In İzmir’s İstinyePark, Esca arrives as a new benchmark for Mediterranean dining, shaped by URBANJOBS and Michelin-starred chef Osman Sezener. With seating for 189, the restaurant is built around the philosophy of simplicity and conviviality, pairing seasonal, ingredient-led cuisine with a setting that celebrates light and honesty of material.
The design evolves across four areas — a private dining room, bar seating, terrace, and outdoor space — defined by a central bar that offers 360-degree access and dual-level flooring. Guests step through a modest entry before being led into the main hall, where the layout guides them seamlessly toward the terrace. This semi-covered space reads as an indoor salon rather than a typical open-air dining area, blurring distinctions between inside and out.
Interiors — by multidisciplinary design studio URBANJOBS — are shaped by stone, wood, plaster, and marble, creating a palette of natural hues and textures inspired by İzmir’s coastal character. By day, the terrace is washed in natural light before layered lighting creates intimacy come nightfall, with custom solutions highlighting surface and detail across the bar and dining areas. Every element, from furniture and serving counters to bespoke lighting, has been designed specifically for Esca, drawing on URBANJOBS’ network of local Turkish suppliers.
For Sezener, the restaurant is a continuation of his pursuit of freshness and seasonality. Menus evolve with the produce, reflecting both the locality and the wider Mediterranean spirit. For URBANJOBS, the challenge was transforming an irregular shell into a functional, fluid layout. Careful attention to flooring transitions, shading, and enclosure strategies ensures comfort across seasons, while the terrace provides a focal point for social dining.
The project also carries a sense of identity beyond its walls, URBANJOBS founder Murat Dede noting: “Normally, we enjoy developing a brand’s identity and interiors side by side, letting each inform the other. With Esca, the interior came first. We began by shaping an atmosphere of light, texture and materiality and from this, Cansu Merdamert drew out the brand identity; its colour palette, logo and even the menu design. In this way, the graphic language was born from the space itself, as though the restaurant’s character was already present in the architecture, waiting to be revealed.”
In Esca, a carefully constructed alignment of cuisine, space, and atmosphere has been created. Rooted in İzmir’s culture yet ready to adapt elsewhere, it’s a reminder of how architecture and gastronomy can merge to create a dining experience that feels both timeless and distinctly of its place.
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Esca Izmir Photography, İbrahi̇m Özbunar, courtesy of URBANJOBS.
Dining and Cooking