Cafés in Fatih & Grand Bazaar

Getting around Fatih by tram and metro

A tram runs from the Sirkeci docks through Sultanahmet to Aksaray, and metro stations at Aksaray, Emniyet-Fatih and Vezneciler serve the rest of the district.¹ Repeated fires shaped the wide roads, and from the 18th century these quarters became mostly residential, and cafés come in clusters with long walks between them.¹

At Pazarı, Hırka-i Şerif and Vatan Caddesi

Hanegah, on At Pazarı Meydanı Sokak, opens daily 08:30–02:00 with Wi-Fi. Turkuaz Cafe Ve Galeri is at 12c Hırka-i Şerif Caddesi, with Hezurfen on the same street, and Kaffee Stimmung, Mavi Kahve and Cottoncoffee all line Turgut Özal Millet Caddesi. Türkistan Kültür Evi, a book-and-coffee house at 4 Dede Efendi Caddesi, has outdoor tables and keeps 11:00–21:00; İstanbul Kitap Kahve is on Halıcılar Caddesi.

Syrian asylum seekers live in Fatih, and Syrian food has become part of its restaurant scene.¹ قهوة المصريين (the Egyptians' coffeehouse) is on Kamil Paşa Sokak. Many cafés here run late: Vefakar on Cemal Yener Tosyalı Caddesi until 01:00, Emri Cafe and vay cafe on Vatan Caddesi from 10:00 to 01:00, and Vatan Cafe on Şehit Pilot Mahmut Nedim Sokağı from 08:00 to 00:00.

Vefa: boza instead of coffee

Vefa takes its name from the saint Sheikh Ebu'l Vefa, buried here in his own mosque and dergah (lodge), and it lies between Atatürk Bulvarı and the Süleymaniye complex.³ Vefa Bozacısı, founded in 1876, is described as the city's oldest shop still selling boza.³ Atatürk drank there, and Orhan Pamuk mentions it in A Strangeness in My Mind.³

The shop at 66 Vefa Caddesi, a 1930s room with mosaic columns, sells two mildly fermented drinks: boza from millet in winter and şıra from grape juice in summer.⁴ It opens daily 08:00–22:00. Take the metro to Vezneciler; it is 3 minutes on foot from Şehzade Mosque and 5 from Süleymaniye.⁴ Pal Coffee is close by at 7/B Süleymaniye Caddesi.

Malta Çarşısı, Zeyrek and the roasters

Malta Kurukahvecisi, a kurukahveci (coffee roaster) at 10 Malta Çarşısı Sokak off İslambol Caddesi, traces its roots to Salih Dönmez, who came from Erzincan in the 1910s and roasted in Tahtakale; records date the business to 1961, and the third generation runs it now.⁷ It medium-roasts Brazilian beans, about 15 kg a day, rests them for a day or two and grinds them in a stone mill.⁷ Mehur Beyoglu Kurukahveci is at 132 Bâlipaşa Caddesi.

The Zeyrek Mosque began as the Pantokrator Monastery, built by Empress Irene of Hungary from 1118 to 1124, and overlooks the Golden Horn; a restored konak (mansion) to its east now works as a restaurant and tea garden.⁸ Zeyrekhane, with outdoor seats, is on İbadethane Arkası Sokağı. For newer coffee, Posa Coffee Roastery on Aralık Sokağı keeps 10:00–19:00, and Kiremit, a specialty bar, is on Büyük Karaman Caddesi.

Coffee inside the Grand Bazaar

Building began in the winter of 1455/56, and the Cevâhir Bedesten, "Bedesten of Gems", was finished in 1460/61; the bazaar now has 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops.⁵ It opens 09:00–19:00 and closes on Sundays and bank holidays.⁵

Cornucopia describes Şark Kahvesi, at 134 Yağlıkçılar Caddesi, as a vaulted café where tea drinkers play backgammon under fans and neon lights.⁶ Bedesten Cafe & Patisserie is on Cevahir Bedesteni Sokak, and Bellihan Cafe at 50 Kılıççılar Sokak.