My favorite place for knaefe! They make it fresh to order and it takes about 15 minutes so order…read morewhen you sit down. They have a beautiful terrace outside for balmy nights and the most beautiful desserts inside! It's baklava heaven. Try one of the incredibly exotic desserts with ice cream as well. Service is spectacular and when they bring your dish to the table, they will prepare it for you in front of your eyes and pour the various sauces and toppings on top. Everything is absolutely delicious. I love the ambience too. There are several locations in Istanbul.

I can only say that everything is 10+ You simply have to…read moretry these delicacies, words cannot describe the beauty of the taste.

Just inject this good stuff directly into my veins! You just can't go wrong with any of their…read morebaklavas. The Turkish tea is just a great partner to these treats! I personally love the Midye Baklavas with Pistachio the most! The service was prompt and a pretty chill vibe by the Bosphorus.

Baklavas are real in here. Not too much sugar everything is…read morebalanced and fresh. Service was great. The ambience is great.

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.

Viyana Kahvesi was one of my favorite café experiences in Istanbul. The location alone is worth…read morevisiting, with an absolutely stunning view of the iconic Galata Tower. Sitting outside, enjoying dessert while taking in one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, creates a truly unforgettable atmosphere. Of course, the star of the show is their famous San Sebastián cheesecake. It lived up to every bit of the hype. Perfectly creamy, rich, and slightly caramelized on the outside, it was incredible on its own--but the warm chocolate drizzle takes it to another level. Every bite was indulgent without being overly sweet, making it one of the best desserts I've had anywhere. The combination of amazing food, excellent coffee, and a front-row view of the beautiful Galata Tower makes this a must-visit spot in Istanbul. Whether you're looking for the perfect dessert, a relaxing café experience, or an Instagram-worthy view, Viyana Kahvesi delivers on all fronts. A true Istanbul gem that I'll be thinking about long after returning home.

This cafe is famous for its fun locations with a nice patio and its rich San Sebastián style…read morecheesecake. I tried the Dubai chocolate version with pistachio, Belgian chocolate and knafeh....it's almost too rich to handle. The plain version is also delicious. There are multiple locations. This one is located in the courtyard of a famous building, the Narmanli Han on Istiklal street, with a lovely fountain outside. Very nice patio and great service. Super polite and fast. There's also a gorgeous location next to the Galata Tower.

My friends and I accidentally found this gem. The seller was very nice and friendly. He didn't…read moreforce us to buy anything but gladfully made us tried turkish delights (which were all good.) The shop was also lovely and well-designed!

We did not find this place in any guide or following any online recommendation but this little…read morepastries was a nice encounter. It seemed a bit posh at first, but the pastries were really good and not especially pricey. Go inside and pick what you like and then you can eat outside on the little terrace while you taste the pastries and drink your tea. I am no expert in pastries from arabic countries (i only tasted the ones from Morocco in France, and in Lebanon) but those one sounded very good to me!

Yeah, I mean at the end of the day it's baklava. How many ways can you have it?…read more I don't know what I was expecting but those video clips had raised my expectations. Then I got there. I found that this place is on every corner, five of their competitors are on every corner too. It lost the prestige. Baklava! Baklava! Come get your baklava! The realization that this was lower than expectations even impacted my experience with Türkiye experience. I would avoid it. I see why tourists avoid it. I didn't see anyone there, except some others like me who had been impressed by the social media coverage.

This is a must try place if you're in Istanbul. One of oldest names in Turkish confectionary and…read morelots to choose from. We enjoyed all of our food, and our sever Anıl was very quick and friendly. Highly recommend and will come back!

I was first introduced to this deliciousness called Knafe when I worked in Israel many years ago…read more Since then, I have traveled far and wide to eat Kunefe/ knafe. It is probably my favorite dessert. I mean, how can you go wrong with cheese baked in a semolina crust and soaked in sweetness? I researched places to eat Kunefe near the Galata tower and Yelp showed me Tandir. It is quite close to the tower and we walked in during one snowy evening around 8pm. We were the only patrons in the small space and the kunefe was made fresh from scratch. No pre-prepared stuff here. Needless to say, it was delicious! It was not as mind-blowing as the ones I had in Akko and Haifa, but it is great. There are other desserts on the menu, but I went here to eat kunefe alone. I left a happy man after finishing my share and my husband's share.

I walked in to this place specifically to try Kunefe since reading from description it sounded…read moredelicious and definitely wanted to try it during my Istanbul trip. The place is nice and clean with a visble kitchen and you can see them preparing your dessert. They do not have a lot of options, but if you want to come specifically for Kunefe then might be worth sitting down. As for the desert itself, the texture was amazing, and highly recommended for everyone with a sweet tooth. It was crispy, fluffy, warm, creamy, syrupy tipped with pistachios. For me little too sweet, but I imagine they are supposed to be that way. I cannot handle too much sweetness but just the texture of the dessert makes me want to have it again.

The best baklava! I also tried an exotic pistacho version of knafe. The server ALI who helped me is…read moreabsolutely charming and even let me try an extra sample of one of their famous baklava on the house. Lovely terrace outside to enjoy summer nights with a cup of Turkish tea.

Located not far from Karaköy Güllüoğlu is Köşkeroğlu Karaköy, to many the only competitor for best…read moreBaklava though Köşkeroğlu's collection spans larger including not just standards featuring Walnuts or Pistachios but also Rice Pudding, Asure Pudding and packaged goods. Actually two separate spaces, one selling Kebap and traditional Turkish Food with the other specializing in Dessert, it is inside the latter that several counters are found covered in Phyllo wrapped around everything from ground Beef in the case of Borek or loaded with Nuts and Honey. Named for the 1946 founder, though he surely had no idea diabetes-friendly or Gluten-free Baklava would one day be a thing, prices trend similar to other shops in the area while textures are a little less well-differentiated than Güllüoğlu except in the case of unrivaled Pistachio "Bride Packs."

Came her for dessert around 9pm. We had the baklava's all amazing but special mention goes to…read moreMidye. It's worth noting they still tasted fresh. The pastry was still flaky despite that time of the day. Not as sweet as I'm used to in Chicago

Kuzu sis kebap (lamb shish kebab) (36 lira) - 3.5 stars The…read morelamb chunks were better seasoned than other meats we've had so far and not too dry. The plate came with some rice, a warm tomato, raw onions and parsley. Et doner durum (30 lira) - 3 stars The doner meat was a little like shabu shabu kinda meat, better than Durumzade and Sedef Bufe, but not amazing really. The tomatoes inside were cold. My sister thought it was too dry as there wasn't any sauce inside. Complimentary warm pide. Cleanest nicest bathrooms I've seen! Our waiter was the unfriendliest we've had on the trip so far.