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Lale Bahçesi
In a sunken courtyard that was once part of the Süleymaniye külliye (mosque complex), this charming outdoor teahouse is always full of students from the nearby theological college and İstanbul University, who come here to sit on cushioned seats under trees and relax while watching the pretty fountain play. It's one of the cheapest places in the area to enjoy a çay and nargileh.
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Leb-İ Derya Richmond
This glam younger sister of perennial favourite Leb-i Derya has managed to wheedle her way into many hearts since she opened in 2007. The views are to die for, and the surrounds are incredibly chic. A wonderful spot for a pre-dinner cocktail or two.
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Levendiz Greek Meyhane
Part of the luxury supper club complex, Blackk, and offering a great Bosphorus view to accompany its inspired Greek cuisine, Levendiz is easily the most upscale meyhane hereabouts for the money-is-no-object crowd. Come dressed accordingly.
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Leyla
The bar de jour in trendy Cihangir, Leyla has a casually stylish interior, a DJ who really knows his stuff (every night except Sunday) and a reasonably priced drinks list.
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Love Dance Point
Going into its eighth year and wresting the plum as the major player in the gay club scene, Love DP often partners with major London/Amsterdam/Berlin clubs to host wild, pan-European circuit parties. Here, gay anthems are thrown in with hard-cutting techno and Turkish Pop. This place attracts the well-travelled and the un-impressionable, even some straight hipsters from nearby Nişantaşı. The cover charge includes one drink.
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Nu Teras
With its glass bar, tables full of beautiful people dining alfresco and panoramic views, Nu Teras is one of the places to be seen in town. Go at sunset and frock up.
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Pano
You'll have to fight your way through the throngs at this extraordinarily popular wine bar on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. Serious drinkers prop themselves on the high bar tables at the front and swig the cheap house wine; others take a table at the back or upstairs and pace themselves while sampling good-quality hot and cold meze.
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Pasific House
There are loads of bars on this side of town, but not too many that are both cheap and well located. Ultra-casual Pasific scores on both of these counts, so there's no wonder that it's constantly packed. The fact that it's on one of the city's most happening streets is a plus, too.
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Reina
One of İstanbul's most successful nightclub-restaurants, Laila is a huge outdoor club filled with cashed-up beautiful people doofing until the wee hours alongside spectacular views of the Bosphorus. Food is available and the dress code is high glamour darlings. Kuruçeşme is about 7km from Sultanahmet; get there by taxi.
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Şark Kahvesi
The Şark's arched ceiling betrays its former existence as part of a bazaar street; years ago some enterprising kahveci (coffee-house owner) walled up several sides and turned it into a café. The nicotine colour on the walls is testament to its long pedigree as a popular tea and cigarette spot for the bazaar's stall-holders.
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Set Üstü Çay Bahçesi
Those who appreciate the ceremony of proper tea service will love this terraced tea garden overlooking Seraglio Point. Here, you can watch the ferries plying the route from Europe to Asia, while at the same time enjoying an excellent cup of tea served in a teapot and accompanied by hot water (such a relief after the fiendishly strong brews that are common in Turkey).
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Smyrna
Smyrna is known for its long bar, collection of antique toys, couch-filled back corner and candle-lit tables. The atmosphere is laid back, the music is unobtrusive and the crowd is early 30s 'Beyoğlu Arty'. If you decide to make a night of it here (and many do) there's good simple food available, too.
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Sortie
One of the queens of the Ortaköy gold coast nightclub row, Sortie pulls in the city's glamour-pussies and poseurs, most of whom are on the lookout for celebrities and other tabloid fodder.
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Sultan Pub
Sultanahmet's version of Ye Olde English Pub, the Sultan has been around for years and continues to attract the crowds due to its peerless position close to Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. The pub grub is what you would expect from a place like this (ie stodge), but the outdoor tables are a great spot to watch the world go by and the beer is served in iced glasses just the way it should be.
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Tonique
Perched as a part-open-air penthouse duplex on the top floor of the Balans building, this has been the scene of many recent memorable electronic music and MTV happenings in the city. Resident and foreign guest DJs creatively vie to captivate beautiful scenesters.
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Türk Ocaği Kültür Ve Sanat Merkezi İktisadi İşletmesi Çay Bahçesi
Tucked into the rear right-hand corner of a shady courtyard filled with Ottoman tombs, this enormously popular tea garden is a perfect place to escape the crowds and relax over a çay and nargileh. You can even score a cheap and tasty gözleme (Turkish crepe filled with cheese, spinach or potato) here.
Read more about Türk Ocaği Kültür Ve Sanat Merkezi İktisadi İşletmesi Çay Bahçesi
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Vefa Bozacisi
This famous boza bar was established in 1875 and locals still flock here to drink the stuff, which is made from water, sugar and fermented grain. The beverage has a reputation for building up strength and virility - it won't be to everyone's taste, but the bar itself, with its blue tiles, mirrored columns, marble tables and wooden bar, is worth a visit in its own right. If the boza is too much for you, try şıra , a fermented grape juice.
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Yeni Marmara
This is the genuine article: a neighbourhood teahouse packed to the rafters with backgammon-playing locals, who play while sipping tea and puffing on nargilehs. The place has bucket loads of character, featuring rugs, wall hangings, low brass tables and fasıl music on the CD player. In winter a wood stove keeps the place cosy; in summer patrons sit on the rear terrace and look out over the Sea of Marmara.
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Yeşil Ev Garden Bar/Café
Most of the bars in Cankurtaran are rowdy backpacker establishments, so the elegant rear courtyard of this historic hotel is a real oasis for those wanting a quiet drink. In spring flowers and blossom fill every corner; in summer the fountain and shady trees keep the temperature down; and in the cooler months a flower-filled conservatory provides shelter. The drinks are expensive but as the old adage says, quality doesn't come cheaply.
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