Best Desserts in Istanbul: 12 Dessert Shops Beyond Baklava
Twelve dessert shops in Istanbul: lokum at Hacı Bekir since 1777, milk puddings on Istiklal Street, Baylan's Kup Griye, helva, and chocolate jars in Moda.
The oldest shop on this list opened in 1777 and still sets the standard for lokum. The newest is a pastry counter in Moda where the line runs all day for chocolate desserts served in jars. Between those two sit milk-pudding houses, helva makers, French-style patisseries, and Ottoman candy shops, on both sides of the Bosphorus. These are the 12 dessert shops in Istanbul we keep coming back to.
Each of these shops earns its place for a different dessert, so ranking them against each other misses the point. If you are building a longer eating list for your trip, start with our full guide to the best food in Istanbul.
One note before the list: baklava is missing on purpose. It deserves its own ranking, and it has one: Best Baklava in Istanbul: Top 10 Baklava Shops.
The 12 dessert shops at a glance
| Shop | Area | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir | Bahçekapı (Eminönü) | Lokum; also halva, jams, hard candies |
| Saray Muhallebicisi | Istiklal Street | Aşure, sütlaç, keşkül, fig pudding |
| J’adore Chocolatier | Beyoğlu back streets | ”Oh là là Beatrice” cake, chocolates |
| Çiğdem Pastanesi | Sultanahmet | Ponçik, tartlets, cakes |
| Divan Brasserie | Beyoğlu | Mastic rice pudding, Crêpes Suzette |
| Baylan | Kadıköy | Kup Griye |
| Şekerci Cafer Erol | Kadıköy | Ottoman candies, lokum, almond paste, ice cream |
| Savoy Patisserie | Cihangir | Puddings, millefeuille, handmade wafers |
| Helvacı Ali 1900 | Heaven Mud, tahini and semolina helva | |
| Bolulu Hasan Usta | Eminönü (chain) | Tavuk göğsü, rose water and mastic puddings |
| Altan Şekerleme | Eminönü backstreets | Lokum, halva, akide şekeri |
| Asuman | Moda (Kadıköy) | Chocolate desserts in jars, the house creations |
1. Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir
Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir is one of the most famous candy shops in Istanbul. First established in 1777 during the Ottoman Empire, it has been a benchmark for Turkish sweets ever since. The shelves hold hard candies, halva, and jams, but the product the shop is known for is lokum, or Turkish delight, and the lokum here is as good as it gets in this city.
The Bahçekapı branch has been declared a living museum by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. If lokum is the main thing you came for, our guide to the best Turkish delight in Istanbul goes deeper.
Note: this is a confectionery counter with nowhere to sit. Buy a box and keep walking.
2. Saray Muhallebicisi
Saray Muhallebicisi has stood on Istiklal Street since 1949. “Muhallebici” means pudding maker in Turkish, and the name is accurate: the house specialties are milk-based Turkish desserts such as incirli muhallebi (fig pudding), tavukgöğsü (a milky dessert made with chicken), sütlaç (rice pudding), and keşkül (almond pudding).
A special mention goes to aşure, an ancient Turkish dessert that tastes as good as it looks. Saray makes one of the best versions of it in Istanbul. The Turkish coffee and tea here are also worth your time.
3. J’adore Chocolatier
J’adore Chocolatier sits on one of the back streets of Beyoğlu, and it is the place on this list for anyone who wants a break from traditional Turkish desserts. It is a small vintage chocolate shop with French background music, good seasonal cakes, and a serious assortment of chocolates.
The “Oh là là Beatrice” cake is the most popular order: warm chocolate poured over a delicate cake with bananas and strawberries.
4. Çiğdem Pastanesi Sultanahmet
Çiğdem Pastanesi sits on the main street of touristy Sultanahmet, yet locals shop here as readily as visitors do. The welcome has a history: founder Halil Ündar opened in 1961 and made a point of hiring only staff who would greet guests with a smile every day.
The cakes are reliable, and so are the ponçik and tartlets. Çiğdem also sells breakfast sandwiches and bakery products, which makes it a practical stop before a morning of sightseeing.
5. Divan Brasserie Beyoğlu
Divan Brasserie is the one full restaurant on this list. You can eat Italian and Turkish food on a relaxed terrace with sweeping views, and the cocktails hold their own, but the dessert counter is the reason it is here.
The patisserie selection runs from a Turkish classic, mastic gum flavored rice pudding, to Cointreau-infused Crêpes Suzette. Everything comes decorated with colorful glazes and nut and fruit drizzles. A properly brewed Turkish coffee or tea is the right finish.
6. Baylan Kadıköy
From its opening in 1923, Baylan was where Istanbullus met to socialize. Today it runs two patisseries in the city, with a menu of cakes and chocolates drawn from French pastry: parfaits, profiteroles à la glace, truffle cakes, tarts, chocolate mousse, and mille-feuilles.
The famous order is the Kup Griye, invented by Baylan’s founder Harry Lenas in 1954 and still one of the best-known desserts in Istanbul. It layers vanilla and caramel ice cream with whipped cream, honey almonds, and caramel sauce.
7. Şekerci Cafer Erol
Şekerci Cafer Erol stands on one of the main streets of Kadıköy, and the history behind it runs deep. Founder Cafer Erol revived the family confectionery in Eminönü in 1935, and the Kadıköy shop has been its home since 1945. The trade goes back further still: his great grandfather kept a candy shop in Ottoman Istanbul in 1807.
The shop still produces classic Ottoman sweets and candies, including jams, hard candies, lokum, and almond paste, and has recently added ice cream. Expect to spend a few minutes at the display cases before you can decide what to buy. Without a doubt, Şekerci Cafer Erol serves some of the best Turkish desserts in Istanbul.
8. Savoy Patisserie
Savoy sits in Cihangir, a laidback neighborhood of antique shops and cafes, and bakes a wide range of pastries and cakes. On weekends it works well for breakfast or brunch with friends, and the counter is stocked with quick snacks to grab on your way out.
The range covers puddings, millefeuille, cookies in every shape, and even handmade wafers. Fresh sandwiches make a fast lunch if you plan to spend the afternoon walking Cihangir’s streets.
9. Helvacı Ali 1900
Helvacı Ali is the answer when you are tired of baklava, cakes, and milk puddings. This century-old establishment specializes in helva, with semolina, chocolate, and tahini varieties on the menu.
The dessert with the best name in Istanbul is here too: Heaven Mud. It is made with shredded wheat (kadayıf), crushed pistachio, and a special sheep milk clotted cream. People regularly confuse it with künefe, but it is its own thing, and it is the order to make here.
10. Bolulu Hasan Usta Eminönü
Bolulu Hasan Usta is one of Turkey’s most well-known dessert brands, and its specialty is Turkish milky puddings. At this chain shop you can find every pudding made across Turkey, plus cake.
The flavors include traditional rose water, mastic gum (a resin extracted from Aegean gum trees), and almond. On a hot day you can even get ice cream on top of your pudding, which is far from traditional in Turkey but works. The one to try is tavuk göğsü, a famous Turkish dessert made with milk, sugar, starch, and actual pieces of chicken.
11. Altan Şekerleme
Sugar-craving Istanbullus of every age have been coming to this shop in the backstreets of Eminönü since 1865, drawn by reasonably priced lokum, halva, and akide şekeri (hard candy).
The recipes have been passed down through the family for generations, starting from the great grandparents, and everything is still made upstairs in the same building. That consistency is what made this small family business an institution.
12. Asuman Moda
Asuman is one of the most well-known pastry shops in Istanbul, and the line outside this small Moda spot can run long all day. The chocolate desserts are worth the wait.
The menu is unusual: every dessert is a house creation named after an ancient Arabic, Persian, or Turkish female name. “Asuman” is strawberry, chocolate, and cookie pieces in a jar. “Feride” is pistachio and mascarpone ice cream on a freshly baked chocolate cake. “Feraye” is a waffle with strawberries and melted chocolate. “Müjgan” is mascarpone ice cream and hot espresso over langues de chat. “Oya” arrives in a wine glass with fresh strawberry, white chocolate cream, and caramelized almonds.
You will need more than one visit to Asuman to get through that list.
Final words
There is far more to Turkish desserts than baklava: lokum from a 1777 confectionery, puddings thickened with mastic, helva in three varieties, and chocolate jars named after women. Twelve shops in, the pattern is clear. The best dessert counters in Istanbul are the ones families have kept running for generations.
If you want to taste these sweets with someone explaining the history behind them, join one of our food tours, where fresh baklava, tavuk göğsü, or Turkish ice cream (dondurma) come up alongside the savory stops. Our Taksim evening food tour runs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 18:00 with a maximum of 10 guests.
