Specialty coffee in Istanbul.
Istanbul is one of the deepest specialty coffee cities in Turkey: 122 cafés and roasters mapped by the Roasters community, from third-wave espresso bars to neighbourhood roasteries worth crossing town for.
Istanbul in context
Across the Middle East, Istanbul ranks #2 of 54 cities on Roasters and holds 19% of every specialty café listed in the region.
No city in Turkey has more specialty coffee on Roasters than Istanbul. Its 122 cafés are 51% of the national total of 238, 3.7 times the count of Antalya in second place.
That places Istanbul in the top tenth of cities worldwide on Roasters, at #29 of 3,601.
The scene is big enough for themed guides: 8 of them cover Istanbul, from espresso to where to work on a laptop.
Best coffee in Istanbul
Every listing in Istanbul on Roasters was added by someone who drank there, not by an algorithm or an advertiser. That keeps the 122 places on the map focused on coffee quality rather than foot traffic.
Reviews, photos and check-ins from the community decide how cafés in Istanbul surface in the app. No paid placements, no sponsored pins.
- Community reviewed, no paid placements
- Beans for sale to brew at home
- Pour-over and espresso both on the menu
- Roast dates within the last few weeks
Find every specialty café
in Istanbul.
Save the places you want to try, log what you drank, and follow the community’s latest additions. Free on iOS and Android.
About specialty coffee in Istanbul
How big is the specialty coffee scene in Istanbul?
There are 122 cafés and roasters in Istanbul on Roasters, which ranks the city #1 in Turkey and #29 worldwide.
How does Istanbul compare with other cities in Turkey?
Istanbul ranks #1 of 21 cities on Roasters in Turkey. The median city there lists 2 cafés; Istanbul lists 122.
What other cities in the Middle East are comparable to Istanbul for coffee?
Looking only at the number of specialty cafés listed, Dubai (UAE), Tel Aviv (Israel) and Abu Dhabi (UAE) are the nearest peers to Istanbul in the region.
Are there themed coffee guides for Istanbul?
Yes, 8. Roasters publishes themed guides for cities with at least 30 specialty cafés (plus curated surf, cycling and running cities), and Istanbul qualifies.
What makes a café “specialty”?
Traceable, high-grade beans (80+ on the SCA scale), careful roasting and precise brewing. A specialty café can usually tell you the origin, variety and process of every coffee it serves.
How do I find the best specialty coffee in Istanbul?
Download the Roasters app for free on iOS or Android, open the map in Istanbul, filter by open now, nearest or newest, and save favourites to your own lists.
Does the Roasters app cost anything?
The app and the full café map are free. Roasters Pro is an optional upgrade with advanced filters, unlimited lists and other power features.
