Cafeography
Pastaneler · Istanbul

Bakery cafés in Istanbul

Pastaneler and fırın cafés: cakes, poğaça and simit with a glass of çay.

Photo: Sami Abdullah, Pexels License

A pastane is a patisserie with tables, and a fırın is a bakery. Istanbul's pastane tradition grew up in Pera, today's Beyoğlu. Lebon traded in the Passage Oriental until the 1940s, Markiz reopened in 2003 and closed for good in 2016, and İnci, opened in 1944 by Luka Zigoridis, became known for its profiteroles.1

Sweet shops are a separate trade. Hafız Mustafa, founded in 1864 at a shop on what is now Hamidiye Caddesi, began by making rock candy and today sells lokum, baklava and puddings.2 Among bakery cafés, Üsküdar and Şişli have the most, with Fatih and Kadıköy next and a few each in Beşiktaş, Kurtuluş, Balat and Karaköy.

Local tip: In Şişli, Çaykovski on Büyükdere Caddesi opens at 06:30 and Balkaya Pastanesi Erol Usta closes at 01:00, so a pastry and a glass of tea are possible at almost any hour.

Where these cafés are: Üsküdar (12), Şişli & Mecidiyeköy (12), Fatih & Grand Bazaar (8), Kadıköy Çarşı & Bahariye (7), Kurtuluş & Feriköy (7), Beşiktaş (6), Acıbadem & Koşuyolu (5), Balat & Fener (4), Sultanahmet (4), Karaköy (3), Galata & Şişhane (3), Cihangir & Çukurcuma (3), Moda (2), Beyoğlu, İstiklal & Taksim (2), Nişantaşı (1), Kasımpaşa & Hasköy (1).

At a glance

80Cafés listed
10With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Çaykovski, from 06:30 (Daily 06:30–23:30).
  • Closes latest: Aşiyan Books And Coffee, until 01:00 (Daily 10:00–01:00).
  • Most common features: open late (10%), brunch (9%), wi-fi (6%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Istanbul.

Baylan and the old patisseries

Baylan opened in Beyoğlu in the early years of the Republic, in 1923, and its Kadıköy branch followed in 1961; kup griye, its sundae, was born there.1 The Kadıköy shop is at 19 Muvakkithane Caddesi, with limited wheelchair access.

A few other old names survive. Savoy, a Beyoğlu patisserie from 1950, is on Sıraselviler Caddesi in Cihangir; Day Day has been in the Grand Bazaar since 1969; and Üstün Palmie has been in Şişli, on the Kurtuluş–Feriköy line, since 1970.1 Beyaz Fırın, dated to 1836, started in Balat and later moved to Kadıköy.1

Neighborhood pastaneler in Fatih, Şişli and Kurtuluş

In Fatih, the pastaneler include Dilek Pastanesi on Dolap Caddesi, Merhaba Pastaneleri on Macar Kardeşler Caddesi, Uğur Pastanesi on Yavuz Selim Caddesi and Zuhal Pastanesi on Mıhçılar Caddesi.

Şişli's keep long hours. Balkaya Pastanesi Erol Usta, on Şehit Er Cihan Namlı Caddesi, is open 07:00–01:00, Çaykovski at 3 Büyükdere Caddesi 06:30–23:30 with Wi-Fi, and Gül Pastanesi 07:00–21:00 with breakfast. In Kurtuluş, Akat Pastanesi is at 2 Sıra Cevizler Caddesi.

Üsküdar, Balat and the newer bakeries

Üsküdar has Değirmen Pastanesi on Sırmaperde Sokağı and Fıstıkağacı Cafe Pastane, plus two book cafés with pastries: Aşiyan Books And Coffee on Selman Ağa Çeşme Sokağı, open 10:00–01:00, and Nevmekan Kuzguncuk, a municipal library café on Çifteçınar Sokağı.

In Balat, Forno on Fener Kireçhane Sokağı serves 09:00–22:00, and Panvino Balat at 110 Vodina Caddesi does breakfast. Le Petit Pera, on Ali Paşa Değirmeni Sokağı in Karaköy, is known for its coffee, croissants and pastries.3 Tarhun Fırın is on Jandarma Mektebi Sokak in Beşiktaş, homevibe on Şimşirci Sokağı in Cihangir, and 26A, also called Collective 26A, on Sakız Sokak in Kadıköy, open 10:00–22:00.

Simit, poğaça and a glass of çay

The savory staples are simit and poğaça. Simit, a bread ring usually coated in sesame, has a long Istanbul record: its weight and price were fixed in Üsküdar in 1593, and Evliya Çelebi counted 70 simit bakeries in the city in the 1630s.4 Sellers carry it on trays or push it on carts, calling "Taze simit!" (fresh simit), and it is traditionally eaten with tea.4

Poğaça is a small bread, usually made with yeast, egg and butter and often filled with white cheese, olives, potato or minced meat.5 In Istanbul a simit went from 25 to 30 TL on 26 September 2026, after bakers pointed to higher costs for flour, sesame and yeast.6

Sources

  1. Istanbul's Historical Patisseries and Dessert Stops, İGA Istanbul Airport, accessed October 2026
  2. Hafiz Mustafa 1864, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Karaköy'de Kahve İçebileceğiniz En Güzel 12 Mekan (June 11, 2026), Yemek.com, accessed October 2026
  4. Simit, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Poğaça, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. İstanbul'da simide zam: 30 liraya çıktı (September 26, 2026), Evrensel, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Istanbul

Nitelikli kahve

Specialty coffee

37 cafés
Açık hava

Outdoor seating

137 cafés
Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

114 cafés
Geç saate kadar açık

Open late

130 cafés
Kahvaltı

Breakfast & brunch

28 cafés

By area: Balat & Fener Sultanahmet Karaköy Galata & Şişhane Cihangir & Çukurcuma Beyoğlu, İstiklal & Taksim Moda Kadıköy Çarşı & Bahariye

FAQ

Bakery cafés in Istanbul: questions

When did Baylan and Istanbul's other old pastaneler open?

Baylan opened in Beyoğlu in 1923 and in Kadıköy in 1961, where its kup griye sundae was created. İnci opened in Beyoğlu in 1944 and became known for profiteroles, Savoy on Sıraselviler Caddesi dates from 1950, Day Day in the Grand Bazaar from 1969, and Üstün Palmie in Şişli from 1970.

What should you order at a bakery café in Istanbul?

With tea, try a simit, the sesame-coated bread ring, or a poğaça, a soft bread often filled with white cheese, olives, potato or minced meat. A simit cost 30 TL in Istanbul from 26 September 2026. For something sweet, Baylan in Kadıköy is the home of kup griye.

Which bakery cafés in Istanbul open early or close late?

Şişli has the longest hours: Çaykovski at 3 Büyükdere Caddesi is open 06:30–23:30, Balkaya Pastanesi Erol Usta on Şehit Er Cihan Namlı Caddesi 07:00–01:00, and Gül Pastanesi 07:00–21:00. In Üsküdar, Aşiyan Books And Coffee serves 10:00–01:00, and Forno on Fener Kireçhane Sokağı in Balat 09:00–22:00.

For café owners

Your café deserves better than a pin someone else dropped

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design