Best Turkish Breakfasts in Istanbul: Regional Specialties
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If you’re a foodie visiting Turkiye, there’s no doubt that you’ve probably seen the classic photos of a Turkish breakfast spread (known as “serpme kahvalti”) where tiny, colorful dishes completely cover the table and compete for your attention – both your eyes and your taste buds!
A classic Turkish breakfast is a must and many, if not most, accommodations will probably provide you some form of breakfast spread, sometimes as a buffet. A serpme kahvalti is a bit more interactive, served family style where you can either use individual plates or dive right in with bread to scoop up your favorites from the table.
A leisurely serpme kahvalti spread is also one of the best ways to catch up with friends and family, allowing for ample time to trade stories and gossip while sipping cups and cups of Turkish tea. No need to rush while you’re nibbling on all the best savory and sweet items.
With ten years of living in Turkiye, most of them in Istanbul, I’ve had my share of amazing serpme kahvalti spreads. Of all that I’ve tried, I’ve come to crave specific dishes at various restaurants – the ones listed below all come from different regions of Turkiye so there will be different specialties at each!
Even if your hotel has provided you breakfast, you may want to save a day or two to seek out some of Istanbul’s best. Read on for my list…
What does a Turkish breakfast or serpme kahvalti usually include?
- Freshly-baked bread and pastry (the variety may including simit, pisi, borek, gozleme or regional variations)
- Olives, both black and green
- Eggs – hard boiled or sometimes “sahanda” meaning in the pan (“goz goz” will be overeasy with the yolks runny) or you might try menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs)
- Cheeses – usually a variety of white cheese (beyaz peynir), a more firm cheese like kasar peynir, or regional variations
- Jams (recel) and fruit preserves
- Fresh cucumber and tomato slices, often with greens like arugula and parsley
- Bal-Kaymak – the heavenly combination of honey (bal) and clotted cream made from buffalo milk (kaymak)
- Tahini-pekmez – sesame paste (tahini) mixed with grape molasses (pekmez)
- Spreads and dips like muhammara (a spicy mixture of walnut and red pepper paste), findik ezmesi (hazelnut spread), sut recel (literally “milk jam”, like dulce de leche)
- Optionally, you may see a few meats included like spicy beef sausage (sucuk), air-dried seasoned beef called pastirma, or slow cooked braised beef (kavurma). These are sometimes offered as upsells or add-ons if not included.
- Unlimited cay (black tea) refills
Note that most ingredients in a basic Turkish breakfast are vegetarian, but not vegan (honey, cheese, eggs, etc.)
Some of my favorite places to get a Turkish Breakfast from around Istanbul include:
Dogaciyiz (Hatay/Antakya-style, Cihangir)
It’s such a shame that I only visited Dogaciyiz in my last week in Istanbul after a full decade of being in Turkey – it really goes to the top of my list! Hatay/Antakya is a city known for it’s amazing cuisine and sadly also for being hard-hit during the earthquakes of 2023. I was expecting the price to be much higher given the prime Cihangir location, but Dogaciyiz breakfast is quite reasonably priced.
Hatay specialties to watch for: tiny green olives, local olive oil and zahter spice mix for dipping, biberli ekmek (flatbread with zahter and red pepper paste)
Van Kahvalti Evi (Van-style, Cihangir)
My previous go-to to take visitors was for the Van-style breakfast at Van Kahvalti Evi, which isn’t far from Dogaciyiz. All of the basics come with the serpme kahvalti but you can add on extras like the pisi (fried dough pieces) if you’ve got a sweet tooth! Dairy is a big feature of the breakfast spread in Van, my favorite is the cheese!
Van specialty to watch for: Van otlu peynir, which is a cheese made with herbs from Van.
Arada (Lebanese/Middle Eastern, Tophane)
Arada now has a few locations spread out in Tophane, but my favorite is still Arada Cafe (now called Arada Beirut) with it’s highly instragrammable table spread with a huge spread, a blend of Lebanese-Middle Eastern-Turkish dishes. Notably, there’s a huge variety of jams and olives (you can pick your own from the tray brought around), fresh warm pisi and bread that’s replenished during your meal.
Arada specialties include: fresh falafel, yogurt spreads and my favorite – fatteh!
Kackar (Black Sea style, Atasehir)
The Black Sea (Karadeniz) region of Turkey is famous for mountain plateaus called yayla, and it’s truly an experience worth traveling for to have a village breakfast up above the clouds there! Much of the country’s best black tea is produced in this region and it’s also famous for Giresun’s hazelnuts! The breakfast spread at Kackar is hearty and includes kavurma, a braised beef and sometimes potatoes cooked in the rich village butter. This restaurant is out of the way, but foodies know it is worth traveling for.
Black sea breakfast dishes to try: muhlama (sometimes spelled mihlama, also called kuymak) which is a fondue-like cheese dish thickened with corn flour.
Honorable Mentions – Other Turkish Breakfasts in Istanbul
- Breakfast street in Besiktas – it’s been a while, but I used to go to Cakmak for their breakfast when in Besiktas
- Namli Gurme – a popular option in Karakoy with a variety of charcuterie and cheeses in the traditional spread
- Pulat cliftligi’s cilbir – I haven’t seen it on the menu lately, but I blame Pulat Ciftligi for my love of cilbir, which is poached eggs in a garlicky yogurt, topped with a spicy butter or oil. (Here’s a great cilbir recipe from Ozlem’s Turkish Table.)
- I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Culinary Backstreets as the food tour that I took wtih them kicked off with a memorable Turkish breakfast tucked away next to a tea shop in a han near the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.
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Map of the Best Turkish Breakfasts in Istanbul
How often do they eat a Turkish Breakfast spread (serpme kahvalti)?
This is definitely not an every day thing, but definitely for special occasions and you will find the basic components in most kitchens in Turkey – there will always be olives, white cheese, tomato, cucumber, jam, and eggs on hand. Just pick up fresh bread from your neighborhood bakery and you’re set!
What about waste?
Many of the dishes are served in very small portions and can be refilled if you enjoy them, so that things don’t go to waste. Families will often save the parts that haven’t been eaten and just bring them back out the next day.
Tips to DIY your own Turkish Breakfast
You can visit the neighborhood pazar (farmer’s market) which is usually once a week, ask someone for the correct location and day. You’ll find the cheapest and freshest produce this way, also eggs, cheese, olives, pickles, and more.
Do you have a favorite to add to the list? Let me know in the comments!
