Cuma Cafe

Really nice Raki and amazing sea bass ceviche! Cute little place with great service. There is cozy front patio at this place. The servers are very sweet. I had never tried Raki and my server helped me pick a smooth one from their selection. The sea bass was fresh and wonderfully made. Delicate flavors blended in perfectly.

I have been here two times now. The first time was a good experience. The café is really attractive and thoughtful. The menu has seemingly interesting items on it that update as the season change. The food isn’t outstanding by any means. But I give them points for trying. And my husband was insistent that it’s way overpriced. But part of that charge is the environment. My issue is the last time we were there we were blatantly ripped off by the waiter. My friends left before we did. And they wanted to pay their share. The waiter wouldn’t bring the bill but rather told them to figure out what they should pay by looking at the menu and leave us cash. Later when it came time for me to pay the rest of the tab; there were several extra beverages and dishes that we clearly had not ordered. The waiter played dumb and acted like he had no idea what our friends had ordered and refused to take the extra charges off. Needless to say for over priced food and bad service and being cheated on top of that we won’t be back. I gave two stars because the restaurant itself is really nicely decorated.

The indoor area, while slightly hidden, is really a great spot to come with a laptop for some coffee, food and work. You have to go up some stairs to get to it. There are long/​shared style tables as well as small tables. Lots of outlets. The atmosphere is quiet, so easy to get work done.
Staff was excellent. Even though I only spoke very little Turkish, they spoke English and didn’t mind a foreigner trying to order.
I ordered the omelette which was great — also awesome that you can order it in the afternoon, as I went well after noon time. Cappuccino was good and the chocolate dessert cake was excellent.

Charming restaurant on Çukur Cuma Caddesi, in Beyoğlu. Breakfast is best enjoyed as a slow, gentle nurturance to ease you into a day filled with who knows what, and Cuma Café is like an inoculation against the overwhelming sounds and sights, crowds and cars that is İstanbul.
The breakfast plate is an assortment of cheeses, olives, tomato/​cucumber salad, bread with an assortment of delicious preserves, and eggs served your way. Really, not an uncommon Turkish breakfast, but when served to the best of MoTown with occasional jazz, and a radio DJ right out of the mellowest 70’s, in a room with lambent sunlight filtering in and the most pleasant wait staff imaginable, well, you have to smile and think how lucky you are to be alive. One order is plenty for two people and our server was kind enough to tell us this. You might even be lucky enough to get a complimentary Turkish pastry. There is also a lovely patio on this antique collector’s dream street on the downhill side of Istiklal Caddesi. Not to be missed if you are in Çukurcuma in the morning. We hope to make it back for lunch on the tail end of our trip.
Hours 09:30 — 19:30