Turkish breakfast comes in many forms. The most famous is the luxurious traditional spread. Its roots lie in the Ottoman Empire, when the royal family ate a variety of foods such as cheese, jam, honey with clotted cream, bread, and olives. But breakfast in Istanbul demands variety. So here’s our local guide to finding the best breakfast in Istanbul, from no-frills cafes serving traditional Turkish tea to restaurants making French omelets.
Heisa Anne’s Gözlem Stole
Cemre Narin, Vogue’s Turkish food editor, loves the small Gözleme (Turkish flatbread) stall at the Ferikoy Organic Market on Saturdays. This is a Gözlem stall, and I often come here to see what new flavors of Borek the stall owner, Haser An, has created. Traditionally, borek is a thin pastry stuffed with either ground meat, spinach, potato, or cheese, but Anne likes to vary it up. Her Borek is beautifully hand-rolled at her home and served in tin trays at the bazaar. In winter, I make pumpkin and ginger borek. Her summer staple is a delicious tomato version.
cafada roll
Turkish su borek (water borek) is a traditional borek similar to lasagna with a thin layer of dough. It’s notoriously difficult to make, and gourmet guide Ugur Yildiz recommends trying it at his favorite place in Besiktas: Cafadaroll. Here you can enjoy breakfast and Turkish tea in a no-frills restaurant that serves the best su borek in the city.
Minoan
For busy Istanbulites, breakfast is often freshly baked pastries. Specialty coffee shops such as Café Honya Minoa in Akaletler offer a peaceful atmosphere and fresh tasting traditional baked goods such as pogača, acama and simit (all kinds of breads). Nalin, who likes to relax here with a coffee, said it has the best cakes, tarts and pies in the city. She recommends browsing her bookstore after breakfast and returning to the cafe for coffee and dessert.
MSA’nin Restrani
Narin also highly recommends MSA’nin Restorani, run by Istanbul’s Culinary Arts Academy MSA. Located within the Sakip Sabanchi Museum (SSM), the restaurant prepares and serves meals by students from professional programs. “I go here for good eggs and beautiful terrace seating,” she says. “Their scrambled eggs are fluffy and perfectly buttery, and they offer a great selection of juices and delicious coffee.” Academy instructor chef Ozan Sivetoğlu agrees, adding that breakfast here is “The quality is high and the presentation is very good,” he said. His recommendations include poached eggs, charcuterie, and cheese boards.
man jelly
Mangerie serves one of the best breakfasts in Istanbul all day long and comes highly recommended by Narin. He was one of the first restaurants in the city to offer all-day breakfast. “Mangery is in a beautiful location, on the top floor of an old apartment building in Bebek,” says Narin of his charming third-floor location with views of the Bosphorus. She says the most important thing for a breakfast place is to be open early.
Petra Roasting Company
The beautiful Petra Roasting Company space in Gailetepe is best known for its aromatic coffee and recommended by both Narin and Sivetoğlu as a top spot for breakfast. The French omelet is also recommended at Civetoor. Nalin is also a big fan of scrambled eggs. We also offer baked goods, vegan menus, and sandwiches.
bear
If you’re looking for a traditional Turkish breakfast and some Western options, Nalin recommends Cuma, a small, rustic cafe on Çukurcima Street. This cafe takes a farm-to-table approach. “I know the chef and I know how much she cares about the freshness of her ingredients,” Nalin says. Kuma is one of her favorite places to visit, as she prefers “less variety and higher quality.” “You know you’re going to get jams, honey and cheese that are really well made,” she added.
delicatessen
Nişantaş Delicatessen is a typical urban cafe, where you can see freelance creatives working on their laptops all day long. We offer a variety of traditional Turkish breakfast items including olives, honey, clotted cream and several types of cheese, as well as continental options such as simit bread with aged cheese and eggs Benedict, pancakes and granola. Masu.
Door Twis Gourmet
If you’d like to try a selme kahvarti (Turkish breakfast platter), gourmet guide Yilduz recommends Doaciiz Gourmet in Cihangir district, which specializes in dishes from the southern Turkish city of Antakya, in addition to the usual Turkish breakfast menu. I am. The hearty breakfast served here includes a variety of cheeses and breads, as well as a variety of olives, garlic yoghurt, eggs, jams, preserves and butter.
Yilmaz Tandur ve Durmevi
Another regional breakfast spot that Yildis recommends is Yilmaz Tandur ve Durmevi in the Ferikoi district. It specializes in breakfast in the northeastern city of Erzincan. The taste here is a little different from most kachvarti (breakfast) places. They make their own lavash bread and serve butter and tulum cheese brought from their homeland in eastern Turkey. Yildiz recommends serving it on bread with melted butter and cheese.
This article is an updated version of a story written by Mariam Gabaji.
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