Café restaurants in Istanbul
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A
Pierre Loti Café
After visiting the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, many visitors head north up the hill to the Pierre Loti Café, where the famous French novelist is said to have come for inspiration. Loti loved İstanbul, its decadent grandeur and the late-medieval customs of a society in decline. When he sat in this cafe, under a shady grapevine sipping tea, he saw a Golden Horn busy with caïques (long, thin rowboats), schooners and a few steam vessels. The water in the Golden Horn was still clean enough to swim in and the vicinity of the cafe was given over to pasture. The cafe that today bears his name offers views similar to the ones he must have enjoyed. It’s in a warren of streets on a prom…
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Asırlık Kanlıca Yoğurdu
Past the bridge, still on the Asian side, is the charming village of Kanlıca, famous for its rich and delicious yoghurt. You'll be offered some on the ferry and can sample it in the Asırlık Kanlıca Yoğurdu, a café on the shady waterfront village square. The small Gâzi İskender Paşa Camii in the square dates from 1560 and was designed by Sinan.
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B
Lokal
This place is popular with locals, who monopolise its tables for long breakfasts and lingering coffees. In warmer weather, the front of the space opens to Tünel Sq and provides great people-watching opportunities; when it’s cooler, the velvet-upholstered armchairs are the perfect place to curl up with a coffee and a newspaper. On Friday and Saturday night it functions as a club.
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C
Çiğdem Pastanesi
Çiğdem Pastanesi has been serving locals since 1961, and it’s still going strong. The ay çöreğı (pastry with walnut, sultana and spice filling) is the perfect accompaniment to a cappuccino, and a cheese börek goes wonderfully well with a cup of tea or fresh juice.
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D
House Café
This is İstanbul's hottest spot for Sunday brunch. A huge place right on the waterfront at Ortaköy, it offers a good-quality all-you-can-eat buffet spread for around YTL45 between 09:00 and 14:00. The style here is casual chic and the clientele is young professional, though everyone will feel welcome.
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Büyükada Kültür Evi
Set up by the Turing Association in 1998, this garden cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in its terraced garden. Service can be desultory and the food’s not up to much, but it’s an undeniably pretty setting and a great spot for a morning glass of tea or a late-afternoon beer.
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E
Hıdiv Kasrı Café
Choose from the simple menu at the charming garden cafe or from the more extensive choice in the grand dining room and adjoining marble terrace. The food is average but the surroundings are drop-dead gorgeous. No alcohol is served.
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Sade Kahve
Cheap and cheerful it may well be, but this terrace cafe near the fortress of Europe is also a favourite weekend brunch spot for power-brokers, celebrities and their entourages. It serves soup and an array of sandwiches at lunch.
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