Albura Kathisma Cafe and Restaurant

If you are visiting Istanbul, it is likely you will be staying in the Sultanahmet district near Akbiyik Caddesi, which is a street filled with hotels and hostels. Food in this area is mainly substandard and tourist driven so it was nice to find a hidden gem. Albura Kathisma serves authentic, tasty Turkish food in a relaxing setting, where you can watch the tourists and street vendors walking along Akbiyik Cad.

I would recommend the guvec, which is chicken or lamb combined with tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers sauteed in a pot.

For dessert, I would suggest either the baklava or banana crepes with chocolate sauce but everything on the menu looked good.

The rough cost for a beer, main course and dessert was in the area of 30 lira, which seemed comparable to other restaurants on the street.

What ultimately impressed me most about this restaurant, however, was the friendly staff. The staff want to be absolutely sure that their guests love Turkey. I visited this restaurant a couple times and on my last night in Istanbul, the staff all came out, we shook hands and then I was offered a glass of Turkish apple tea on the house. There is a local saying that when you share tea in Turkey, you will be friends for forty years. I was very touched by this gesture at Albura.

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and the next time I'm in Istanbul, you will find me at Albura.