The Best Turkish Delight in Istanbul: 10 Dreamy Lokum Shops
Hafız Mustafa sets the gold standard for lokum in Istanbul, and Hacı Bekir has made it since 1777. Compare 10 Turkish delight shops and what to order.
The shops selling the best Turkish delight in Istanbul measure their history in generations, and a few of them in centuries. Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir has made lokum since 1777 and still sells it from its original shop in Eminönü. Hafız Mustafa, founded in 1864, is the gold standard: beet sugar in place of glucose, fruit extracts in place of artificial color.
Real lokum surprises people. It was once sold as a “throat comfort,” it has a proper chew, and it is noticeably less sweet than the versions sold in Western markets. It even reached high literature: Turkish delight appears in C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and the lion Aslan takes his name from the Turkish word for lion. Sweets are only one corner of the city’s eating, of course; for the full picture, start with our guide to the best food in Istanbul.
Some of these shops are family businesses that have made authentic Turkish delight for more than 100 years. Some sit near the big tourist attractions, and others offer free tastings on site.
| Shop | Area | What to order | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir | Eminönü (original 1777 shop) | Classic lokum, plus chocolates from the glass case | Mid-range treat |
| Hafız Mustafa | - | Lokum made with beet sugar and fruit-extract colors | Mid-range treat |
| Şekerci Cafer Erol | Kadıköy (since 1945) | Lokum in any color, with Turkish coffee upstairs | Mid-range treat |
| Hicipoğlu Şekerleme | - | Helva, the sweet that won over a sultan, plus lokum | Mid-range treat |
| Koska | İstiklal Street and Karaköy | Boxed lokum and halva to pack in a suitcase | Cheap eat |
| Altan Şekerleme | On a narrow cobbled street | Orange, fig, or cinnamon raisin lokum | Mid-range treat |
| Cemilzade 1883 | - | Gift boxes; chocolates filled with Turkish delight | Mid-range treat |
| Meşhur Safranbolu Lokumcusu | Bostancı (second branch) | Lokum boxes as gifts; same-day delivery offered | Mid-range treat |
| Malatya Pazarı | Spice Market | Cevizli sucuk, candied chestnuts, and lokum | Mid-range treat |
| Divan Pastanesi | Several branches in Istanbul | Any of its five Turkish delight varieties | Mid-range treat |
The Best Turkish Delight Shops in Istanbul
1. Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir
This confectionery opened in 1777, which makes it the oldest producer of Turkish delight and possibly the oldest business in Turkey. Five generations later, the recipes still live in the original shop in Eminönü. The historic building has kept its old features, and the lokum is cut and stacked so neatly that the trays read like a chessboard.
The staff are warm and unhurried with everyone who walks in. Chocolates rest behind glass like museum pieces. Take a seat if you have the time; the room is half the experience.
2. Hafız Mustafa
This is the gold standard of Turkish delight. Founded in 1864 by Hacı İsmail Hakkı Bey and named after his son, the firm collected a run of gold medals at European confectionery competitions between the 1920s and 1930s.
You can grab a boxed gift and go. The better move is to find a table and work through the menu. The world around the shop has changed many times since 1864; the ingredient standards have not.
The house refuses the glucose trend and sweetens with sugar beets. Color comes from natural fruit extracts rather than the additives linked to hyperactivity in some people. If you want the treat without the gunk, this is the address.
3. Şekerci Cafer Erol
Turkish coffee is meant to be sipped slowly, and this shop runs on the same clock. Whether you grab a box to go or take a table upstairs to pair dessert with coffee, give yourself time to decide. This is a rare spot that stocks everything sweet, and we mean everything.
There is warm salep. There are the traditional Turkish desserts you have read about, plus French-style cakes. The shop carries something in every color too; if you only ate purple food, you would still leave with a full bag, Turkish delight included.
The family traces its sweet-making roots to an 1807 shop in Eminönü. Cafer Erol relaunched the business in 1935, and the Kadıköy shop has been its home since 1945. The owners love to decorate and go all in on festivals. If you are in Istanbul during the festive season, skipping this shop would be like skipping the Blue Mosque.
4. Hicipoğlu Şekerleme
Ask the fourth-generation owner to tell you the family history. Nearly three centuries ago, Mustafa Efendi packed a saddlebag in his small village in İnebolu and set out for Istanbul. His helva impressed Sultan Mahmut I so much that the sultan asked to meet the man who had created a “festival in his mouth.” Every generation since has kept making the same colorful sweets.
The shop describes itself as a museum, and it is likely one of the oldest confectionery shops in the city. Nothing about it feels dusty, though. The owner, Mr. Cemal, may be getting older, and his enthusiasm is still contagious.
5. Koska
Ask around for “Koska” and you may be pointed to the colorful shops on İstiklal Street or in Karaköy. Koska is one of the biggest Turkish delight producers in the world. You will find its products in Turkish supermarkets and on shelves far beyond Turkey.
The little boxes carry paintings of the Ottoman Empire and of Istanbul itself, which makes them easy gifts. Beyond lokum, the brand turns out halva, marzipan, jams, honey, molasses, and hazelnut butter with cocoa. When you need a dozen boxes for everyone back home, this is the practical answer.
6. Altan Şekerleme
This shop sits on a narrow, cobbled street and houses rows and rows of colorful sweets, stacked the way candy shops looked a century ago. You may wonder whether the place actually exists before you step inside.
The flavors stretch well past the classics: orange, fig, even cinnamon raisin. Everything is made with ingredients your grandmother would recognize, and there are no artificial colors or flavors anywhere in the shop.
7. Cemilzade 1883
Hard to miss thanks to its neon green signs, Cemilzade packs its sweets in some of the prettiest boxes in the city. Candies come in see-through boxes topped with little golden cone hats. The square gift boxes wear sheer, almost translucent gold bows, with red or blue versions if you prefer. Some sweets rest on plates watched over by a cherub; others sit under Turkish evil eye charms.
The cases hold see-through sweets, rock candies, jams like almond-fig, chocolates including ones filled with Turkish delight, and a soft “ezme.” All of it plays a supporting role to the lokum itself. If you want one box that does the talking for you back home, buy it here.
8. Meşhur Safranbolu Lokumcusu
The elegant design of this shop may leave you feeling like a sultan, and the lokum inside can ruin every other version for you. The family has made it since 1977, the business is now in the hands of the second generation, and a second branch opened in Bostancı in 2000.
This one is a local favorite that sits a little off the usual tourist paths. The shop offers same-day delivery if you order before its cutoff time, and the boxes make some of the best gifts on this list. Check whether your hotel can accept a delivery on your behalf before you order.
9. Malatya Pazarı
If you visit the Spice Market, stop at this stall. Lamps hang from the ceiling, and the shelves under them hold one of the few authentic selections in the market that does not exist purely for tourists. For more places like it, our guide to Istanbul’s markets and bazaars covers 20 of them.
The brand dates to the 1800s and is best known as a kuru yemiş producer, the “dry goods” trade of nuts and dried fruit. Do not let that distract you from the Turkish delight. There are rows of colorful cevizli sucuk (walnut sausage), candied chestnuts, helvas, and a long parade of local desserts. Less keen on local treats? The stall also carries French croquants, honey, molasses, nut and seed butters, chocolate spreads, saffron, spices, and olive oils.
The pişmaniye on display tempts almost everyone who slows down. You may be pişman, regretful, if you walk past.
10. Divan Pastanesi
Divan opened more than sixty years ago and has watched the Republic of Turkey change around it. The company pairs expert hands with modern machinery in a 15,000-square-meter production facility, and the attention to quality, taste, and hygiene has stayed put. Among the many desserts it produces, five are Turkish delight varieties.
The name is now trusted enough that Divan runs several branches across Istanbul and exports to Europe, the USA, and the Middle East. Each generation adds its own creations to the catalog, and each bite still lands as a small piece of happiness.
Final words
Istanbul is a city of many cultures and cuisines, so it is no surprise that Turkish delight this good is spread across so many shops. Pick two or three from this list and compare; every house has its own texture and perfume. If your sweet tooth wants more, our list of the best baklava in Istanbul and our complete guide to Turkish cuisine are the natural next stops.
And if you would rather eat your way through the city with a local leading, join one of our Istanbul food tours. We have run them since 2013, in small groups capped at 10 guests.
