Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

COFFEE CRAZE Coffee has traditionally played a minor role in the lives of İstanbullus. For the vast majority of locals, çay was the hot beverage of choice and the viscous brew known as Türk khavesi (Turkish coffee) was drunk only occasionally. However, all this has changed in recent years and it is safe to say that espresso and other Western-style brews have taken the city by storm. The best cafes in the city are located in Beyoğlu and are popular as meeting points and informal workplaces (the vast majority offer free wi-fi). Others are little more than bars supplying rapid caffeine refuels. The following are our favourites: Coffee Sapiens ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % www.coffeesapiens.com; 0212-244 1296; Kılıç Ali Paşa Mescidi 10, Karaköy; h 8.30am-11.30pm; W ; j Tophane) Serving coffee home roasted at their facility in Hasköy, these sapiens have well and truly wised up to the science behind the brew. Choose from Aeropress, Chemex, cold brew, French press, espresso or siphon and drink it takeaway, standing at the bar or at an outdoor table overlooking goings-on in Karaköy’s hippest lane. Federal Coffee Company ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-245 0903; www.federal.coffee; Küçük Hendek Caddesi 7, Galata; h 8am-midnight; W ; m Şişhane, j Tünel) This place advertises itself as an ‘Australian Coffee Roaster’ and visitors from Down Under will certainly feel at home when sipping a perfectly executed espresso-style coffee in its stylish surrounds. Couches, reading material and wi-fi make it a perfect caffeine-fuelled workspace. Fil ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-243 1994; www.filbooks.net; Ali Paşa Değirmeni Sokak 1, Karaköy; h 10am-10pm Tue-Sun; j Karaköy) Dedicated to photography books, creative workshops and coffee, this bookshop-cafe in Karaköy is crammed into two floors of a small space that has been stylishly fitted out with a marble bar, comfortable banquettes and upstairs work desks. Geyik ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0532 773 0013; Akarsu Yokuşu 22, Cihangir; h 10am-2am; m Taksim) Hybrid coffee roastery and cocktail bar? Yep, you read that correctly. Run by one-time Turkish barista champion Serkan İpekli and mixologist Yağmur Engin, this fashionable place is popular with coffee aficionados during the day and barflies at night. Karabatak ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-243 6993; www.karabatak.com; Kara Ali Kaptan Sokak 7, Karaköy; h 8.30am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-10pm Sat & Sun; W ; j Tophane) Importing dark roasted Julius Meinl coffee from Vienna, Karabatak’s baristas use it to conjure up some of Karaköy’s best brews. The outside seating is hotly contested, but the quiet tables inside can be just as alluring. Choose from filter, espresso or Turkish brews. Kronotrop ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-249 9271; www.kronotrop.com.tr/en; Firuzağa Cami Sokak 2b, Cihangir; h 7.30am-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-10pm Sat, 10am-9pm Sun; W ; m Taksim) This hip place opposite the Firuz Ağa Mosque in Cihangir helped spearhead İstanbul’s boom in speciality coffee bars. Owned by noted restaurateur Mehmet Gürs, it sources beans from across the globe and roasts them in a purpose-built facility in nearby Maslak. Choose from espresso, cold-drip, filtered, Aeropress, Chemex and traditional Turkish varieties.