The Pierre Loti Café, named after the French novelist, naval officer and Turkophile, is famous for its spectacular views over the Golden Horn. Located in Eyüp, about 6 kilometers from the Galata Bridge in Eminönü, it is not exactly on the typical tourist path. So, if you’re in Istanbul for only a few days, you may want to think twice about going there for a tea. But if you’re not pressed for time, the commanding views are well worth the small ‘detour’.

Pierre Loti Café (Piyer Loti Kahvesi)
Location
Gümüşsuyu Karyağdı Sokak, Eyüp
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Historical Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 581 26 96
Open
Daily from 08:00 till midnight.
Credit cards are NOT accepted.

The Pierre Loti Café Itself

Terrace of the Pierre Loti Café

The Pierre Loti cafe is a rather modest teahouse that offers a variety of non-alcoholic drinks as well as basic snacks. It’s the location and the spectacular views over the Golden Horn that make this place worthwhile. Since the cafe is dedicated to Pierre Loti (see below), the furniture and the waiter’s clothes refer to the end of the 19th century.

How to Get To the Pierre Loti Café?

The cable car to the Pierre Lotti Café.

Any taxi driver will be glad to drive you all the way to the Pierre Loti cafe, but there really is no need for that. On the contrary actually. Just ask the taxi driver to take you to the Eyüp mosque, or alternatively take bus 39, 55T or 99A and get off close to the mosque.

From there you have two options to make your way to the teahouse on the hilltop. You can either climb your way up through the picturesque cemetery or take the funicular which is signposted from the mosque. I suggest taking the last option to reach the Pierre Loti cafe, and afterwards descend by taking the path between the (mostly Ottoman) tombstones.

Pierre Loti in a Nutshell

You may wonder why there is a teahouse in Istanbul in dedicated to a French naval officer and novelist. Well, the legend has it that during his stay in Istanbul in 1876, Pierre Loti gazed from this exact location over the Golden Horn in search of inspiration for his literary masterpiece Aziyadé.

Aziyadé is semi-autobiographical and tells the story of Loti’s illicit love affair with an 18 year old harem girl named Aziyadé. She was his greatest love, proof of which the golden ring holding her name that he wore for the rest of his life.

For more pictures, check out Istanbul Cafe Picture Gallery at Istanbul Trails Photos.

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5.Kat (Beşinci Kat) was Istanbul’s first rooftop cafe, bar and restaurant, hence trendsetter of the genre. Kat is Turkish for floor, and beş means five.
You guessed it correct; this popular venue is located on the fifth floor of a building in the backstreets of Cihangir, offering excellent food and beverages in an elegant setting with breathtaking views of both the Bosphorus and Sultanahmet alike.

5.Kat Cafe Bar Restaurant (Beşinci Kat)
Location
Soğancı Sokak 3, Kat.5, Cihangir – Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 293 37 74
Open
Daily from 10:00 till 02:00. Fri-Sat until 03:00
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

Interior and Location

5.Kat was founded by the famous red-haired actress Yasemin Alkaya, who still keeps a close eye on things and is often spotted on the premises. The easiest way to get to 5.kat is to walk down Sıraselviler Caddesi from Taksim Square. After about 10 minutes you’ll pass the German hospital (Alman Hastanesi), after which you take the first street left. After 50 meters you should spot the 5.Kat angel logo at street level (see picture). Locate the small elevator inside the building and press five.

This excellent bar and restaurant actually consists of two floors: a covered fifth floor with full-length windows on one side, and one up the actual rooftop which is used during summer. Both interiors are strikingly decorated with deep red walls and velvet furnishing as well as plenty of candles. The breathtaking views (see 5.Kat picture gallery) are the same on both floors, but having the sea breeze bring some cool on hot summer nights offers that nice extra touch.

On the Menu

5.Kat rooftop terrace and bar.

Every day 5.Kat starts out as a cozy cafe where you can enjoy brunch or snacks and light drinks. Around the time the sun starts setting, tables are set and candles lit for dinner while the bartender serves aperitifs. Starting 22:00 the DJ, playing anything from Abba to Zappa, cranks up the music and the venue transforms into a bar and nightclub.

Beşinci Kat offers samples of the world’s kitchen with tasteful pasta, meat, chicken and seafood dishes. Prices range from TL 20 to 40. Accompanying drinks range from TL 8 (beers & local spirits) to TL 15 and above for cocktails, imported wines and spirits.

Special Events

5.Kat rooftop terrace.

On Saturday and Sunday you can enjoy a buffet brunch (TL 30) between 11:00 and 15:00 including fresh fruit juices, daily prepared home-made rolls, cookies and pies as well as delicious meals in olive oil.

Every month 5.Kat also organizes some special nights. Among the most popular events are ‘What they eat, drink and listen to’ where famous guests elaborates on his or her habits, and ‘Singles nights’ when no couples are allowed.

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The map below gives an overview of the five main tourist areas in Istanbul:

• the historical part, or south of the Golden Horn
• the modern part, or north of the Golden Horn
• along the Bosphorus
• the Asian shore
• along the Golden Horn

Just click on one of the five colored (red, blue, green, pink and brown) areas to see more details.
The Princes’ Islands are not colored in and can be found south of the green area by moving the map upwards.

View Finding Your Way Around Istanbul as a Tourist in a larger map

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The Golden Horn (Haliç) is an inlet of the Bosphorus with two rivers draining into it at the far end. It is considered to be the world’s largest natural harbor and separates the European shore of Istanbul into two. The best places to observe the Golden Horn’s activity and grace are the Galata Bridge if you want ringside seats, and the Topkapi Palace or Pierre Loti Café if you prefer a bird’s-eye view.

A Chain to Protect the Golden Horn

As a natural and extremely secure harbor, the Golden Horn has played an important role in the development of Istanbul and was often the subject of attacks. With the absence of tides and currents, the Byzantine Empire had its naval headquarters in this 7,5 km long Bosphorus inlet.

To protect the city of Constantinople from naval attacks, two security measures were put into place. The first and predictable measure was the construction of walls along the shoreline. The second security measure however, consisted of pulling a huge iron chain from Constantinople to the old Galata Tower, hence preventing unwelcomed ships from entering the Golden Horn.

Only on three occasions, the chain across the Horn was either broken or circumvented:

• in the 10th century, the Kievan Rus’ dragged their ships out of the Bosporus, carried them around Galata and again launched them in the Golden Horn.
• in 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, Venetian ships were able to break the chain with a ram.
• in 1453, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II also used the circumventing tactic by towing his ships across Galata by using greased logs since previous attempts to break the chain had failed.

The Golden Horn Today

From the 7th century BC onwards the banks of the Golden Horn have attracted settlers, enabling Constantinople to become a rich and powerful port. After the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453, there was an even bigger influx of Greek, Jew and Italian merchants as well as other non-Muslims.

For hundreds of years the city’s trade was conducted by ships that off-loaded their goods in warehouses lining the Golden Horn. Together with the warehouses, more and more nearby factories started to rise. Unfortunately, this industrial activity also heavily polluted the water of the Golden Horn.

Nowadays however, the (container) ships use the port on the Sea of Marmara and the pollution has been addressed. In recent years, over four thousand buildings on the shores of the Golden Horn have been demolished, the businesses moved to new centers outside the city, the shores turned into parks and gardens, and wastewater treated.

Both shores of the Golden Horn are connected by no less then four bridges. The most famous one is undoubtedly the Galata Bridge, which connects Eminönü with Galata. This bridge, with its lower deck of restaurants and bars, replaced the much-loved earlier pontoon bridge. This original Galata Bridge was reconstructed south of the Rahmi Koç Museum. In between these two bridges you’ll find the Atatürk Bridge. The fourth bridge – Fatih – is located deeper in the Golden Horn. A new pedestrian bridge, based on drawing created by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502, will soon be finished.

Why is it Called the Golden Horn?

There are two legends that explain the adjective ‘golden’. According to the first legend, the Byzantines threw so many valuables into it during the Ottoman Conquest that the waters glistened with gold.
The second and more plausible story says that name is given because of the gold light that seemingly comes out of the river when the sun goes down. A view you can’t afford to miss!

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A month ago, Midpoint Café & Restaurant opened up its eighth branch. In Taksim of all places, the heart of the modern part of Istanbul. And not just somewhere in Taksim! It’s located right in the middle of the busy Istiklal Caddesi shopping street.

Midpoint (Midpoint)
Location
Tom Tom Mah., İstiklal Caddesi 187, Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 245 70 40 – 41
Open
Daily till past midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

Two Seasons, Two Views

The café and restaurant is designed to please you no matter the season. For the colder days they have a spacious covered area consisting of a nice mix of wood and glass, with giant windows facing İstiklal Caddesi from where you can watch the Istanbul people mix stroll by. Noteworthy is the fact that if the weather permits, these windows can be opened completely.
From spring to winter however, there is the roof terrace. Not a high-rise one, but still enough to provide you with a nice glimpse of Kadıköy on the Asian side, Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, and the entrance to the Golden Horn.

I was lucky. Not only did the mild November weather allow me to sit outside, arriving at 18:00 without reservation proved to be just in time. By 18:30 there was not a single table left on their rather big terrace. Sure, they could have stuffed some more tables on it, but apparently the people at Midpoint understood that sitting like sardines in a can is not good practice. No matter how comfortable the chairs are. Bottom line: since you’re most likely to arrive a bit after six in the evening, make reservations.

Excellent Food and Service

With the sun setting, the candles being lit and nice background music putting me in the right mood, I ordered the Chicken Quesadella (TL 13,5). A very tasty tortilla filled with a sautéed hot pepper mix, chicken pieces, yellow cheese and served with French fries, Mediterranean greens and a salsa sauce.
A tough but excellent choice out of their very varied menu with starters (TL 12-15), salads (TL 13-17,5), sandwiches , burgers, quesadillas, wraps (tortilla) and burgers (TL 12-15), pastas (TL 12,5-15,5), 12 chicken dishes (TL 16-17) and over 15 meat dishes (TL 19-21). I wouldn’t recommend the place if you’re a fish connoisseur, with only 5 fish plates on the menu, each TL 20.
During the weekdays and until noon you can have a breakfast plate for TL 17,5 but in the weekend you have two hours extra to order. Drinks are all reasonable priced between TL 8-9.

Exactly Midpoint

You can’t pick a better location to open up a café or restaurant called Midpoint. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find the place. Coming form Taksim Square, you walk down towards Tünel and pass Çiçek Pasajı, Balık Pasajı, Galatasaray Lisesi until you reach Oda Kule on your right. You can’t miss really; it’s one of the oldest and now ugliest ‘high-rise’ office buildings in Istanbul, with a small shopping arcade underneath it.
Right across from it, on your left, you’ll see yet another shopping arcade – İstiklal Caddesi has plenty of them – and the entrance to Midpoint right next to it. Enter the building and take the stairs (no elevator!) to the first floor.

If the small flight of stairs didn’t make you breathless, the stylish room will. From the outside you would never give it a worthy look, but they really outdid themselves in renovating this previously shaggy ‘beer garden’.

In the future I think we’ll see people meet more and more in Midpoint instead of standing in front of the Galatasaray Lisesi gates.

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Leb-i Derya is one of the first rooftop bars and restaurants – 5. Kat was the pioneer – and still ranks among my favorite establishments in Istanbul. It’s simply hard to beat its marvelous views over Istanbul.
In 2007 they opened up their second branch on the sixth floor of the Richmond hotel, but I’ll stick to the original one here.

Leb-i Derya (Leb-i Derya)
Location
Kumbaracı Yokuşu 57/6, Tünel – Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 293 49 89
Open
Daily till past midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

The Challenge

Finding Leb-i Derya may proof a bit difficult, since it’s located in a tiny side street of the famous Istiklal Caddesi. Coming from Taksim square, walk almost 75% of Istiklal Caddesi towards Tünel and try to locate a small side street on your left called Kumbaracı Yokuşu.

Once you find the street, walk down the (fairly steep) slope for about 150 meters and look for Leb-i Derya’s logo (see picture) on one of the house at your right. Enter the building and climb the stairs to the first floor, after which you’ll take the elevator to the sixth floor. From there you take one more flight of stairs.

The Reward

Is it worth all the trouble? Without a doubt! The mix of wood, glass, soft lighting, nice background music and friendly staff makes it one of the most fabulous establishments in the district. Fabulous, not in the least because of the views it has to offer.

Therefore, try to get a seat on the small terrace to enjoy the full flavor, preferably around dusk. There’s nothing that can beat sipping from your favorite aperitif while gazing at the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, the nicely lit monuments of Sultanahmet or all the way to Kadıköy on the Asian side.

Leb-i Derya may not offer the cheapest drinks in the city, but is certainly one of the most stylish ways to have them. And keep in mind before ordering another one, there is still that slope on the way back.

From what I heard, Leb-i Derya also has an excellent kitchen, but I unfortunately can’t vouch for that.

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