Turkish çay: thirst solution

Thursday, July 24, 2008

For ages the best remedy against thirst has been tea. Luckily, Turkish çay can be found anywhere, anytime in Istanbul, but it is still a challenge to find a nice çay spot

Sophie ten Bokkel Huinink
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

It is summer. It is hot and people are thirsty. But the question is where one can go and what can one drink if one has had enough of Efes beer and sweet cocktails. For ages the best remedy against thirst has been tea. Luckily, Turkish çay can be found anywhere, anytime in Istanbul, but it is still a challenge to find a nice çay spot. The Turkish Daily News has compiled some suggestions for the best teahouses and tea gardens in different districts in the city, places where one can take a book, lie back and enjoy a Turkish çay, or alternatively some apple or fresh mint tea.

Cihangir: fairytale

To get to this fairy tale tea garden one walks to the end of steep street Akyol Sokak in Cihangir, walks north, and then turns at the second left and walks to the end of the street. Ivy and flowers protect tea drinkers from the sun and this charming terrace is a wonderful place to sit down and relax. There is no menu, but çay, coffee, soft drinks and toast are offered. This small and nothing-fancy tea garden is a perfect getaway to read a book and enjoy the view over Tophane and the Bosporus.

Dolmabahçe Çay Bahçesi: in between

Located between Dolmabahçe Palace and Dolmabahçe Mosque, this tea garden has soft drinks, toast, durum and sahlep. It is open between 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. and is a good place to sit down after visiting the palace. Right on the shores of the Bosporus, with the palace on one side and the mosque on the other, this çay bahçesi emanates a calm atmosphere. The prices are a bit high and the wait staff can be none too friendly but the location makes it worth it nonetheless.

Nistantasi � Dream away

Overlooking Taksim and Beşiktaş stadium on the left, this tea garden is centrally located. Families lie on the grass, dogs walk around and businesspeople take their cigarette breaks. In the distance one can see other cafes with colorful pillows spread on the floor. As it is on top of the hill, this tea garden also offers a nice breeze, along with a different view of Istanbul and a good Turkish çay.

Emirgan Çınarlı Kafe: famous seaside

Next to the Sabancı Museum in Emirgan in the Sarriyer district one finds the lovely Çınarlı Kafe. Emirgan is famous for its seaside cafes and the large city park on the slopes behind it. This tea garden is generally packed with people enjoying some ice cream and the view. The atmosphere is good and so are the menu and the service. The seaside mansion on the shore and the pavilions inside the park serve as cafes and their Ottoman architecture makes the atmosphere complete.

Besiktas: overlooking the Bosporus

Right on the shore of the Bosporus, close to Beşiktaş Uskudar pier, there is a terrace where one can sit on little wooden stools while enjoying the people and boats passing by. Customers are invited to drink çay and play backgammon while waiting for the ferry to cross to the Asian side.

Pierre Loti Cafe: standing strong

This cafe, named after a famous French novelist, is a great place from which to view the Golden Horn.

Pierre Loti lived from 1850 to 1923 and when he resided in Istanbul one of his most frequent haunts was this cafe. Departing from the neighborhood of Eyup, one can reach this cafe by walking uphill on a footpath through a cemetery. Another option is to use the cable car. The cafe consists of a stone terrace decorated in traditional Turkish motifs. One can relax and sit facing the Golden Horn and the hills of Eyup. There is a garden shaded with trees and a breeze even in the summer. Tourists, locals and crews from TV series are all customers of this popular establishment, which may explain why after many years this historical place is still standing strong.

It is difficult to imagine breakfast, business meetings, social gatherings and even a ferry ride in Turkey without the presence of tea. Tea servers are everywhere at anytime -- in shops, parking lots, little cafes and even in the streets. Tea is a feature of Turkey and it is for this reason that the Turks have one of the highest rates of tea consumption per year.

Teahouses welcome the young and old, as well as many foreigners. Tea gardens gained popularity in the 1950s, especially in Istanbul. Families went to the gardens for their weekly outing. Today, even though the concept might have changed, Turkish tea gardens are still a nice getaway and the places are full of life: students playing backgammon, children running around and elderly people reading the newspaper.

Drinking tea in a garden or having typically Turkish tea in a cafe is an experience one cannot and should not miss in Istanbul. These places are among the essential pleasures of the city. A folk saying from Sivas in Turkey says, �Conversations without tea are like a night sky without the moon.� Visitors and locals alike should take the opportunity this summer to sip tea and cool down while looking at a Bosporus or city view. Inform