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!

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.

OH MY GOD. GET THOSE SESAME PEANUTS…read more i am munching on them as I'm writing and honestly, my biggest regret is not buying a 1 KG bag of those peanuts. I could eat them for the rest of my life!!! Where can I find this in America?!!?!

Truly incredible confectionery in the Çiçek Pasajı off İstiklal Cad. The passage itself is easy to…read morewalk past, but full of restaurants, mostly specializing in mezzes. Hacı Niyazi Efendi is just inside the entrance. They have an amazing assortment of lokum (Turkish delight) in various flavors, as well as combinations that look like sushi rolls, in which different fillings are wrapped in a sheet of lokum, which may then be dusted with cocoa, spices, shaved coconut, etc. The toasted hazelnuts in hazelnut cream, wrapped in lokum, was my favorite. Pistachios in apricot were also good. Ask them to slice the rolls for you, and you'll get a bag of lokum rolls like individual sushi rolls.

Tiny shop filled with all kinds of Turkish delight and candy, located in Üsküdar on the Asian side…read more They make GREAT Turkish delight and for more reasonable prices than what you'll find in tourist areas like Taksim of Sultanahmet. They offer pre-packaged boxes with different flavors, or you can make your own box by selecting whatever suits your fancy from their display. I normally prefer to select pieces from the display (you never know how long boxes have been sitting there) but in this case, I purchased a small pre-packaged box with different flavors and they were just as fresh as what was in the display. Worth the detour, especially if you stop in at Ciya Sofrasi or the fish market, which are located on the same street as this little shop.

Best Turkish delight I found on a two-week trip to Istanbul. Highly recommend at least visiting…read morethe shop and sampling the product for yourself!

I like the spice market that located in the prime area with a lot of walking distance attractions…read more This included the river cruise and seafood restaurants at the river, Suleymaiye mosque, grand bazaar and more. The spice market is not big but the surrounding market is a big extension to the market. The best and premium items in the bazaar. The surrounding market vendor gives you bargains with price on the outside. We got the turkey coffee on the outside market. Even the Turkish delight is cheaper at outside.

Attenzione al momento di pagare con carta di credito ci hanno ingannato, anziché pagare 2.200 lire…read moreturche hanno digitato 22.000 lire turche. purtroppo ci siamo accorti troppo tardi.

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.

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.

If there's one thing I often love above just about anything else, it's finding the origin of a…read morecuisine, especially when it ties to a city or a region. Next to kebabs, turkish delight defines both Istanbul and Turkey on the culinary stage, and Ali Muhittin Haci Bekir is the origin of not only turkish delight, but of gummi snacks as we know them. Haci Bekir opened this exact spot in 1777, and the rest is literally history. Expecting an 18th century vibe with as much history as wonderful product, I was honestly a bit disappointed on both fronts. If you're looking for a historical experience and the best turkish delight you've ever had? I unfortunately can't say that you'll find either at Haci Bekir. Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere? Star 1? Strike 1. Considering this is the origin of turkish delight (as in, in the world), I was expecting a homely and authentic 18th century vibe. How was this stuff invented? How do they even make it? I was hoping to learn these things from staff who knew the history, and was gutted to find an entirely commercialized and bland shop with passive employees. I ordered my turkish delight, paid, and left. That was it. Considering what could have been? This was a huge disappointment. No Star Granted. Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost? Considering how much the original spot could price gouge? I was pleased. I paid 32 turkish lira at the spice market for a kilo, and only 24 lira here. Both prices are a great deal, but I loved the fact that I wasn't getting ripped off by a place that could have easily done so. Star Granted. Stars 3 and 4: How was the food? I need to start this off by defining what my idea of perfect turkish delight is. A powdered sugar covered gummi bear? No. Turkish delight should be so soft that it requires the powdered sugar for you to even hold it. My turkish delight in the spice market was close to what i've had stateside, but what I had at Haci Bekir was weak. The flavor? mediocre. The consistency? a bit chewy, which is shouldn't be. Overall, this was a pretty disappointing visit. Single Star Granted. Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could? I have a theory. Turkish delight is a rarity here in the states, so if you're going to serve it? It's got to be the very best. On the contrary, TD is absolute commonplace in Istanbul, so the abundance of it all leads to some down ticks in quality. I was hoping for a real show from the very origin of turkish delight, and I didn't get it with the service, the atmosphere, or the product quality. No Star Granted.

Pretty delicious turkish delights/lokum sold here! My personal favorite was the rose flavored one…read more There are a bunch on display that you can try before you purchase too.