Cafe Via, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey

Kemankeş Kara Mustafapaşa Cad, Karantina Sk. No:7/1, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

The Istanbul coffee scene, much like its football scene, seems very split by district with most cafés and restaurants serving basic Turkish coffee, and those aimed at tourists offering espresso but the more standard mass-produced beans like Lavazza. When breaking down the speciality scene though, hipster districts like Kadiköy and Galata are where the auteurs of the field operate, Beyoğlu dishes out decent drip filters and the Asian side has high-end Turkish coffee and some quiet neighbourhood spots that provide peaceful percolation.

In two days here, Cafe Via is where I manage to find the first espresso-based drink that I feel would match up to my demanding palate, hidden down a clean and tidy backstreet that is a dead end of an alleyway with a tiny local mosque topping off the street. It’s completely empty except for the barista smoking a cigarette with his friend out front and he scuttles behind the bar when he sees us coming, to serve up americanos and cake. 

They did have ‘vegan latte’ on the menu but were out of the alternative milk by the time I arrived so I rolled the dice on hoping it was decent enough coffee for a black one. Serving up Recon Coffee, a local roaster, my partner indulges in a latte and a Snickers cheesecake, seemingly to emphasise what I’m missing out on with my decision to ditch dairy.
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The americano is a rich umami with not too much chocolate in the overtones. The strong coating of the tongue that you don’t get so much with other brewing methods feels very luxurious at this stage of the week and I’m glad I managed to break my duck with a decent stop-off in between adventures.