Cafeography
Nitelikli kahve · Istanbul

Specialty coffee cafés in Istanbul

Roasters and espresso bars from Karaköy's back streets to Moda Caddesi and Balat.

Photo: Yasin Onuş, Pexels License

Nitelikli kahve, literally "quality coffee", is the Turkish name for specialty coffee: lighter roasts, single origins, espresso and hand-brewed filter. The scene is young. In June 2014 Sprudge called Kronotrop, opened in 2012, one of the first specialty coffee bars and roasteries in Turkey, and a barista there counted about seven noteworthy coffee bars in the city in the two years since.1

Roasters now work on both shores. Karaköy, Beşiktaş and Moda on the Asian side have the most of them, with a few each in Beyoğlu, Balat, Yeldeğirmeni and Üsküdar. Every one of them with posted hours is open by 10:00, and closing times range from 19:00 in Balat to 02:00 in Karaköy.

Local tip: Coffee Sapiens and LOL Coffee Roasters are at Nos. 10/C and 8 on the same Karaköy street, so you can compare a V60 at one with an espresso at the other.4

Where these cafés are: Karaköy (5), Moda (4), Beşiktaş (4), Balat & Fener (3), Beyoğlu, İstiklal & Taksim (3), Yeldeğirmeni (3), Üsküdar (3), Kadıköy Çarşı & Bahariye (2), Fatih & Grand Bazaar (2), Nişantaşı (2), Cihangir & Çukurcuma (1), Galata & Şişhane (1), Şişli & Mecidiyeköy (1), Acıbadem & Koşuyolu (1), Sultanahmet (1), Levent & Etiler (1).

At a glance

37Cafés listed
13With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Kronotrop Cihangir, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–23:00).
  • Closes latest: LOL Coffee Roasters, until 02:00 (Daily 08:00–02:00).
  • Most common features: open late (22%), outdoor seating (14%), wi-fi (11%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Istanbul.

The roasters of the 2010s

Petra Roasting Co. was founded by Kaan Bergsen in Gayrettepe, in the Selenium residence just off Barbaros Bulvarı, with a 12-kilo Probat for production and a 1-kilo machine for sample roasts.2 Bergsen placed fourth at the 2014 World Coffee Roasting Championship in Rimini, and he told Sprudge in 2015 that the company's focus was roasting rather than running cafés.2

Two more names date from 2014. Old Java Coffee Roasters has worked from Galata's steep lanes since then and buys directly from farms, and Montag, named after the German word for Monday, opened in Kadıköy the same year and set up its own roastery in 2016.3 Kronotrop's founder, Çağatay Gülabioğlu, is described as Turkey's first Q Grader.3

Old Java's café is at 8 Tatar Bey Sokak in Galata, with Wi-Fi and Sunday hours that end at 18:00.3 Up the Golden Horn in Balat, Arc Co Coffee Roastery roasts and serves on Yarım Balat Sokağı, a daytime stop that closes at 19:00.

Kılıç Ali Paşa Mescidi Sokağı and Karaköy

Karaköy's best-known coffee street is Kılıç Ali Paşa Mescidi Sokağı. LOL Coffee Roasters, at No. 8, serves every day from 08:00 to 02:00. Coffee Sapiens, at No. 10/C, is known for V60, Chemex and other filter brews and for a quiet room.4

A few streets away, Paper Ship Coffee & Roasters on Odun Meydanı Sokağı opens 10:00–22:00 with tables outside. Karabatak, at 7 Karaali Kaptan Sokak, is a third-wave café built around espresso drinks, and Parsa Coffee Roasters, on Hoca Tahsin Sokak, pours espresso and filter from its own selection of beans.4 Karabatak opens at 08:30 on weekdays and 09:30 at weekends, and closes at 22:30.

Moda and the Asian shore

In Moda, Kronotrop has a branch on Moda Caddesi, and Ben Coffee Roasters is on Bademaltı Sokak. Rafine Espresso Bar, Urban Roastery and Doz Roastery fill out the peninsula, and Doz serves until 22:00 every day.

In the Kadıköy market quarter, Montag Coffee & Roasters is up a narrow staircase at 16 Muvakkıthane Caddesi and pours daily 10:00–22:00.3 In Yeldeğirmeni, Story Coffee & Roastery on Halitağa Caddesi concentrates on filter and cold coffee.5

What a coffee costs in Istanbul

Prices follow the neighborhood. In September 2025, Ekonomi Gazetesi found an Americano at independent cafés for 100 TL in Esenler, 150 TL in Beşiktaş, 165 TL in Nişantaşı and from 225 TL at Grön Coffee in Caddebostan; at Starbucks a small Americano was 115 TL and a small latte 134 TL.6

Turkish coffee is not the cheap option it once was. In the same survey a cup ranged from 80 TL in Esenler to 170 TL in Caddebostan, and averaged about 160 TL in Moda.6

Sources

  1. Kronotrop: A Modern Coffee Bar In Ever-Changing Istanbul (June 17, 2014), Sprudge, accessed October 2026
  2. Petra Coffee Rides The Global Coffee Wave In Istanbul (January 8, 2015), Sprudge, accessed October 2026
  3. Best Specialty Coffee Shops in Istanbul (updated August 17, 2025), The Way to Coffee, accessed October 2026
  4. Karaköy'de Kahve İçebileceğiniz En Güzel 12 Mekan (June 11, 2026), Yemek.com, accessed October 2026
  5. Kadıköy'ün En İyi Yeni Nesil Kahvecileri (September 16, 2026), Yemek.com, accessed October 2026
  6. Kahvenin fiyatını kalitesi değil semti belirliyor (September 5, 2025), Ekonomi Gazetesi, accessed October 2026
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By area: Balat & Fener Sultanahmet Karaköy Galata & Şişhane Cihangir & Çukurcuma Beyoğlu, İstiklal & Taksim Moda Kadıköy Çarşı & Bahariye

FAQ

Specialty coffee in Istanbul: questions

Where can you find specialty coffee in Karaköy, Istanbul?

On Kılıç Ali Paşa Mescidi Sokağı, LOL Coffee Roasters at No. 8 serves daily 08:00–02:00, and Coffee Sapiens at No. 10/C is known for V60 and Chemex. Paper Ship Coffee & Roasters on Odun Meydanı Sokağı opens 10:00–22:00 with outdoor tables, and Karabatak on Karaali Kaptan Sokak is built around espresso drinks.

How much does a coffee cost at an independent café in Istanbul?

In September 2025 an Americano at independent cafés cost 100 TL in Esenler, 150 TL in Beşiktaş, 165 TL in Nişantaşı and from 225 TL in Caddebostan. A small Starbucks Americano was 115 TL. Turkish coffee ranged from 80 TL to 170 TL, with Moda averaging about 160 TL.

Which are the oldest specialty coffee roasters in Istanbul?

Kronotrop opened in 2012 and is regarded as one of Turkey's first specialty coffee bars and roasteries. Petra Roasting Co., founded by Kaan Bergsen in Gayrettepe, roasts on a 12-kilo Probat. Old Java Coffee Roasters in Galata and Montag in Kadıköy both date from 2014, and Montag has roasted its own beans since 2016.

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