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The documentary feature of photography has been associated with social memory since its invention. This study aims to examine the photographs of Ara Guler, one of the leading names of Turkish photography, reflecting Istanbul tavern culture in the context of social memory. The relationship between photography and social memory is examined not only in terms of visual narrative but also sociologically. In the first section, social memory theory developed by Maurice Halbwachs, cultural memory theories developed by Jan Assmann, and then documentary photography, which is the type of photography connected with social memory, are explained historically. In the second section, the culture of Istanbul's taverns is described. Istanbul, whose history goes back 3000 years, has a strong tavern tradition as it is a port city. In the second section, this powerful tradition is examined in the light of Evliya Celebi's extensive knowledge of life in 17th century Istanbul and specifically of the city's traditional taverns. Also in the second section, after the history of alcoholic beverages and the culture of Istanbul's taverns has been described, we examine Ara Gijler's photographs of the 1950's and 1960's taken in the taverns and "Koltuk Meyhaneleri" of Istanbul. It was concluded that these photographs taken by Guler are both a reference point and an important social memory record enabling future generations to remember these taverns which are now seen as a nostalgic concept.