Top Cafes in Turkey

Tarihi Tahmis Kahvesi ★ 4.7 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Eski, Suyabatmaz, Buğday Pazarı Sk. No:8, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Tahmis Kahvesi has poured coffee beside the Gaziantep spice market since 1635, and menengiç, the wild pistachio brew, is what to order here.

Tip: Backgammon boards and live saz appear most evenings. Sit in the vaulted room, not the street tables.

Mandabatmaz ★ 4.7 · Istanbul

beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Olivya Geçidi No:1A, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Mandabatmaz in Beyoğlu's Olivya Passage, a 1967 single-room Turkish coffee bar whose foamy cup is the standard against which the rest of Istanbul is measured.

Kronotrop Cihangir ★ 4.5 · Istanbul

cihangir · Kuloğlu Mah., Firuzağa Cami Sokak No:2/B, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Kronotrop in Cihangir across from Firuzağa Mosque, Turkey's first specialty micro-roastery, brewing Chemex and V60 on the La Marzocco Strada it imported.

Sade Kahve ★ 4.5 · Istanbul

sarıyer · Rumeli Hisarı Mah., Yahya Kemal Caddesi No:20, 34470 Sarıyer, İstanbul

Sade Kahve below the Rumeli Hisarı fortress walls, where Turkish coffee gets brewed slow over hot ash and an all-day kahvaltı spread spills.

Papirüs Cafe ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Bey, Noter Sk. No:10, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Papirüs Cafe occupies a restored Armenian mansion in Bey Mahallesi, and its vine-shaded Gaziantep courtyard is the calmest table in the old city.

Tip: The courtyard fills by mid-afternoon. Come before noon if you want a table under the vines.

Karabatak Karaköy ★ 4.4 · Istanbul

karaköy · Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mah., Kara Ali Kaptan Sokak No:7, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Karabatak in Karaköy, a high-ceilinged ex-metal-workshop cafe pouring Austrian Julius Meinl espresso and salep across two floors below Galata.

Van Kahvaltı Evi ★ 4.4 · Istanbul

cihangir · Kılıçali Paşa Mah., Defterdar Yokuşu No:52/A, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Van Kahvaltı Evi in Cihangir, an all-day breakfast room serving the dense herb-and-cheese spread of Turkey's east, kaymak with honey and otlu peynir.

Kahveci Seddar Bey ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Şekeroğlu, Gümrük Cd. No:14/3, 27000 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Kahveci Seddar Bey serves a two-colour dibek coffee inside the Gümrük Han in Gaziantep, ground under a mallet in a stone mortar behind the counter.

Tip: Closed Mondays, open 09:00 to 19:00 the other six days. Enter through the han gate, not from the street.

Orkide Pastanesi ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep

sehitkamil · Değirmiçem, Gazi Muhtar Paşa Blv. No:17, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Orkide Pastanesi is the Gaziantep patisserie chain locals send visitors to, with chocolates, cakes and a breakfast spread on Gazi Muhtar Paşa.

Tip: The breakfast is the value order. The chocolate counter is better for gifts than for dessert.

Privato Cafe ★ 4.2 · Istanbul

beyoğlu · Şahkulu Mah., Galip Dede Caddesi, Tımarcı Sokak No:3/B, 34421 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Privato Cafe on a Galata side-lane, a mismatched-crockery breakfast hall with Galata Tower views, doing one of the city's better all-day Turkish breakfast.

Kahve Tiryakisi ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep

yeditepe · Yeditepe, 85203 Nolu Sk 41/A, 27470 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Kahve Tiryakisi pairs single-origin filter coffee with a full Turkish breakfast in Yeditepe, which is unusual for Gaziantep outside the old city.

Tip: Breakfast runs long here. Budget ninety minutes rather than a quick coffee stop.

Yeşilçam Kahve Evi ★ 4.0 · Gaziantep

ibrahimli · Atatürk, Adnan İnanıcı Cd. no:46/a, 27560 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Yeşilçam Kahve Evi lines its walls with Turkish film stills in İbrahimli, and it is the Gaziantep cafe in this district that stays open latest.

Tip: The upstairs room is quieter. Downstairs runs nargile and gets smoky after dark.

Valens Life Cafe ★ 4.0 · Gaziantep

ibrahimli · Batıkent, 9024. Sk. No:2A, 27560 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Valens Life Cafe in Batıkent builds its reputation on a long Gaziantep breakfast spread, and the Turkish coffee afterwards arrives on the house.

Tip: Tables turn slowly at weekends. Arrive before 10:00 or expect to wait for the big tables.

Havara Kitap Kafe ★ 3.9 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Karagöz, Derekenarı Cd No:39, 27080 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Havara Kitap Kafe is a women-run book cafe in Karagöz, Gaziantep, built from reclaimed materials across several levels with a lending library.

Tip: Service is partly self-serve and not always signposted. Order at the counter to save waiting.

Treff Bistro ★ 3.9 · Gaziantep

kavaklik · Öğretmenevleri Mah. Meteoroloji Sok, Engelliler Parkı, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Treff Bistro sits under the trees of Kavaklık Park in Gaziantep, a patio cafe for breakfast and coffee that moves indoors when the weather turns.

Tip: Live music runs some evenings. Ask when you book if you would rather avoid it.

Brezılıan Coffee Co ★ 3.8 · Gaziantep

yeditepe · Güneykent, 216 Nolu Cadde No:8/B, 27470 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Brezılıan Coffee Co pulls espresso near Gaziantep University and runs ceramic-painting sessions, which draws a student crowd until midnight.

Tip: The door between the two rooms lets smoke through. Ask for the far side if that matters.

Mösyö Cafe & Restaurant ★ 3.8 · Gaziantep

kavaklik · Kavaklık, Ahmet Apaydın Cd. No:42/1, 27070 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Mösyö Cafe & Restaurant looks over Kavaklık in Gaziantep and works as a breakfast room, a coffee stop and a live-music venue on the same terrace.

Tip: Live music starts late. Come in the morning if you want the terrace quiet.

Kahve Dünyası Nuruosmaniye ★ 3.8 · Istanbul

fatih · Mollafenari Mah., Nuruosmaniye Caddesi No:79, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul

Kahve Dünyası beside the Grand Bazaar's Nuruosmaniye gate, the Turkish coffee chain's polished flagship where sand-brewed cups arrive with a square.