The Best Cafés + Coffee Shops in Istanbul, Turkey
Looking for a cozy café or fantastic coffee in Istanbul? I’ve rounded up the very best cafés in Istanbul that not only offer great coffee and food but also beautiful environment.
My love affair with Turkey is now well-documented, and its capital city, Istanbul, is not exempt from my admiration. In my opinion, there is no better way for a tourist to observe the rhythm and diversity of Istanbul than sipping coffee alfresco whilst watching the scenes of the day unfold on the street. In this guide, I’ve compiled the city’s best cafés and coffee shops.
In Istanbul, you’ll find ornate mosques, buzzing bazaars, and beautiful cafés all sitting against the most beautiful backdrop. The variety of cafés reflects the city’s mix of modernity and tradition. From funky furniture to small joints with streetside seating, Istanbul has it all. During my many visits to Istanbul, I always carve out time in my itinerary to take full advantage of the café culture whenever I can. I highly recommend hopping around the best cafés in Istanbul, as outlined in this post, and indulging in all the Turkish coffee and baklava you can consume.
how to get to Istanbul ↴
There are several ways to get to Istanbul. The city is accessible by air, land, and sea. The most popular way to get to Istanbul is by air, as the city has two airports: Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Many airlines offer direct flights to Istanbul from major cities around the world.
If you prefer to travel by land, you can take a bus or a train to Istanbul from various cities across Turkey and its neighbouring countries. Istanbul is also a major port city, and you can arrive there via cruise ships or ferries from various locations around the Mediterranean. Additionally, you can decide to arrive in Istanbul via its connected train system. I found Seat61 a fantastic resource for sorting our own travel across Turkey, including our arrival to Istanbul.
how to get around Istanbul ↴
Before you can enjoy the delights of Turkish coffee, you need to know how to get around the city. The Istanbul Metro is a fast and efficient way to get around the city, with several lines connecting major neighbourhoods and tourist attractions. If you're arriving by bus or train, you'll most likely arrive at Istanbul's main bus station or Sirkeci Train Station, both of which are located in the heart of the city. Once you're in Istanbul, getting around is easy thanks to the city's extensive public transportation system, which includes buses, trams, and ferries.
coffee culture in Turkey ↴
There are plenty of modern cafés throughout the city but Istanbul isn’t new to coffee. Coffee culture in Istanbul dates back centuries, and it's still an integral part of the city's social fabric today. The city’s historic coffeehouses, known as "kahvehane," were once important meeting places for intellectuals, artists, and political activists. Traditional Turkish coffee dates all the way back to the 5th century. It comes served in a little copper cup with sugar cubes and Turkish delights on a tray. It’s incredibly strong and might take a little getting used to. I personally loved it, but even I, a serious black espresso girl at heart, could admit it was stronger than just about any coffee I’d ever had. If you drink your cup of joe the traditional Turkish way, you’ll find a thick layer of coffee grounds at the bottom of your cup. It’s Turkish tradition for women to read fortunes based on the pattern of the grounds. You can get your coffee grounds read at certain local cafés around the city, but it’s not a typical practice at the more modern cafés included on this list.
While coffee has long been a cultural tradition in Turkey, it’s not always been enjoyed by women. During the age of the Ottoman Empire, most cafés restricted women from visiting. Instead, ladies were forced to have their coffee at home. Fortunately, those laws are no longer in place, but men still outnumber women at many local coffee shops, especially near the Blue Mosque area of the city. The demographics are a bit more balanced in trendy areas of the city like Balat and Karakoy.
the best cafés in Istanbul ↴
Swedish Coffee Point
As fate would have it, my AirBnB {which was an actual hole, but more on that later} was right around the corner from what turned out to be my favorite street in Istanbul. The number of vegan and vegetarian eateries along the way were uncountable and there was a café for every step I took. The street was home to Swedish Coffee Point, a tiny café that specializes in manual brew coffee. They serve some vegan and gluten-free pastries and other cabinet foods, but the magic here is in the coffee, speedy internet, and the cool soundtrack.
Journey
This place had such good food and atmosphere that I visited it multiple times. The vegetarian pesto “toast” (like a panini), and the avocado “toast” (again, a panini) were two of my dishes from Journey. Their tea comes served as a full pot and the wait staff is super relaxed. This is the place to come for a chilled-out café environment— think varied seating options, long tables, and good music playing across both floors of the café and eatery. In the evening, the lights are dimmed, making Journey a fab place for date night.
Babel
Babel is less of a café and more of a restaurant, but the laid-back vibe and the fact that they do serve coffee puts it on this café list. I highly recommend the Mezze Platter {hummus, various dips, and more pita bread than you can handle}. The service is great and so is the coffee. There were many people sipping away the afternoon in Babel, reading or simply people-watching. This is the kind of place where you put your phone down and enjoy the Turkish coffee culture— slow afternoons spent revelling in the little things.
Cuma
Do you like the smell of freshly baked cakes wafting through a building that embraces derelict interior design? Then Cuma, near the Museum of Innocence based on the book of the same name, is your new regular coffee joint. The open terrace gives the illusion of relaxing space, despite the café being located up a set of narrow century-old stairs. The Turkish eggs/tomato/capsicum dish, menemen, is a signature here that the eatery is very proud to serve to both locals and tourists who manage to find Cuma.
Fida Café
This café on a corner in the colourful Balat neighbourhood was sheer perfection. Listening to Fleetwood Mac as I sat outside eating delicious vegetarian options {you have to try the falafel here}— Fida ticked all the boxes for an ideal summer evening. The limited indoor seating wasn’t a problem, since the good weather had everyone nabbing up seats outside the blue eatery. I didn’t actually have a coffee at Fida, but I can speak to the atmosphere and the food of the place, and both were above average by anyone’s standards.
Federal Coffee
I heard about Federal Coffee being the Australian roasters in the city and immediately marked it on my Google map. On a sunny morning near Galata Tower, I decided to pop in for a cheeky flat white. The coffee was the best quality {duh, Australia} I had in Istanbul, and I had a lot of good coffee there, so that’s saying something. The food menu is extensive and offers patrons a proper Australian brekkie cook-up. There are plenty of tables, plug sockets, and WiFi for remote workers.
Sirin Firin | bakery
Just steps from Galata Tower is Sirin Firin | Bakery, a beautiful bakery that serves traditional Turkish breakfast. If you’re looking for good coffee in a prime people-watching location, Sirin should be at the top of your list. Sirin is also fantastic value for money and has a wide range of Turkish baked goods, including simit {a sesame seed bread}. I quite liked the sidewalk seating, which filled up fast in the morning.
Velvet café
The similarities between Sirin Firin don’t stop at their proximity to Galata Tower. Like Firin, Velvet Café is the kind of spot locals go to for a traditional breakfast and freshly baked simit. Velvet is a narrow space filled with colourful decorations and coffees and teas here are served up in bright China cups. Tables have doilies sitting on them, similar to the ones your American grandmother might like. I recommend Velvet Café for small groups wanting to share a massive Turkish morning feed.
map ↴
Find all the best cafes in Istanbul, Turkey on the map below.
