16 hours Ago
Marin resident Betul Kinalilar is the co-owner of Troya in Tiburon. (Photo by Zubeyde Sheth/Minimalist.Aesthetics)Troya in Tiburon serves a variety of Mediterranean dishes.
(Photo by Zubeyde Sheth/Minimalist.Aesthetics)Tiburon's Troya features a mural by San Francisco artist Yalcin Temel. (Photo by Zubeyde Sheth/Minimalist.
Aesthetics)Show Caption1 of 3Marin resident Betul Kinalilar is the co-owner of Troya in Tiburon. (Photo by Zubeyde Sheth/Minimalist.Aesthetics)ExpandTurkish Mediterranean restaurant Troya, the newest addition to Tiburon’s Cove Shopping Center, breathes fresh life into the former home of fried chicken eatery Flybird that closed last July.
Currently open for lunch, with dinner service beginning May 19, the restaurant reveals a striking transformation into a refined, welcoming space that complements its authentic, health-conscious menu and vibrant flavors.Corte Madera resident Berk Kinalilar opened the original Troya in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond in 2005, then expanded seven years later with a second on Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. He closed the first in 2014 to focus on the newer space, and, in 2019, opened a fast-casual outpost in SoMa that shuttered two years later during the pandemic.
After settling in Marin four years ago so their daughter could attend school in the Tiburon school district, Kinalilar and his wife, Betul, found little in the way of Mediterranean cuisine close to home.“Customers were asking about it, so when we started living here, we decided to open a second one,” Berk Kinalilar said.Betul Kinalilar adds that she had a deep desire to open a restaurant of her own, shaped by her family’s decades in the business and home life deeply rooted in food.
The lunch menu features three salads: Mediterranean chicken with avocado and rainbow radish; grilled halloumi and mizuna with pistachios and seasonal fruit; and chickpea falafel with cucumbers, tomatoes and tahini dressing.Five starters include roasted cauliflower with urfa chile and tahini labneh, along with hummus, tzatziki and muhammara spreads served with pita. Vegetarian borek, a puff pastry filled with leeks, carrots, walnuts and nigella seeds, is one of several recipes inherited from Betul Kinalilar’s family.
Named for the ancient city of Troy, or Troya in Turkish, the restaurant embodies the cultural crossroads of the Mediterranean, drawing influence from Turkey, where both owners are from.Several brunch dishes, served daily from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m., reflect that heritage, with options like sucuklu yumurta (Turkish beef sausage and eggs), simit (a sesame-crusted breakfast bread) and acuka spread (spicy red pepper and walnuts) with eggs, eggplant and avocado on toasted sourdough bread from shopping plaza neighbor Jane/Marin bakery.
These are offered alongside familiar dishes like shakshuka (baked eggs in a tomato sauce with eggplant and pepper) and a spinach-feta omelet with avocado and olives.The house-made lamb burger with caramelized onions, tzatziki and harissa is one of four main dishes that give the team room to innovate. Another is a whole branzino set to debut on the dinner menu launching next week.
A glass dessert case displaying an assortment of traditional and modern Turkish confections separates the dining room from the kitchen.Wine selections were chosen to align with the menu and include Tiburon-exclusive rosés and sparkling options. Several are sourced from the eastern Mediterranean with the remainder from California and Oregon.
A Turkish pilsner and two local craft brews make up the beer list, and Turkish coffee and tea, espresso drinks, rose lemonade and other beverages are also available.Troya pairs its modern Mediterranean menu with a thoughtfully designed interior shaped by Betul Kinalilar’s keen eye for aesthetics and detail. Round wood pedestal tables and light oak chairs with woven backs and camel-colored seats line both walls and the front window, providing seating for 37 guests inside, plus seven at the bar and 20 more at outdoor tables.
Arched alcoves, vintage mirrors and sculptural pendant lights complement the warm palette of natural wood, soft upholstery, textured pillows, potted olive trees and Heath Ceramics bud vases.A mural by San Francisco artist Yalcin Temel, depicting a laurel-crowned woman with cascading hair and featured in the restaurant’s logo, anchors one side of the dining room with a graceful, mythic presence.The Kinalilars plan to take advantage of the restaurant’s large kitchen and accommodate the community with a robust takeout program, including a packaged family meal complete with starters, salads, sides, protein and dessert for two to four people.
Troya is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.
m. daily at 1 Blackfield Drive, suite 12, in Tiburon. Dinner service and extended hours begin May 19, when the restaurant will begin accepting reservations.
Find details and updates at troyatiburon.com or call 415-888-8599.Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist.
Email her at [email protected] with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.
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