who played in 41 games during the 2014-15 season, are the only other Turkish players to suit up for the Sixers.
Philly’s serves five types of cheesesteaks, plus other American-style dishes like loaded french fries, onion rings, and mozzarella cheese bites.
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We at The Inquirer don’t exactly have the travel budget to make the trip to Istanbul to try everything ourselves, but it’s always good to see Philadelphia cultural dominance spread far past the Delaware Valley.
Luckily, one Turkish Instagram account took a trip of its own and provided a handy English-language preview:
He tried out multiple varieties of cheesesteak in addition to the crispy onion rings, cheese balls, and the loaded fries. We didn’t spot any seeded rolls — and they don’t look exactly like they do here in Philadelphia — but we’re certainly intrigued.