Su böreği (water borek)
Photo: E4024 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Layered sheets of paper-thin yufka, briefly boiled then baked with butter and a salty white-cheese-and-parsley filling. Soft, almost lasagne-like, sold by the slab at bakeries.

Su boregi belongs to the Ottoman palace-kitchen tradition of layered yufka pastries that travelled from Central Asia through Anatolia. The brief water-boil between layers, which gives the borek its name, sets the pastry soft rather than crisp; Istanbul bakeries have served it as a breakfast and morning-tea staple for generations.

3 editor picks for Su böreği (water borek) in Istanbul, ranked by editorial score. All Istanbul signature dishes · Su böreği (water borek) across every city.

Van Kahvaltı Evi ★ 4.4

₺CaféCihangir

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.

Beyaz Fırın Etiler ★ 4.1

₺BakeryBeşiktaş

Beyaz Fırın in Etiler, a heritage Turkish bakery dating to 1836, working out of a two-floor Nispetiye Caddesi space with a vertical garden and a 350-seat.

Beyaz Fırın Brasserie ★ 4.0

₺₺BrunchBeşiktaş

Beyaz Fırın in Etiler, the heritage bakery's brasserie sister doing a full Turkish breakfast on the upper deck and bottomless pastry baskets from its own.

OrderSucuklu yumurta and the pogaca basket

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Su böreği (water borek) makes more sense with someone from Istanbul explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

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