Editor Pick
Seyran 1971 (coffee shop)
- May 23, 2004
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Jim Rosenberg from Wausau, Wisconsin
Seyran is a small, Turkish franchise that has 10 locations scattered around Istanbul. Located on the inbound side of a main drag and at the entrance to a busy market street for foot traffic, the place has more comings and goings than a beehive. The street out front is jammed with buses, taxis and brave souls in their own vehicles, deftly navigating their way into the central business district for hours each morning in a continuous river of metal that moved in fits and starts. Parking is prohibited in front of Seyran because the city can ill afford to give up a lane of traffic. A uniformed woman spends several hours each morning working a half block stretch writing tickets as Seyran’s regular patrons make quick stops.
Inside, smartly uniformed employees take care of what is mostly a carryout business. This place is baklava heaven, with trays of the stuff displayed along the glass storefront, along with ornately prepared cakes and desserts. A big part of the morning trade is preparing lunches that well-dressed workers grab on their way to the office. (Casual days don’t seem to have caught on in Istanbul yet.) It is possible to observe everything going on from a comfortable perch in the mezzanine and each morning. I take the same corner table and have a cup or two of coffee and a simit (pronounced like "sea-meat", it’s something that vaguely resembles a bagel and they are sold everywhere in Istanbul, from street vendors on up.) The mezzanine is a haven from the bustle and I find that I seem to fit in even better later in the mornings, when I return with my daughter. (By the looks of it, this seems like a very typical thing to do for many middle-aged businessmen, only the younger ladies that accompany them don’t seem to be their daughters; they just look like they could be.)
Coffee in Turkey is different than coffee in Western Europe. If you simply order coffee, you will probably get Nescafe and it is actually a lot better than it sounds. At Seyran, I order mine with frothy, steamed milk. On top of the mousse are a few granules of Nescafe to dress it up a little. It’s smooth and decent.
From journal Istanbul: exotic and friendly -- a bargain, too!