Cafe entertainment in Turkey
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A
Papirüs Cafeteria
A student crowd (male and female, we promise) gathers here to take advantage of the delightfully authentic setting – it's housed in a historic mansion off Atatürk Bulvarı – and swap numbers in the leafy courtyard. Don't miss the ancient frescoes in the upstairs rooms.
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B
Arasta Lonca Kahvesi
This is one of the town's most congenial places for a coffee, but it's in the thick of the arasta action, so you pay for the atmosphere (çay TL2.50); head to the backstreets for a quieter, cheaper cuppa.
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C
Stress Cafe
Stress? You must be joking. One of Trabzon's best live music and nargileh spots, the Stress Cafe is so laid-back it's almost horizontal. The Ottomans-R-Us decor is a bit naff, but this is a relaxing haven. Look for the backgammon-playing mannequins out front. Live music kicks off at 8pm most Friday and Saturday nights.
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D
Keyif Coffee & Tea Store
Trabzon's studenty types gather amidst Anglophile vintage sporting gear and leather armchairs to enjoy more than 200 varieties of hot beverage.
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E
Café Zeugma
With its backlit carvings and strobes, this cavernous cultural centre is quite popular with students for its live music.
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F
Café des Cafés
Trust the moniker and stick to the hot drinks and sweet crepes, then sit on the red-and-white sofa and sharpen up your people-watching skills.
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G
Noel Baba Cafe
Occupying a shaded terrace on the main square and overlooking the harbour, this is a favourite local meeting point.
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H
Cafe Del Mar
Tiny but adorable place that claims to offer over 70 varieties of coffee (TL4 to TL7) as well as milkshakes and smoothies (from TL5).
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Vitamin
With its dramatic bright orange walls adorned with musical instruments, this pea-sized joint on the main drag has to be Mardin's kookiest spot. Freshly squeezed juices are served in glasses filled to the brim.
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Simit Bahane
An antidote to Kızılay's smoother establishments, with backgammon, newspapers and nargilehs (traditional water pipes) providing the entertainment.
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Şampiyon Vitamin
Recharge and replenish your inner traveller at this terrific fresh juice bar on the edge on the Urfa bazaar. It's all good, but we found the zingy greyfurt suyu (grapefruit juice) especially refreshing. If you're after something more substantial, the atom is a delicious smoothie combining yoghurt, banana and chopped pistachios – almost a mini-meal in itself.
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Osmanlı Çarşısı
Looking like an apple-smoke-spewing pirate ship, this early-20th-century house has terraces and seats on the street, where students talk politics or just inhale a lungful.
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Mydonos Cafe & Bistro
Recently opened, this cute little upstairs coffee shop and cakery plays cruisy jazz tunes to a young Turkish crowd jostling for seats with knowledgeable locals. We loved the honey cake as much as the plate it sat on.
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M
Meydan
This central hang-out is popular with young guys who sit outside playing backgammon. The menu features gözleme (savoury pancake), çeşiterli (Turkish pancake) and çorba. The menu has English translations.
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Kafe'e'
Entered through Eceabat Cultural Centre or the neighbouring internet cafe, this cafe has sweeping views of the Dardanelles. Drinks, including beer and çay, and board games available.
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Fidan Café
This smoky 1st-floor cafe is run by an amicable couple, with paintings by their grandchildren on the wall.
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Durum X
Apple, orange, kiwi, grapefruit – the list goes on at this handy hole-in-the-wall juice bar. Also on offer are cheap grilled sandwiches. Grab a quick lunch and keep exploring.
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Aylak Madam
A super cool French bistro/cafe with a mean weekend brunch (from 10am to 2.30pm), plus sandwiches and headkicking cappuccinos to a kickback jazz-fusion soundtrack. Postgraduates and artists swing open laptops and tap pens against half-finished manuscripts; other customers cuddle.
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Q
Antik Cafe & Pastane
Brimming with good cheer, this trendy, relaxed cafe is a good place to recharge the batteries after a walking tour in the centre. Chow down on snacks and cakes, or linger over a cuppa.
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And Evi Cafe
Sit on the citadel walls and enjoy fabulous views at this Ottoman-style cafe near Angora House Hotel. The carrot cake (TL6) is deliciously moist.
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Adana Şalgamacısı – Gürbüz Usta
See the heaps of grapefruit, banana and orange on the counter at this buzzing hole-in-the-wall? They're just waiting to be squeezed. Try the delicious atom (an explosive mixture of milk, honey, banana, hazelnuts and pistachio).
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