12 Best Cafés and Coffee Shops in Istanbul
A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.
The house blend at Le Oba is nutty and wonderfully rich, and the sweet treats are for sale are the perfect accompaniment.
Amelia Dhuga
1. Le Oba
The trendy Beyoğlu neighborhood has gained significant attention in recent years for its chic concept restaurants and backstreets lined with buzzy bars. Along Oba Sk Street, you'll also find a collection of cool cafes. Seating spills out onto the pavement, with tables interspersed among spindly trees and the occasional parked motorbike. BookBar stands out for its quiet atmosphere and curated selection of artsy reads, while spots like MUUS tend to draw livelier crowds. My personal favorite, however, is Le Oba. Its signature sage green metal chairs occupy one of the largest plots on the street, with regulars often lounging outside for hours. The house blend is nutty and wonderfully rich, and an array of sweet treats are available for those looking to eat. Be sure to try the homemade Snickers bar; the chocolate-encased, peanut-filled cake is sprinkled with a heavenly helping of salt.
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Condé Nast Traveler
2 days ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
12 Best Cafés and Coffee Shops in Istanbul
The best cafes in Istanbul have roots in a long cultural tradition. While many visitors rush between the city's mosques, palaces, and markets, one of the city's most enduring cultural experiences is far simpler: savoring a cup of coffee. Introduced in the 16th century, Turkish coffee quickly became part of daily life. Coffeehouses, or kıraathanes, emerged as social and intellectual meeting places, from the time of the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to the streets of modern-day Istanbul. Coffeehouses became gathering spots for reading, debate, and dissent—a proliferation of free thought that led Sultan Murad IV to ban coffee in 1633, fearing it encouraged moral decay and political unrest. Unlike filtered or espresso-based coffee, Turkish coffee is unfiltered, brewed slowly over heat in a small pot called a cezve with the grounds left in the cup to settle. Whether you're after history, conversation, a pick-me-up, or simply a rich, unfiltered brew in Istanbul, these are our picks of the best cafés in Istanbul. A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller Middle East. The house blend at Le Oba is nutty and wonderfully rich, and the sweet treats are for sale are the perfect accompaniment. Amelia Dhuga 1. Le Oba The trendy Beyoğlu neighborhood has gained significant attention in recent years for its chic concept restaurants and backstreets lined with buzzy bars. Along Oba Sk Street, you'll also find a collection of cool cafes. Seating spills out onto the pavement, with tables interspersed among spindly trees and the occasional parked motorbike. BookBar stands out for its quiet atmosphere and curated selection of artsy reads, while spots like MUUS tend to draw livelier crowds. My personal favorite, however, is Le Oba. Its signature sage green metal chairs occupy one of the largest plots on the street, with regulars often lounging outside for hours. The house blend is nutty and wonderfully rich, and an array of sweet treats are available for those looking to eat. Be sure to try the homemade Snickers bar; the chocolate-encased, peanut-filled cake is sprinkled with a heavenly helping of salt.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Ancient Christian church reveals mysterious 1,600-year-old warning to nonbelievers: 'Only the righteous'
Archaeologists in Turkey recently excavated the ruins of a millennia-old city, revealing a fifth-century Christian church with a message that hasn't been seen in over 1,000 years. The excavation took place at Olympus, an ancient Lycian port city in Turkey's Antalya province, according to Anadolu Agency (AA), a state-run news outlet in Ankara. The city has been excavated continuously since 2006, but during the recent season, archaeologists uncovered multiple mosaic floors, along with large storage jars called pithoi. Excavator Gokcen Kurtulus Oztaskin, an associate professor at Pamukkale University, told AA that the site "continues to surprise us with its mosaics." The professor noted that "in 2017, 2022 and 2023, we discovered richly decorated mosaic floors at the sites we worked on. This year, we uncovered and restored the floor mosaics of Church No. 1." The most striking discovery was an inscription found at Church No. 1's entrance. Oztaskin translated the message as: "Only those on the righteous path may enter here." Olympus was abandoned by the 12th century — meaning the inscription has not been seen since. The mosaics also featured vegetable motifs, a common artistic element of the era. The names of benefactors were also visible on the mosaics, indicating that an affluent class once flourished in Olympus. Excavators also found a newly uncovered building that resembles a temple, though more work will be done to determine its age and function. Olympus was in use for several centuries. It still bears some remnants of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine architecture. Archaeologists have uncovered multiple churches, a bridge and an entrance complex. They also found the Bishop's Palace, the Antimakhos sarcophagus and the Lycian Marcus Aurelius Archepolis Monumental Tomb. The discoveries come on the heels of several recent breakthroughs in early Christian archaeology. Earlier this spring, an archaeologist uncovered an ancient Christian settlement in Jordan known as Tharais. Last year, historians unveiled the earliest-known evidence of Christianity north of the Alps, in the form of a silver inscription.
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This Chic Bodrum Retreat Boasts A Beach Club And Sweeping Views Of The Aegean
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