It wasn’t the best day to go out. It was raining and the weather was very cold. But we were crawling “Sarıyer Böreği” for about a week now and determined to visit “Sarıyer Börekçisi.” Börek is a pastry prepared with phyllo and filled with meat, cheese, spinach, or other types of vegetables. Here is a picture of one portion Sarıyer Böreği served with tea in slim-waisted Turkish glasses:
If you ever visit Istanbul, you might see many “Börekçi” with the name of Tarihi Sarıyer Börekçisi (Historical Sarıyer Börek Store). They are scattered all around the city, but there is only one original store, which is called Tarihi Sarıyer Muhallebicisi and located actually in Sarıyer within 5 minutes walking distance from the port.
We had our Börek packed for takeaway and found a good spot to eat. Sarıyer was very charming despite the weather. We had a chance to feel the sea breeze and enjoy the views of the Bosphorus. We even rode the city bikes throughout the coastline after we’ve finished eating.
As we got out of our bicycles and dropped them off at their stations, we decided to go back home and started walking back to our car. That was when my friend noticed a cafe with a heater inside. We right away got pulled into a warm atmosphere and smells of coffee. I guess it is true that no bike ride is complete without a coffee.
Zebraska Books and Bikes
The cafe is called Zebraska. It is owned by an independent publishing house under the same name. In Zebraska, you can drink your freshly made coffee, buy a book on cycling published by Zebraska in Turkish, or even a Giant bicycle, various bicycle parts, and clothes! To be honest, it offers everything I’m fond of. The staff is very kind and friendly too. Plus, if you make an appointment before you visit the store, you can get a free posture analysis.
I don’t write much about places but you don’t come across a bike-friendly cafe in Istanbul that often. I also like the fact that we stumbled upon it totally randomly. Here are a few pics of the place I took that day:
