Tea gardens in Istanbul

All over the country there are places called by the Turks "Cay Bahcesi" that means "Tea Garden". Those are the most loved places to chat and met friends.

Some tea gardens are just used by men, some other just by families and some others are mixed (men and women). In small villages you can notice a men tea garden and a family one very clearly, but as Istanbul is a very big city it will be a little bit harder to find those just for men.

Alcohol is not served on those places and tea is the main drink. Tourists might enjoy apple tea, ayran, Turkish black tea, or you can also try the Turkish Coffee. If you want to visit a typical tea garden, we recommend two:

Tea garden at Ortakoy district - These district is located on the European site of the city. You will find some typical Turkish Tea gardens serving tea, coffee, ayran (a Turkish drink mixing yogurt, salt and water), sahlep ( a nice hot drink, milked based served in winter) or boza. Young people will also come to this place to met some friends and to flirt.

This district was once a fisherman village and today is the place where the youth meet each other.