Turkish breakfast

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We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s even more important during the fasting month of Ramazan, when it nourishes people for up to 12 and a half hours of going without, before they can eat or drink again. I recently had the privelege of being hosted for a lavish Turkish breakfast at Ethem Efendi Kahvaltı, who specialise in, you guessed it, Turkish breakfasts. They have four locations and I went to the one on Bagdat Caddesi on the Asian side of Istanbul in Göztepe, my local hood.

The word breakfast in Turkish is kahvaltı. It’s actually made up of two words – kahve, coffee, and altı which means under or before. The idea is you eat something before you drink a coffee * because it’s considered too strong a drink to have on an empty stomach (not that I have difficulty with this. Coffee is my any time staple).

A traditional Turkish breakfast consists of numerous small plates typically filled with a wide variety of items including cheese, tomatoes, butter, sweet and savoury spreads and eggs, served with endless glasses of Turkish tea. What I particularly liked about the Turkish breakfast at Ethem Efendi Kahvaltı is how they showcase Turkey’s rich agricultural bounty.

Turkish breakfast at Ethem Efendi Kahvaltı

Their Turkish breakfast features food from seven different regions, and includes olives from their own groves in Bursa, and homemade jams such as sut reçeli, a slightly sweet but not too sweet mix of jam and milk. Their range of bread products includes bazlama, gözleme and börek, and they bring them to the table in a box for you to choose from, rather than placing everything on the table, possibly leading to excess and unnecessary waste. The same goes for the honey (I LOVE honey!), tahin (sesame paste) and jam selections.

Ethem Efendi Kahvaltı opened their first branch in Erenköy (also on the Asian side of Istanbul), nine years ago. It’s the brain child of Dilek Victoria Ciftçi.

She started with a café in a hotel on Istiklal Caddesi, on the European Side of Istanbul and wanted to wanted to promote the idea of sofra, Turkish food culture where families sit around the breakfast table and share their problems, laugh together, love each other and just enjoy life. Dilek believes Turkish breakfast should be a time for talking, not a time for looking at your phone next to other people also looking at their phones.

The spacious setting of the Bagdat Caddesi branch in Göztepe definitely allows for that. It’s located in what was the family home of Piraye Hikmet, the ex-wife of Turkey’s eminent writer and poet Nazim Hikmet Ran. Adding to the interest is the fact it was designed by one of the architect’s behind Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara.

In case you don’t already know, he founded the modern Turkish Republic . The rooms are filled with a very eclectic selection of modern art works, some that came with the villa and others curated by Dilek herself.

They’re very busy on weekends and don’t take reservations but in general the wait time is around 15 minutes. An added bonus in the Göztepe Ethem Efendi Kahvaltı location is that they separate the outdoor tables into smoking and non-smoking. This is rare in the hospitality industry in Turkey and I’d like to see it happen more often.

‘So, if you’re planning a trip to Istanbul and Turkish breakfast’s on your mind, I highly recommend Ethem Efendi Kahvaltı  . You’ll get to try some of the country’s best produce in a wonderful setting, alongside Turkish families rather than experiencing it only with tourists.

Before you go, check out my tips to help you plan the best trip possible to Turkey

Just as important as buying your plane ticket is checking whether you need an EVISA to enter Turkey. Here’s my post on everything to know before you take off, including how to buy one from the government website so you don’t pay extra. Once you land, you’ll need to head to your hotel. I’m a big advocate of public transport, but know it’s not suitable for everyone all the time. When I need to be picked up from or get to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I use MELON TAXI AIRPORT TRANSFERS.

Naturally you’ll want to stay connected and eSIM are the way to go, wherever you travel. I recommend Truely, an eSIM provider working with local telcos unlike many others that stop working a few days after you arrive in Turkey or can’t be reloaded once you’re here. Truely eSIM are straightforward to install and activate with a Whatsapp customer service available 24/7.

Use my code: insideoutinistanbul and get 5% off when you order through the Truely website.

Even if I never claim on it, I always take out TRAVEL INSURANCE. I recommend Visitors Coverage. If you’re travelling alone, check out this post on useful solo travel tips Turkey for women (and men).

Now that all the serious stuff is out of the way, it’s time to have fun on CITY TOURS & DAY TRIPS. Let me guide you around Kadikoy with my audio walking tour Stepping back through Chalcedon or venture further afield with my guidebook Istanbul 50 Unsung Places. I know you’ll love visiting the lesser-known sites I’ve included. It’s based on using public transport as much as possible so you won’t be adding too much to your carbon footprint.

Browse the GetYourGuide website or Viator to find dozens of ways to experience Istanbul and Turkey with food tours, visits to the old city and evening Bosphorus cruises. If you prefer a more personal touch, I also offer bespoke author walks.

Then, back home, read about what you’ve seen and experienced in my three essay collections and memoir about moving to Istanbul permanently.

However you travel, stay safe and have fun! Iyi yolculuklar.