This is a little cafe with sweets and borek and coffee. It's quiet and clean. They had American music. The food was good. read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Borek with cheese leek meat - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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Serving Sultanahmet since 1961 Çiğdem Pastanesi sees its fair share of locals and tourists, a wide selection of sweets and savories similar to other local spots luring guests in where a tight space is found decorated with aged wood and iron. Surprisingly limited in English, uncommon on the street between Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, prices are a bit higher than Patisserie further from city-center while the products themselves are fair-to-middling and highlighted by Syrup-soaked Halka Tatlisi with Jam at the center. read more

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Taste so good! Lots of items to choose. Great service! Easy to find. Definitely worth it read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

I have been searching for a bakery cafe since arriving in Istanbul and noticed the line outside Cigdem Pastanesi. Decided to go in and pick three items at random to save for later. The pastries were delicious. Came back again the next day and ordered a bigger spread to sit inside and enjoy the morning. My favorite so far is the mushroom pastry in a crispy crust. Will come back again before leaving Istanbul! read more

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This is a family owned and operated business who welcomed us with open arms (figuratively, not literally). The patriarch speaks really good English and metioned how the Americans are heavily missed in this incredible country. We ordered some incredibly tasty pastries and enjoyed them in the Sultanahmet Square across the street. Cannot recommend enough!!! read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Yummy and delicious! - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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It was disappointing to find out that all The savory options are only available for breakfast. I'm sure they have good food if they sell out. Yet service was dismissive and slow. Fortunately there are plenty of other options to have boregi, simit sandwiches, etc. read more

If you want baklava, this pastry shop by the Sultanahmet tram stop should be your destination! Whether you never had baklava and want to try or you had baklava before but want a good one, you cannot go wrong with Cigdem Pastanesi. Even among the many pastry shops on Divanyolu Caddesi, Cigdem Pastanesi stands out because of its high quality and reasonable price. It's certainly no coincidence that you will find recommendations of this shop in many guidebooks and websites! Just from the window, you can see the many types of baklava that this pastry shop sells. I hope your sweet tooth is up for it, Baklava is a classic Turkish dessert that originated from the royal kitchens of Topkapi Palace since the days of Suleiman the Magnificent. Essentially a conglomeration of multiple puff layers that typically have crushed pistachio in between with sugar glaze brushed within, baklava is a culinary masterpiece when done right. I believe Cigdem Pastanesi captures this spirit well by retaining the slight crispness from well-made puff layers and ample pistachio and balanced sweetness from the beautifully glittering glaze that tastes well even without coffee to down it. Better yet, while other shops are charging at least 5-7 lira per piece, Cigdem Pasteanesi charges only 3 lira for each piece of their terrific baklava! If you are ever embarking or disembarking the Sultanahmet tram stop, you must stop by here to pick up at least few pieces of baklava. Only then will you understand how this peculiar dessert has captured even the palate of sultans! read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - BAKLAVA!! - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Amazing food, amazing service! Being able to try four 'must have' Turkish food and drink was a real treat! I had Menemen in two other places and this one was the #1 by far! read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Menemen, Turkish coffee, Turkish tea - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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Charming little bakery, with those who have a sweet tooth and those who have a savory one. The boregi's were really good. Pretty much ruined every other boregi for me. Aside from boregi's, they also churn out a variety of dessert-y pastries. I tried scoring the banana eclair, but it was sold out. So, I settled for the regular eclair. And I was a little disappointed. I have eaten better eclairs and the one at Cigdem was a let down. The service is really nice. They do speak English, which is a plus. The kahve was really good as well. The filter coffee was not bad either. Prices are reasonable too, averaging at 6TL for a dish. Portions are rather generous too. A portion of boregi's equals 2 boregis (2 pieces of the same or 1 piece of 2 kinds). So, go with an empty stomach :) I would definitely recommend visiting this place at least once if you are in and around Sultahahmet. read more

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Was staying at a hotel near by and from jet lag, I was waking up super early and this was the only place that opened at 7 and had coffee/bread. I highly recommend going there and trying all the bread they have read more

Happy 2019! They were open at 8am on 1 Jan 2019 while mcd and Starbucks weren't. Haha got Americano and some pastries here. Olive and Choco bun were good and it got pretty crowded after we got in. Will definitely be back in the next couple days. read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

OMG try the tres leche cake and thank me for it. Also fruit cups are great as well. And even their turkish delights are so good. Excellent service and atmosphere. read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

This cafe is awesome. The staff are very friendly and explain what everything is. I tried the bread pudding, pistachio baklava, walnut baklava and other pastries filled with meat and mushrooms. Everything is tasty. The Turkish delights were also very delicious and i got a bunch of these as souvenirs before leaving Turkey! read more

This place was great! We stumbled upon it on our first day in Istanbul,and ever since it was our go to place! Everything is fresh and delicious! Between our frnds and us we tried the potato, spinach and meat boregi which was super flaky and melt in ur mouth texture, a stuffed walnut dessert was so scrumptious, the eggs in tomato dish which is on their sit down menu, and a few other things whose names have kind if faded off! Everything was great read more

Amazing little cafe and bakery. All of the desserts look very good. Just bought the chocolate eclair with banana cream. Amazing...a must try. There are no nuts in this dessert, which is not common in Turkey. There are lots of choices. Open late. read more

Çiğdem Pastanesi - Chocolate Eclair with Banana - Bakeries Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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OMG! Very good Pasta, a lot different Pasta, and the price is good too, and I had Babarua chocolate, not to sweet, and the Herbal tea is good read more

I have been coming to this place for at least 10 years now for a Baklava hit. I used to stay in the neighborhood when visiting Istanbul and would always end the night with a take away box. I like their non pistachio version best. I don't think I have ever had their tea or coffee, so just commenting on the baklava. read more

If you like bakeries and especially if you are into sweet stuff this is the right place for a small break in between. Have a Turkish coffee or tea and choose one or two for their delicious pastries with it. Even though it is located in the probably most touristic streets in Istanbul it still kept an original flair. The prices are really reasonable and the staff very friendly. This is also a nice place for breakfast. read more

We landed here for breakfast.. A small place with great food... The Boreks were amazing... We also tried the Italian Pizza but which was good but I would still vote for the Boreks.. I think since we went a bit late the best sellers were sold... Not a person with sweet tooth therefore didn't enjoy the eclair much... Will defy recommend this place to people who want to have nice breakfast read more

Perfect place to start your day before you tour around the Sultanahmet District. Shelves full of warm bread and pastries line the front window, and the locals line up outside to pick up their morning grub (1-2 TL each). If you'd rather sit down, there is a seating area in the back, but it is small so I wouldn't bank on it. The staff are awfully nice and speak English if your Turkish is as completely lacking as mine :-) read more

A great place for borek, the small Turkish pastries that come in savory and sweet varieties. They also have a great Turkish breakfast. And have fresh squeezed fruit juices as well. My only complaint is when they get busy they tend to forget customers. And a few of their servers can be a bit rude. read more

Desserts are great but teas are terrible...also quite overpriced. I wouldn't stay here to rest and have a drink....maybe just try something and get it to go. read more