You can’t go far in Turkey without stumbling upon someone having a çay, a strong black Turkish tea sweetened with sugar. Whether it’s a shop keeper standing outside awaiting their next customer, locals on a few makeshift stools on the side of the road, or someone carrying a tray full of them to who knows where as they bustle down the street. Çay is a part of Turkish culture.

Tucked away in Beyoğlu

One of our favourite places to stop into after a long day of eating and exploring Istanbul was at a quaint little local Çay Evi, or teahouse, on the corner of Kurdela Sokak and Ömer Hayyam Caddesi. A mere five minutes’ walk from the popular Istiklal Caddesi, Huzur Çay Evi is exactly the place we always needed after a long day to enjoy the best Turkish tea in Istanbul.

It’s got the absolute perfect location, right on the side of a busy street. The best place for watching the world go by, day or night. Being a local shop in a more local area, you’re able to experience the comings and goings of a local Istanbul neighbourhood. Be it the traffic, the people, or the Sunday market across the street, this is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the hustle and bustle around you.

What to order

As there isn’t a proper menu as such, it’s good to know what’s on offer. At many of the teahouses in Turkey, you’ll have the option of tea or coffee. At Huzur Çay Evi you can order a çay (pronounced chai) or a türk kahvesi (which is a Turkish coffee of considerable strength).

What is a Turkish tea

The çay in Turkey is quite strong. It’s a black tea that’s made so strong, they only fill your cup a third of the way with the brew, then fill the rest with boiling water. This gives you the perfect strength tea, that’s still so strong you’ll need a little something to take away the bitterness.

How to drink Turkish tea

Turkish tea in general is drank black without milk, so you won’t be seeing that anywhere nearby. At Huzur Çay Evi they have the best Turkish tea in Istanbul, strong and full of flavour. In order to cut the strength of the tea, it’s drank with sugar, lots of sugar. There’s always a bowl full of sugar cubes on the table at Huzur Çay Evi, so you can add in as many or as little as you like. The local way is to go for two cubes, we prefer one so it’s not too overly sweet, but to each their own!

Honorable mention, Turkish coffee

The türk kahvesi coffee is your other menu option. The coffee grounds are boiled with hot water to brew the coffee, and are served to you in the cup with the coffee. Make sure you give the grounds a minute or two to settle to the bottom of the cup before drinking! Before your coffee is made, you’ll be asked how much sugar you’d like. This is so you don’t try and add the sugar afterwards and mix it up with all the grounds. A little sugar means one cube, regular sugar means two.

The incredible hospitality at Huzur Çay Evi

What kept us going back almost every day wasn’t just the strong tea and rich coffee. It was the incredibly friendly owners of this humble local shop. Over the three weeks we stayed in the Beyoğlu area of Istanbul, we got to know Dilaver and Seher, the warm and hospitable husband and wife running the place.

Whether we stopped in for a çay or not, every day we passed by we were greeted with smiles and a wave, an even bigger one when we stopped in. Each day we headed back to our accommodation, we looked forward to seeing their kind, beaming faces.

Even though none of us spoke each other’s language, it was easy to communicate with such good-natured and heartwarming people. That’s something we love about travelling to other countries, communicating with people through other means than words. It’s amazing what you can get across through the use of body language and accentuated facial expressions!

A connection beyond your typical customer relationship

The last few visits we had at Huzur Çay Evi, Seher sat down with us as we all enjoyed the hot, sweet çay that Dilaver had made. Sitting and chatting unreservedly with Seher was a pleasure. She told us about her life, how they came about the shop, and how she’d worked there for many years before they bought it for themselves. Her kind heart was so evident that as I looked into her eyes, I could feel the emotion in her stories. I feel like we sparked up a true connection that went deeper than someone who was serving drinks to a customer.

By the time we had to leave Istanbul, I was very sad to go and say goodbye after making such an intimate connection with this woman that I had only briefly known, yet felt like I had known much longer. When the day came for us to say farewell, we embraced for many moments, with a silent knowing of the bond we had formed during the past few weeks.

What started off as a local place to stop by for a hot drink, ended up creating some of our most memorable moments in Istanbul. The strong aroma of coffee and traditional stools set up on the side of the busy street brought us into Huzur Çay Evi. But it was the friendly, warm, smiling faces of Dilaver and Seher that had us coming back over and over again to warm up on their fresh çay and rich türk kahvesi.

Make sure you visit for the best Turkish tea in Istanbul

If you find yourself in the Beyoğlu area of Istanbul, or along Istiklal Caddesi, make sure to stop by Huzur Çay Evi for some of the best Turkish tea in Istanbul. Whether it’s a glass of their delicious çay or a cup of their robust türk kahvesi, you will not be disappointed.

Don’t forget to take a moment to meet Dilaver and Seher while you’re there. You can’t miss their friendly, smiling faces, most likely beckoning you into their teashop, so we’re fairly sure you’ll know who they are.

Name: Huzur Çay Evi
Address: Kalyoncu Kulluğu, Ömer Hayyam Cd., 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
what3words: ///purest.lump.pose
Price: çay 3TL, türk kahvesi 6TL

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The most important meal of the day is not taken lightly in Turkey

Kahvalti is a traditional Turkish breakfast consisting of an unbelievable spread of small plates of food. All of this is meant to be shared with friends and family. Starting with fresh salty white cheeses, olives and eggs. Leading into sweet clotted cream, honey, preserves, spreads, and fresh bread. It’s a gathering full of so many delicious dishes that you’ll be looking forward to it the night before. No matter how modest the table, you can be sure to find it full of all the kahvalti staples.

Where to go for the best breakfast in Istanbul

With our new found knowledge, we set out to try the best traditional Turkish breakfast we could find. One of the more well-known places to visit is Van Kahvalti Evi. We wanted to try it out to see if it lived up to its reputation… and did it ever! If you find yourself in Istanbul looking for an authentic Turkish breakfast, then this restaurant has to make it onto your ‘must try’ list. It’s definitely the best place in Istanbul to try kahvalti, and we’ll show you why.

When to go to beat the crowds

With Van Kahvalti Evi being such a popular spot, it can get crazy busy on weekends. The busiest is mid-day, when a queue of hungry Istanbulites and tourists can be found lining the street. If you don’t feel like lining up with the rest of the city, then we highly recommend visiting during the week. We visited on a weekday about 1:00pm and had no issue finding a table.

What to order to get the full experience

The full kahvalti breakfast has two set menu options. Either of them must be ordered for at least two people, so make sure to bring your best eating buddy with you.

Of the two options, the more expensive “Serpme Van Kahvalti” was our go to choice. This option has the most variety of dishes to get the full experience. Not to mention the unlimited tea (more on that later), we figured you gotta go big or go home.

The freshest food, made in-house that morning

What makes Van Kahvalti Evi so special is that all of the food is made in-house, some of it even that morning. The Serpme Van Kahvalti comes complete with a plate full of fresh cheese, olives both green and black, eggs two different ways, fresh vegetables, honey and cream. With spreads, preserves, dips and jams, all ready to be eaten with your basket of freshly baked bread. This is the ultimate traditional Turkish breakfast.

The variety of fresh white Turkish cheeses are something to write home about. Consisting of a white brine cheese, braided cheese, string cheese, and an extra special sheep’s cheese that the restaurant calls Ottu Van Peyniri.

Made in-house, Ottu Van Peyniri is a herbed sheep cheese. It’s super sharp and full of flavour from the wild herbs that are used to make it. In English, it can be referred to as Van cheese. This name refers to both the region of eastern Turkey that this type of cheese originates, and the restaurant itself.

The ultimate treasure here, however, has got to be the kaymak. If you haven’t tried kaymak before, you must! It’s somewhat akin to clotted cream, except it’s made from buffalo milk and is a sure-fire way to put a smile on your face.

Here, it’s made fresh every morning and is served as a slice because it’s so thick. Take some on your fork or with piece of bread baked in-house, with a decent helping of fresh thick honey, and you’ll be beaming from ear to ear.

Did someone say, unlimited tea?!

What sets the “Serpme Van Kahvalti” apart, including the extra menu items, is the unlimited tea. Any meal in Turkey is not complete without a hot glass of tea, or çay, and breakfast is most certainly no exception. Breakfast must be served with plenty of freshly brewed black tea. Here, you can be sure to have a new glass brought to you as soon as your last has been downed.

Amazing hospitality and a friendly experience

From the moment you arrive till you walk out the door, the hospitality at Van Kahvalti Evi is incomparable. The amazing people working here are full of information about all the different dishes. They’re extremely attentive if you needed anything, especially a fresh glass of çay! In fact, we wouldn’t suggest this as the best breakfast in Istanbul for any less.

Kahvalti is not just a meal, but a whole experience

A traditional Turkish kahvalti is not just a meal, but a whole experience unto itself. Something that must be shared over great company and conversation.

At Van Kahvalti Evi, the combination of amazing food made fresh in-house, with wonderful service and hospitality, make their traditional kahvalti an unforgettable experience. If you’re looking for a true traditional Turkish breakfast, that goes beyond just the food, then Van Kahvalti Evi is the place for you.

Name: Van Kahvaltı Evi
Address: Kılıçali Paşa, Defterdar Ykş. 52/A, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
what3words: ///circular.longer.finger
Price: 100TL/person

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The flaming testi kebab is a Turkish pottery kebab that originates from the Anatolia region of Turkey. It’s a very unique and special way of cooking kebab in a clay pot, that’s similar to a pressure-cooked stew. If you find yourself in Turkey, but aren’t able to make it into this central region of the country, there are a number of different restaurants in Istanbul that serve up this special dish just as good as the original.

Where to go for authentic testi kebab in Istanbul

Of all the restaurants that serve testi kebab in Istanbul, the best one is at the İstanbul Kebab Cafe & Restaurant in the old Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. Here, it’s served up with an amazing show and wonderful hospitality that’s incomparable.

The most unique part of this dish is the flaming testi kebab fire show that you get with your meal. As far as fire shows with the Turkish pottery kebab go, one of the best in the city is here at the İstanbul Kebab Cafe & Restaurant.

What to order

There’s one option on the menu for testi kebab, ‘individual’ sized pots that are portioned for two people. They’re the perfect amount to share and be pleasantly stuffed. So, make sure you bring an eating buddy with you or you’re extra hungry!

The pottery kebab is full of lovely fresh ingredients like beef, chicken, or both, with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and green pepper, with lots of tasty herbs and spices. It’s made by putting all the ingredients together into a small clay pot and then sealing off the head with aluminum.

The pot, full of all this deliciousness, is placed into a tandoor oven to cook. This special cooking style creates a pressure cooker atmosphere inside the clay pot, which is the secret behind the taste and flavour of this unique kebab.

What to expect

The best part of this dish, minus how delicious it is of course, is the fire show that comes with it! There’s a reason they call it ‘flaming,’ and the fire show here is unparalleled. After the kebab has been cooked and stewed in its own juices, they set the pot aflame and serve it up, piping hot, ready to burn your mouth. Make sure you watch out for those first bites!

Dessert, anyone?

Honorable mention is the delicious, fresh baklava and apple tea that’s served to each customer for dessert. Nothing sits quite right at the end of a Turkish meal than a fresh, crispy, sweet piece of baklava to wash it all down.

Name: İstanbul Kebab Cafe & Restaurant
Address: Alemdar, Biçki Yurdu Sk. No 5, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul
what3words: ///teaches.audio.securing
Price: 230TL

Are you interested in seeing what this amazing fire show is all about? Then click below to see the best restaurant for authentic testi kebab in Istanbul.

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