In early 2013, Istanbul Grill (2505 professor Ave.) abruptly shut its doors after two and a half years as Tremont’s only Turkish eatery. But all was not lost; new owners Ashley and Mehmet Candan, who at the time operated Dervish Grill in Avon, moved their business into the space, changed the name to Dervish Grill, and kept it going.

Unfortunately, that saga ends today. Dervish Grill announced this morning that it has closed.

“It’s with a very heavy heart that we’ve had to make the incredibly difficult decision to close Dervish Grill as of July 1st, 2015. We have had over 2 years in Tremont and 3 great years in Avon with amazing support from our community, family and friends but with today’s economy, upcoming building renovations, and rising cost of food, we’ve found it very hard to survive. At this point, we will be pursuing other ventures with no plan to reopen in the future. Thank you for many great memories! We want to thank our fabulous staff both past and present. Many thanks to all of our customers for your continued patronage and support. We had a rewarding and memorable business come to life because of all of you and for that we are grateful. If you have purchased or received a gift certificate please contact us for a full refund.”

After speaking to owner Ashley Candan, it’s clear that doing business in Tremont over the past two-plus years has been no picnic.

“It’s not busy enough,” she says. “The location, with all the construction and parking issues… There’s always something going on down here.”

She cites specifically highway exit closures, nonstop Innerbelt bridge work, and roadwork on Professor Avenue as contributing factors. That and rising food costs.

“Our food costs are crazy because we are using all fresh ingredients and we would never suffer are quality,” she says.

No word on what the landlord will do with the space, she adds.
 

This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2015.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

6 replies on “Tremont’s Dervish Grill is Closed”

  2. Wow. We just ate there Friday night! Very sad to see you go. The food, drink and service was fantastic. We really, really enjoyed everything. Best of luck to everyone.

    Thank you.

  3. Coincidentally, when Dervish moved from Avon to Tremont, the Avon location became Istanbul Grill. Same owners just swapping locations?

  4. All the construction and parking issues? Parking is fairly easy at that end of Tremont. If Professor Ave. was ever under construction/repair in the two years of Dervish, it was very minor and wouldn’t have scared anyone away. And, it’s not like the Innerbelt Bridge construction was a surprise. It’s still easy to get into Tremont, just a little harder to get out without the W. 14th ramp. Sounds like placing the blame where it doesn’t belong. I’m sad to see Dervish go because it was good and a good alternative in Tremont. But as another commentor said, the bar is pretty high in Tremont because of other high-caliber restaurants. Dervish was essentially the same as Istanbul, but there was still something different/missing. The food at Istanbul was a little better (in my opinion).

  5. I was so bummed when I saw the posting on Facebook. Istanbul/Dervish Grill was our favorite place to get a great dinner and a couple of bottles of wine (we of course walked there). Sorry to see you go 🙁

  6. Any information on how to contact these folks?? I have gift certificates I need to receive a refund on!!! Serious question.

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