For the uninitiated, Istanbul can seem like a lawless place – the kind of city where vibrant yellow taxis weave erratically between pedestrians, seagulls mug you for your simit on ferries, and Okey tiles tumble against tabletops in bars and cafés long after your hotel lights have dimmed. The smoke-scented chaos is often part of the charm, but happily for those who need a little reprieve, the antidote arrives daily in the form of kahvaltı, a meal that calls the locals – as well as a few insatiable visitors – into heaving eateries to share food (and many, many openly expressed feelings), with family, friends and colleagues.
For the experience-hungry traveller, kahvaltı is the city’s holy grail. Not just for the food on the table but for the enticement to roll out of bed and into the street to experience the morning. Because Istanbul has a magic about it when it’s early. In a city of 16 million, the sacredness of it all can rise up when it is still. From the moment the sun rises when the call to prayer reverberates from Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque) to the way 2000 years of architecture and the waters of the Bosphorus are painted in a cinematic light in the morning, Istanbul is a lark. And the city is best observed from rooftops, boats and chic restaurants over plate upon plate upon plate of delicious delicacies.
Breakfast in Istanbul is not a “quick bowl of cereal” or “maybe just a piece of toast” scenario; this type of kahvaltı – a serpme kahvaltı or mixed breakfast spread – is for unashamed hedonists, the culinary equivalent of bathing in Champagne or hiring a private island for solitude. There are no apologies for the salt in your feta and haloumi, the fat in your clotted cream or the sugar sprinkled generously over your hamur kizartması (fried dough). In its place, an expectation that you will do the meal justice.
Arrive hungry; tens of individual dishes will be laid out before you in a riot of colour and aroma – scents that will rouse the local street cats and dogs and entice them to your table, tens of pairs of doe eyes hoping against hope that you’re the kind of person who couldn’t possibly consume all of those dishes by yourself.
The history of Kahvalti
It might be wearing a slightly smarter outfit these days, but kahvaltı has always been an important meal for the Turks. Although the current definition was only popularised in the 20th century, the traditional spread you’re likely to see laid out in restaurants (and indeed, local homes) today has its roots in the Ottoman era when sultans would start the day by dining on a selection of foods such as a hearty soup, cheeses, clotted cream and honey, as well as olives and bread.
Today, there are commonalities in a standard serpme kahvaltı spread such as cheese, olives and bread but certain elements can change depending on which region an eatery is specialising in. The popular Van breakfast, originating in the eastern town of Van, for example, features approximately 20 dishes, many of them incorporating herbs unique to the region. You can almost always expect service to come in two waves: the first being the cold dishes such as bowls of aromatic cucumbers and ruby red tomatoes, a selection of olives ranging from marinated to “scooped off a salt bed and as black as your heart” Kalamata and cheeses which run the gamut from feta and köy peyniri (village cheese) to kasar (sheep’s milk cheese) and tulum. Alongside these dishes, you’ll find bowls of honey and clotted cream, pastırma, tahin pekmez and cherry jam as well as baskets of bread and simit.
The second wave – which usually arrives soon after you’re convinced you can no longer breathe – is the “hot” service of an egg dish such as menemen or sucuklu yumurta (eggs with sucuk), platters of börek, more fried or grilled sucuk and pisi (another word for fried dough) to mop everything up with.
Ready to give yourself over to eating with reckless abandon? Just remember the following rules: kahvaltı must be accompanied by endless glasses of çay (tea) as black as poison (no milk – ever). Reservations should only be made for 10am and beyond (only commuters eat breakfast before then) and Turkish coffee is strictly reserved for the end of the meal. In fact, the very word kahvaltı or “kahve altı” means “before coffee”.
Where to eat Kahvalti (Turkish breakfast) in Istanbul
As you’d expect in a city of about 16 million foodies (and make no mistake, all Turks love to eat), there’s no shortage of Istanbul eateries specialising in elaborate serpme kahvaltı menus, but they’re not all created equal.
Along the Anatolian coastline, Tarihi Çınaraltı in Cengelköy, an historic family tea garden located right by the Bosphorus, continues to be one of the city’s most popular choices. Winning points for its seaside panorama, the sun-dappled venue is as adored for its classic menu and super-low prices as it is for its unusual flexibility in allowing diners to bring their own dishes.
In the bustling suburb of Moda cafés and restaurants advertising serpme kahvaltı are multiplying with the zeal of loved-up rabbits. Here, a terrace table at Moda Bomonti, Moda Van Kahvaltı and Zapata Moda do a roaring trade on weekends, and while each of these establishments is worth an extra stretch of the waistband, save room for an outdoor table at Gardens of Garbo if you can to fight your way through the flocks of influencers capturing that ubiquitous “hold glass of tea up to the view of Istanbul” shot.
Bagdat Caddesi, a glamorous 14-kilometre shopping strip, has one of the best breakfast cultures on the Anatolian side. Zero in on the suburb of Suadiye where the city’s well-to-do gather for lengthy Sunday brunches, each one as dedicated to people watching over dark shades as they are to savouring flavours in some of the hippest establishments going. Cafe Cadde and Midpoint are among some of the best.
On the European side, bag a table at Van Kahvaltı Evi. Located in the bohemian neighbourhood of Cihangir, where eateries specialising in breakfast spreads – not to mention quirky bars and boutiques – are a dime a dozen, weekend queues at Van can be intense. Do not be alarmed, the line moves quickly and once faced with a table laden with platters of cheese, cotton-light pisi and a healthy side of gözleme, the wait will soon be forgotten. In a city of silver-tipped minarets, elegant Ottoman palaces and exotic bazaars, many of the best breakfast experiences make the most of the atmosphere. A case in point is Mangerie Bebek, a trendy terrace eatery with views for miles, while Emirgan Sütis is a quaint seaside venue with a traditional approach to the menu. Besiktas’s famous Besiktas Kahvaltıcılar Sokagı, a “breakfast street” is a beautiful place to meander with eateries specialising in every kind of Turkish breakfast imaginable.
Whichever way you go, don’t miss spending a leisurely breakfast cruise with Le Vapeur Magique, a two-hour journey around the Bosphorus complete with live music, endless platters of food, and since this is the age of bragging rights, a photographer and drone. The seagulls will be ever-present, but there’s simply no better way to immerse yourself into the city’s pulse – from a safe distance.
