July 15, 2011 2

Notable cafes in Istanbul

By in 12: Istanbul, Travel

Some of the best time we spent in Istanbul were just hanging out at cafes. Other than The House cafes, here are other notable places we went to:

cafe in Istanbul ModernIMG_1806
Istanbul ModernIMG_1803
The cafe at the Istanbul Modern Museum has an amazing view of the skyline of old town Istanbul. We spent a long time chilling there, sketching and reading. The tiramisu was surprisingly good!

Istanbul Modern Museum
Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, Liman Isletmeleri Sahasi 305, Antrepo No: 4, Istanbul

IMG_3705IMG_1818
IMG_1819IMG_1824
White Mill cafe at Cihangir. It’s an interesting place, the first floor is a design product shop and the cafe is on the 2nd floor. Once you climb the stairs you’ll see a  pretty outdoor patio which was quite unexpected. The food is pretty good but not that memorable. It’s a better place for drinks as they have a big menu of tea, coffee, wine and cocktails. I got the ginger fruit tea which was fantastic.

 

White Mill cafe
Susam Sokak No:13 Cihangir

IMG_3451IMG_3455
Ara Cafe
Ara Cafe – a cafe in the small backstreet behind Istiklal caddesi.  It has a causal bohemian artsy vibe to it that I like. The walls were adorned with beautiful b&w photographes byAra Guler, who’s known for capturing the melancholic Istanbul in the 50-60s. They don’t serve alcohol though, which is a pity.

Ara Cafe
Tomtom Mh., Tosbağa Sokak 8, Istanbul

bebekbebek
bebek
On our long walk along the Bosphorus coast, we had to take a break at Bebek, an upscale seaside town. There was a choice of a very nice Starbuck with amazing view or Divan, a chichi Brasserie. I guess no matter how nice the starbuck is we just couldn’t bring ourselves to go in. Divan’s patio has a pretty view of the bosphorus. It was cozy until a super tacky Mafia looking guy started smoking a cigar and killed the mood. The chocolate tart was rich and delicious though.

Divan
Cevdet Paşa Caddesi No: 28/A Bebek, Istanbul

cool cafe near our apartmentcool cafe near our apartment
cool cafe near our apartment
cool cafe near our apartmentcool cafe near our apartment
We spent the last night at this cozy little place just a few steps from our apartment on Timarci street. Unfortunately I don’t know the name (Update: it’s called Open Kitchen.) I love that it looks like someone’s cool vintage chic home. Love the vibe very much, homey and no electronic lounge music! If you find yourself in the Galata area, look out for this little gem!

Open Kitchen
Timarci str no:6b galata istanbul
90 212 293 74 33.

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2 Responses to “Notable cafes in Istanbul”

  1. open kitchen says:

    Well i am the owner of the little gem you re talking about, i accidently found out about this post while i was looking something about puerto vallerta so this is a nice suprise! our restaurant named Open Kitchen we re on timarci str no:6b galata istanbul phone: 90 212 293 74 33
    thanks!

  2. Joan says:

    Oh wow nice coincidence! Thanks for the info, I’ll update it with the address and name