Isabella T.
Yelp
My mom and I wanted to get a nice Turkish breakfast during our last day in Istanbul. This place was highly rated on Google and it was around an area we had already been to and really loved! As usual, getting here by foot required a strenuous walk up a steep hill and a giant set of stairs. However, a cute little cat decided to keep us company, and it made it all so magical and special. We arrived around 1pm and the place was not too full on a Tuesday. We were able to get a table for two right away inside. The waiter was very nice and brought us menus and some water. We already knew what we wanted so we ended up ordering the famous Turkish breakfast which was amazing! I was truly mind blown at how generous the portion was. With the breakfast we tried:
- Breads: the breakfast comes with generous amounts of bread. You get both a regular white bread that is deliciously fluffy and has a nice crust, as well as a decadent leavened round bread called bazlama. This was the house special bread baked fresh every day and it was delicious. There was a small extra charge for additional bazlama but can confirm it was well worth it. The bread was soft, warm, and had a fantastic flavor. 11/10. Both paired well with all the items in the breakfast.
- Yigit Special Eggs: the breakfast also came with these eggs which were hard boiled but then broken up and cooked in this delicious sauce of butter and spices. The flavor was out of this world, with a little bit is smokiness and heat from the spices balanced out by the sweet creaminess of the browned butter. I loved the texture of having hard boiled eggs since you got a nice mix of the chewy egg white portions as well as the silky yolks. Amazing. I want to copy this recipe at home.
- Halloumi and Sujuk: they brought out a sizzling pan with 4 pieces of deliciously spiced sujuk and grilled halloumi together. This is a heavenly combination. The chewy and salty halloumi went very well with the sausage. The butter also gets this super good flavor and we ate some of it with the bread on the side. 11/10.
- cheeses: all the cheeses in this spread were amazing! They came in generous portions. The feta was so creamy and went very well with the fresh cucumbers and tomatoes they gave us with the breakfast. The herbed cheese was also amazing. My favorite was the Cecil cheese which came in little strings and was super mild. It went very well with both savory and sweet spreads alike.
- savory spreads: for savory dips we got a variety of olives that were all really good, a tomato dip that had a deep flavor of sundried tomatoes and was mildly spicy, as well as a tangier fresh tomato dip that felt a little lighter and more citrusy/ bright. All very good! The fresh butter was also amazing and tasted incredibly creamy.
- sweet spreads: my favorite part! The breakfast came with a variety of sweet spreads including different homemade jams (orange and cherry) that went very well with the bread and butter as well as the cheeses. It also came with these decadent tahini molasses with a little grape that had just the perfect balance of nuttiness and sweetness. The kaymak (clotted cream) was so decadent as well, it had a creamy sweetness that went so well with the silky, deep flavor of the honey. Amazing!
On top of everything, the breakfast came with tea included which was very warm and comforting. It was a lot of food and we left practically full for the rest of the day. The quality of all the ingredients was top notch. I would highly recommend this place to anyone in Istanbul. The area around here is also super quaint and cute, perfect for a leisurely stroll to digest the delicious meal. Pretty close as well to Taksim Square and the top of Istiklal street in case you want to do some exploring after breakfast. One of the best breakfasts we had while in Turkey and in an area that feels more quiet/ less touristy! Will be coming back whenever I return to Istanbul.