Top 3 Places for Crazy Good Gourmet Coffee

Death before decaf!

Winston Churchill

Turkey is a tea and coffee country. In the three years I have been here I have probably drank so much tea that my blood group is now Earl Grey. Cups of Turkish coffee have given me more than a few sleepless nights (and not just because of their fortune-telling abilities, though I am still waiting for the tall, dark stranger to enter my life with good news). However, every so often the coffee snob in me comes to the surface and wants a flat white, a latte, an Americano, etc. and since that coffee snob won’t set foot in a Starbucks he needs to find places in this grand city to get his fix. I have compiled a list of my three favourite coffee places for your delectation, and for each I’ve listed the price of my favourite coffee, a flat white, to give you an idea of price ranges. So, if you’re sitting comfortably, let’s begin.

Kronotrop

Kronotrop, which has moved from Yeni Çarşı to a bigger location in Cihangir, was the first place I found in Istanbul where I could get good, strong, flavourful coffee. Their flat white is like a religious experience and no trip to Taksim was complete without getting one. The only thing Kronotrop lacked was somewhere to sit and enjoy your coffee with friends. The old location was more about the take away coffee whereas the new location has seats and stools so you can order your transcendental coffee and then sit and enjoy it while watching the world go by. They sell a wide range of coffee beans from all over the world and will grind them for you if you don’t have machine to do it yourself or are too weak to crush them with your bare hands.

The staff are very friendly and most of them speak English. Kronotrop is infused with a love and respect for coffee and this comes across in every sip of their drinks.

A flat white at Kronotrop costs 6.5 TL

Kronotrop
Kuloğlu Mah.
Firüzağa Cami Sok. No: 2/B
Cihangir, Istanbul

Cup of Joy

Cup of Joy in Bebek is like a little secret laboratory. Nestled at the end of a pasaj near Lucca it is a small café with seats inside and in the pasaj. Contraptions and gizmos line the walls and the chalk menu offers cold drip and siphon coffee, things that I was completely ignorant of until I visited Cup of Joy. Again the staff are very friendly and were very patient to answer my questions about what pour-overs and single origin and cup of excellence were.

A downside to Cup of Joy is that if you are sitting outside, even though it is in a roofed pasaj, you will be surrounded by people smoking. If you are a smoker then happy days but it can get a bit frustrating for non-smokers.

A latte (which is very flat white-esque) at Cup of Joy costs 7.5 TL

Cup of Joy
Cevdetpasa Cad. No: 53/5
Bebek, Istanbul

Ministry of Coffee

A new kid on the block, Ministry of Coffee, offers great coffee and fantastic food. The interior is spacious and bright with murals and posters on the walls and shelves carrying mini coffee makers from Top Moka that you can buy with your coffee and Ruben sandwich. The smell of rich, strong coffee fills the air and, from the kitchen, the occasional whiff of cooking bacon appears to remind you of home. The owner is Australian so look for vegemite and an Aussie breakfast on the menu.

The staff were all very helpful and attentive, and they were happy to offer recommendations when it came to the Ministry’s extensive dessert selection.

A flat white at Ministry of Coffee costs 8.5 TL.

Ministry of Coffee
Şakayık Sok. No: 4/A
Nişantaşı, Istanbul

Tell me, readers, where do you get your crazy good gourmet coffee?

Sean Fallon is a contributor to Yabangee and blogs at http://theistanbulletin.com/