12 Best Bakeries in Istanbul, From an 1836 Fırın to San Sebastian Cheesecake

Istanbul’s bakeries come in two kinds. A pastane handles the sweet side: cakes, puddings, cookies. A fırın handles the savory side: bread, simit, pide. The 12 below cover both, from Savoy Pastanesi in Cihangir and Patisserie de Pera inside the Pera Palace Hotel to Beyaz Fırın in Kadıköy, a family business whose story starts in 1836. Baked goods hold a special place in Turkish cuisine, and these are the shops where that shows.

Who this list is for: first-time visitors who want the classics (kurabiye, poğaça, baklava), returners ready for sourdough and croissant territory, vegetarians and gluten-free eaters, and anyone hunting edible gifts. Tarihi Oktay’s cookies travel especially well.

A note on price: where it stands out, the entries say so. Divan and Patisserie de Pera sit at the special-occasion end, while Savoy and Elde Börek stay easy on the wallet.

Here is the full list at a glance, grouped by area. For block-by-block eating beyond bakeries, our neighborhood food guides cover these districts one at a time.

Place	Area	What it is	What to order
Savoy Pastanesi	Cihangir, Beyoğlu	Pastane, since the 1950s	Chocolates, cakes
Kovan Fırın	Cihangir, Beyoğlu	Fırın, since 1996	Börek plus loose-leaf tea for home
Patisserie de Pera	Tepebaşı, Beyoğlu	Hotel patisserie	Decorated cakes with tea
Divan Patisserie	Bebek	Patisserie, since 1956	Chocolates, Turkish delight
Tarihi Oktay Kurabiye Fırını	Beşiktaş	Cookie fırın, since 1934	Almond cookies, simit
B.BLOK Bakery	Beşiktaş	Cafe and bakery	San Sebastian cheesecake
Elde Börek	Beşiktaş	Börek shop	Handmade börek, sourdough bread
Beyaz Fırın	Kadıköy	Fırın with roots in 1836	Poğaça
Brekkie Croissant & Cookie	Kadıköy	Croissant shop	A savory crowich
Kukis	Acıbadem, Üsküdar	Bakery cafe	Cakes; menemen at breakfast
Sour & Sweet	Caddebostan, Kadıköy	Sourdough bakery	Sourdough croissants, gluten-free bakes
Çiğdem Pastanesi	Sultanahmet	Pastane, three generations	Baklava, tres leches, sandwich to go

Beyoğlu: Cihangir and Pera

1. Savoy Pastanesi

Savoy has held its corner of Cihangir since the 1950s. Monsenior Koço started it. Erol Beri later took over and brought the techniques of the Jewish bakery with him, and a Turkish apprentice, Mahmut Taşçıoğlu, eventually inherited the place. Three owners, three traditions, one counter.

The display cases run long, and the chocolate collection is the standout. Prices stay friendly for the quality.

Address: Cihangir, Sıraselviler Cd. 91/A, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul

2. Kovan Fırın

An orange honeycomb sign marks the door. Inside, dim lighting and a hum of conversation, with jars of loose-leaf tea in every hue lined up like candies in an old candy store. The bakes run from savory to sweet and from dry to moist. Founded in 1996 by people who worked crop fields as children, the shop treats grain as a blessing. Even the stray cats outside rub against the walls, hoping for a way in.

Eating alone? Grab a börek, then add a packet of tea or coffee to brew at home.

Address: Cihangir, Sıraselviler Cd. No:83/A, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul

3. Patisserie de Pera

Swanky, upmarket, and inside the Pera Palace Hotel. The cakes are decorated as carefully as the room, the mood is straight out of the 1930s, and a tea party is the natural use of an afternoon here. History buffs get a bonus: the hotel preserves the first elevator ever installed in Istanbul. It no longer runs, but it is still there. Save this one for a special occasion.

Address: Pera Palace Hotel, Evliya Çelebi, Meşrutiyet Caddesi, Tepebaşı Cd. No:52, 34430 Beyoğlu/İstanbul

Beşiktaş and Bebek

4. Divan Patisserie

Divan opened its first branch in 1956 and now stocks more than 170 products: cookies, grissini, macaroons, bread, and cakes that pair well with a proper cup of Turkish coffee. The scale is serious. The house makes about 10 tons of chocolates and 5 tons of Turkish delight, some of it exported worldwide. This is a luxury brand, and the prices say so. The quality and the service back it up.

Address: Bebek, Cevdet Paşa Cd. No:28/A, 34342 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

5. Tarihi Oktay Kurabiye Fırını

Standing on a narrow Beşiktaş street since 1934. Kurabiye, Turkish cookies, are floury and dry by design, made for a hot, cherry-colored cup of Turkish tea. If the selection here doesn’t win you over, no kurabiye will. Beyond the cookies there’s sponge cake, simit, almond cookies that taste like nothing in an American cookie aisle, and even a mini pizza.

Seats are scarce, so plan on cookies to go. They make excellent gifts.

Address: Türkali, Yaverağa Sk. 1/A, 34357 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

6. B.BLOK Bakery

The motto here is “forget all the cheesecakes you’ve already met.” The San Sebastian, a crustless, creamy Spanish cheesecake with a caramelized top, built the reputation, and many call this the best version in the city. The brownies and the coffee hold their own. The room is elegant and contemporary without tipping into pretension.

Get there early. People wait in line just for the huge, moist chocolate chip cookies.

Address: Vişnezade, Şair Nedim Cd. 35A D:1, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

7. Elde Börek

The name means handmade börek, and that is the spine of the menu: homemade vegetable dishes, soups that suit vegetarians and meat eaters alike, a few desserts, and a very good sourdough loaf. Fairy lights outside, warm dim light inside, prices that stay reasonable. If börek is new to you, our börek guide is the place to start before you order.

Address: Sinanpaşa, Ihlamurdere Cd. no 23/A, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

Kadıköy and the Anatolian side

8. Beyaz Fırın

The “White Bakery,” as the name translates, began in 1836 in Balat, where the Stoyanof family baked poğaça, savory Turkish buns. The Kadıköy shop followed in 1920, and the founding family still runs it today. The story behind this place is a historical epic that could fill several novels, a heritage business that keeps tradition alive while adapting to the times. The children who once visited now come back with their grandchildren.

Address: Osmanağa, Yasa Cd. No:23, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul

9. Brekkie Croissant & Cookie

A bohemian shop with a raccoon logo at the entrance and the “crowich,” a croissant sandwich, at the heart of the menu. The savory builds include the cro brekkie, ham and cheese, and mom sausage, each arriving with its own sauces and a small salad, and these are full meals rather than dainty pastries. The sweet versions look closer to cake than to anything French. There are also eggs made more ways than you will have mornings for, breakfast bowls that taste better than they sound, and coffee at the level you’d expect from a cafe in Italy. If breakfast is the meal you plan your day around, our Istanbul breakfast guide goes much further.

Address: Osmanağa, Yoğurtçu Parkı Cd. No:68/B, 34714 Kadıköy/İstanbul

10. Kukis

Firmly on the Anatolian side, about 10 minutes by taxi from the Kadıköy docks. The payoff is cakes worth the trip and a menu that runs all day: eggs, menemen, and gözleme at breakfast, then noodles, wraps, and even chicken nachos in the afternoon. Everything at Kukis is made on site, nothing frozen, and the place is kept so shiny you may want sunglasses. A few green plants soften the gleam. Come hungry, leave stuffed.

Address: Acıbadem, Acıbadem Cd. No:154, 34660 Üsküdar/İstanbul

11. Sour & Sweet

The name clicks once you step inside this Caddebostan bakery. Bread and croissants are built on sourdough, with gluten-free options alongside. The style is classic French down to the Flechard butter, a high-quality French import, in the croissants, and the fluffy cakes look like colorful pillows. Vegetarians and diabetics get real choices here, with sugar-free and cruelty-free options on the shelves. The shop sits near a cultural center that hosts plays, classical music, and exhibitions.

Grab a jar of nut butter or an unusual marmalade on your way out.

Address: Caddebostan, Caddebostan Plaj Yolu Sk. No:8 A, 34728 Kadıköy/İstanbul

Sultanahmet

12. Çiğdem Pastanesi

Three generations and more than 50 years in the same spot on Divan Yolu. The counter holds baklava, Noah’s pudding, and chicken breast pudding (yes, that is a real Turkish dessert), alongside international staples like the Latin American tres leches. A poster on the wall explains the differences between coffee drinks, photos of the founder hang nearby, and children can choose from the English menu. The room itself is sweetly old-fashioned: ornamented enclaves, toys by the tables, chandeliers, dim lighting, jellybeans at the counter.

Short on time in busy Sultanahmet? Grab a sandwich and a fresh orange juice to go and keep walking toward the next sight.

Address: Alemdar, Divan Yolu Cd. No:62, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul

Before you go

Whether you need a birthday cake or just pastries with your morning coffee, these 12 have you covered across both sides of the city. And if you’d rather eat your way through Istanbul with someone local leading the day, our Istanbul food tours have run since 2013 with groups capped at 10 guests.