Breakfast in Istanbul

On a hot summer day, the thought of sitting in a cramped kahvalti salonu does not whet the appetite nor does the prospect of paying a hefty hesap to eat breakfast at one of the swanky hotels that line Bosphorus. It sometimes seems that you have to travel to Bursa to eat a reasonably priced breakfast in peaceful surroundings. Thankfully, that is not the case.

In a move that would appall the Padishah (but one we thoroughly approve of), the Istanbul Municipality welcomes the hungry masses into some of the most stunning historic Ottoman-era properties around town for an all-you-can-eat breakfast at rock bottom prices. For 30 TL you can stand in line to gawk at the dusty furniture in Dolmabahce Palace Museum, or for 27.50TL you can lounge around and eat like a king at one of eight park-side imperial residences scattered throughout the city.

Lately, we’ve visited the Hidiv Kasri in Beykoz, the Malta Kosku in Yildiz Park and we intend to check the other six palaces of breakfast off the list in due course. With no less than sixty options of cheese, eggs, jams, honeys, pastries, olives, seasonal fruits and vegetables no one is walking out of here hungry but, truth be told, the quality is about what you’d expect at a mid-range hotel breakfast. No one item on the buffet blew us away but everything was of a good standard, fresh and, of course, plentiful. The service, however, is excellent and the setting is what you are paying for, however little. In our opinion, there is no better way to enjoy the quirky interior design of Ottoman Istanbul than with an overloaded plate of menemen in hand. Some older Istanbullu may footnote this by saying it was better a decade ago when alcohol was served at these places, but the crowd of families at the Malta Kosku on one recent Sunday seemed perfectly content with a bottomless cup of cay.

Breakfast is served between 9:30am and 1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hidiv Kasri, Çubuklu Korusu, Çubuklu Yolu No:32

Beykoz +90216 413 92 53

Malta Kosku Yıldız Parkı  Beşiktaş +90212 258 94 53