The owner makes his special Kaymak, buffalo cream with honey in the front of the shop and it is to…read moredie for. He greets everyone and knows about 5 languages. This is a family-owned shop for over 50 years and the family also owns a farm, where they get the ingredients for their dishes. All of the food was amazing. The service was fantastic. You can't go to Istanbul and not have a meal here.

*Note: This place also goes by the name Karakoy Ozsut. The entrance says Haci Hasan Fehmi,…read morereflecting the name Hasan who is the 3rd generation and current owner. Step inside and on the walls you will see featured articles about this place aka Karakoy Ozsut* We not only discovered our favorite breakfast dive in Istanbul at Karaköy Özsüt but a new friendship was made between us and the owner Hasan. For that, Karaköy Özsüt will always have a special place in our hearts. The interior is unimpressive and the fluorescent lights are dull. But, this is what it gives it soul and for their sake, we hope Karaköy Özsüt remains the perfect way it is. Known as having one of the best kaymak in Istanbul, Karaköy Özsüt has its own herd of buffalos whose fresh milk is used to make kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) that makes up a huge part of a traditional Turkish breakfast. Hasan frequently drives his truck out to his ranch, 125km away from Istanbul, where he milks the buffalos and gathers the milk to produce kaymak. At one point in conversation, he whips out his cell phone and shows us a short video of his baby buffalo at the ranch. Awww. A heaping of kaymak and honey are served together on a plate; smeared onto bread and eaten. The kaymak here put us right into a clotted cream high with its smoothness and creaminess. There is something about the Turkish clotted cream that despite its indication of "cream", it does not leave you feeling heavy and sluggish or like one of those feelings where you feel you've really had enough of NY cheesecake. In fact, after a breakfast full of kaymak, I dream of eating it again and again. Another must-have classic Turkish breakfast item is menemen: scrambled eggs made with tomato, cheese, spices. Sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage) is a common favorite added to menemen so be sure to request for that. The menemen is flavorful while exploding with different combinations of spices which we could not tell what exactly they were except to just savor each spoonful of it. Hasan also makes the best lentil soup, ever. We have been hooked since.

Amazing Börekçi We tried the meat and potatoes…read more Then added the cheese. Good portions good price. They ran out of the spinach.

Hole in the wall place but absolutely delicious. The open air restaurant overlooks the sea and you…read morecan find ladies at the front making the most delicious gozleme which is a very thin stuffed turnover. Location- right across from the port of karakoy a long the strip of seafood restaurants. Nothing fancy or anything but you come through and they seat you at these cute orand red Turkish seats. Menu consisted of coffees,tea, juices, and the famous kumpir which is a loaded to the extreme stuffed potato which butter cheese the potato inside is whipped and filled with green peas carrots sausages, corn, shredded meat and whipped sauces and cream. You can definitely choose what you want on your kumpir. The gozleme turnover was freshly made from scratch by the ladies in front. Using their rolling pins and flattening the paper this crust dough crepe with a bit of spinach and cheese. Cooked over a fire mold circular pan. Need I say everything was so fresh and delicious. The gozleme was a little over 1 dollar and the kumpir was almost 2 dollars converted from Turkish lira. Yes definitely will be back for more!

We stumbled on this little place looking for coffee and brunch in the cool Cihangir part of…read moreIstanbul. Needless to say, we were blown away - the breakfast was a perfect spread of cheeses, fresh bread, honeys and jams, and more (get the Menemen). The cappuccino was great, the ambiance was cool, and Gulsah, the owner, was so friendly! Wish I could have found it earlier. I would definitely recommend this place.

In September I stayed nearby this cafe in Beyoğlu and often called by for a Turkish coffee and a…read moresavoury or sweet treat. These were always well prepared and delicious. The cakes and other food items are made by the owner and her mother. Try the lemon tart if you get the chance. The staff are friendly and helpful. Whether you're bracing yourself for a day of 'touristic' activity or needing a break from it, or just looking for somewhere very relaxed and charming I highly recommend Kukla. And thank you for the tips on making Turkish coffee.

My first review of the year had to my ultimate favorite place to eat desserts. For me this place is…read moreabove all. I love Turkish desserts over any desi desserts, cakes, pastries, chocolates but maybe not the French croissants. My favorite are anything with walnut and pistachios. I love their Kunafa which is perfectly sized not too big or small super fresh and gives you an option to go with honey or sugar syrup.I always choose the later I'm not too big a fan of honey on a kunafa. But the star here is is the big slice of plain baklava with a thick layer or pistachios courses grounded with their signature ice cream. My goodness it is goodness on a plate. I love it with their basic kewa. The service is always top notch. Their locations their pick are top notch too. Price point -it isn't cheap but definitely worth every penny. There are lots of prepackaged goodies like nuts, Turkish delights etc to buy. I always get their baklava packed in a tin and bring it back their guarantee it's freshness for 10 days. I usually freeze it and eat it as and when I like. Works great. Their locations are beautifully done in their standard theme. I dream of their baklavas every time I'm in Turkey. They do have a few locations in other countries like UAE and England but not in many I hope to see them come to Canada soon.

This one of the must try spots in Istanbul and I saw them all over, lol. I went on a walking tour…read moreduring my stay in Istanbul and the local tour guide also recommended this bakery. He said they were a bit pricey but worth it and I agree. My first visit i went to just try out the goodies. I purchased three baklava treats. (pistachio, chocolate and walnut) They were all delicious and rich. My favorite was the walnut. They also sell other baked goods and coffee. I visited another location and purchased a few to go home. The staff were very sweet and welcoming. Definitely a place to check out.

Came here for dessert after it was recommended by a tour guide in Cappadocia. Most of the desserts…read morehere are much too sweet for me, but the chocolate baklava here was the most suited to my taste. It wasn't as sweet as others, and also felt less dense/sticky than the baklava available at most other restaurants. They do have an absolutely enormous menu for desserts, and portions are slightly larger, so it's preferable to come with friends to be able to split things and try a lot of different items!

We were staying in sirkeci and were looking for a good place to get some Turkish tea and/or food…read more We stopped by Mado many times and either got the Turkish sweets with tea, the cheese pastry with tea or other items. Everything was really good in terms of quality and quantity. Decent service and free wifi also added to the experience

Amazing food. Wonderful mushroom omelette with salad and mint lemonade. Very fresh. Wonderful bread.read more

Amazing Turkish breakfast. Talking about colorful table with lots of delicious food. We chose the…read moreTurkish breakfast which comes with a variety of plates ( Shakshouka, potatoes, sujuk, eggs with sujuk, eggs with meat, cheese with Simit for dips, etc.). The food tastes great and the table setting is very appealing. The restaurant itself is very cute. Reminds me a bit of Alice's tea cup in NYC but Turkish style. Tea is unlimited here and they have it on the table. It kinda made the table warm though. The grandmas at the front and working in the place are so cute and sweet spreading flowers and kisses to people coming in. They also offer you an assortment of jams when they see you're done eating. The waiter was extremely helpful as it was our first time and the whole crew are just on point. A must visit restaurant if you're visiting Istanbul and looking for a breakfast/brunch place.

Nothing like it used to be. They took Orange juice to every table but ours. We had to ask before…read morethey would remember to bring it. The eggs were served in small individual pans( for one ) and we were three people. we had to ask for things to be brought and they forgot one even though they would say it would come up right away. We would not have minded paying if they served what they were supposed to serve. They are definitely cutting corners on the food items!! The price was too high for what they served. The waiters were too busy socializing than attending tables. One waiter was rolling a cigarett tobacco for a table!!! Just totally different from what they used to be. Never going back!!!