Istanbul Coffee Guide: 13 Specialty Shops, Roasters, and Cafes

Istanbul holds two coffee traditions on the same street. Turkish coffee in cezve over hot sand, served thick with the grounds settled at the bottom. And the third wave specialty register that crossed in from Vienna, Kyoto, and Antalya over the last decade. Bayramefendi runs the Ottoman idiom into a modern room. Alacati Muhallebicisi anchors Istiklal in the Aegean register. Kaffee Schutz brings a Vienna brand into the city. Arabica imports the Kyoto-born specialty chain. Dospresso started in Antalya in 2011 and grew north.

Below are five Istanbul cafes drawn from the editorial coverage. The list runs from Istiklal Caddesi through the modern Asian-side districts, the geography Istanbul coffee actually covers.

Alaçatı Muhallebicisi

İstiklal Caddesi

Alacati Muhallebicisi on Istiklal in Istanbul belongs to a Turkish chain that anchors its identity in Aegean flavors, milk-based desserts, and a chickpea-fermented kumru sandwich tradition. The brand runs over eighty stores across Istanbul with daily fresh shipments to almost all of them. Coffee runs as the supporting act to a deep dessert and breakfast menu, with milk puddings and ice cream pulling regulars through the Beyoglu room. The format reads as a hospitality-first dessert house with espresso service. Order a Turkish coffee and a kazandibi if you want the Aegean dessert tradition Alacati was built around. Order an espresso and a kumru sandwich if you came in for the savory Aegean side.

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Arabica

Hasan Celal Güzel Caddesi

% Arabica on Hasan Celal Guzel Caddesi brings the Kyoto-born specialty chain into Istanbul, an extension of the brand Kenneth Shoji opened in Higashiyama in 2014 with world latte art champion Junichi Yamaguchi as head barista. The signature is the Kyoto Latte, a shot of espresso layered with steamed milk and a splash of condensed milk for restrained sweetness rather than the heavier Spanish version. The brand runs over a hundred sixty locations weighted toward the Middle East and East Asia. Order the Kyoto Latte if you want what Higashiyama serves, executed in Istanbul. Order an espresso and a single origin filter if you came in for the Yamaguchi-trained bar work.

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Bayramefendi Osmanlı Kahvecisi

A. Rezzak Ceylan Caddesi

Bayramefendi Osmanli Kahvecisi on A. Rezzak Ceylan Caddesi runs the Ottoman coffee idiom into a modern room, with locations across Istanbul anchored by the historic Uskudar branch. The bar pulls freshly ground Turkish coffee alongside a less common terebinth coffee build. The menu spans salep, hot chocolate, waffles, fondue, milkshakes, and a deep tea program, all calibrated for an Ottoman-rooted hospitality register. Popping chocolate served alongside the coffee is a regular customer call-out. Order a Turkish coffee and a piece of popping chocolate if you want the Bayramefendi signature. Order a terebinth coffee if you came in for the rarer side of the Ottoman menu.

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Dospresso

Avukat Sedat Özevin Caddesi

Dospresso on Avukat Sedat Ozevin in Istanbul runs as part of a Turkish chain that started in Antalya in 2011 and now operates more than twenty-five locations pairing coffee with a donut program built around healthier ingredient swaps. The bar pulls espresso with seasonal flavor builds in hazelnut, cinnamon, and white chocolate alongside cold brew, Turkish coffee, and frappes. Donuts include cheesecake-filled and brownie versions that anchor the food side. No artificial sweeteners or fructose syrup in the mix. Order a Turkish coffee and a Dospresso donut if you want the chain's signature pairing. Order a cold brew if you came in for the espresso side of the program.

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Kaffee Schütz

Dudullu Caddesi, İstanbul

Kaffee Schütz brings a Vienna-rooted brand into Istanbul, with a Dudullu location on Brandium AVM serving 100% arabica beans certified organic and Fairtrade. The bar runs hot and cold espresso drinks alongside a snack menu calibrated for the mall foot traffic on the Anatolian side. Multiple branches across Istanbul keep the format consistent: Vienna coffee idiom, Turkish location and rhythm. Order a Wiener melange if you want the Austrian house style executed in Istanbul. Order an organic single origin pour over if you came in for the Fairtrade arabica side of the program.

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An Istanbul coffee day that starts at Bayramefendi for a Turkish cezve, runs an Arabica latte in the afternoon, and ends with a Kaffee Schutz espresso in Dudullu is three traditions on one route. The Pulled directory tracks every specialty cafe across the city with check-in radius for the iOS app.

Pulled Coffee maps every cafe in Istanbul. Check in with the iOS app to start earning real cash. Visit /earn for the rules.