Menemen, Bread, and Turkish Coffee
by Tarihi Çemberlitaş Muhallebici, Istanbul, Türkiye
It was an early morning in Istanbul, Turkey. I had landed late the night before, and my flight out wasn't for a few more hours. Although I only had a brief layover in one of my favorite world cities, I wanted to make the most of it, and that meant setting out on foot well before sunrise to grab a bite of one of my favorite Turkish breakfast dishes.
Istanbul is a city that lends itself to exploring on foot, especially in the early hours of the day. I set out from my hotel in the historic Sultanahmet neighborhood with no specific destination in mind, but determined to seek breakfast at the first restaurant that I found open. By chance, my wandering brought me to Tarihi Çemberlitaş Muhallebici, and I stepped inside.
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| Turkish menemen for breakfast in Istanbul |
Menemen is a popular Turkish breakfast dish made with eggs, tomatoes, peppers, and spices. Served with thick pieces of soft white bread, menemen is a simple, hearty, classic breakfast, and one of my favorite ways to start a day of exploring Istanbul.
I ordered a serving of menemen with cheese and a cup of Turkish coffee. I sipped the strong, dark coffee from the traditional tiny Turkish coffee cup and watched out the window as people hurried to and from the nearby trolley station.
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| Turkish coffee |
The waitress delivered a large bowl piled high with thick slices of white Turkish bread to my table, and shortly a skillet of menemen arrived in front of me as well.
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| Turkish breakfast with menemen, bread, and coffee |
Fresh eggs are scrambled up in a stew of tomatoes, peppers, and aromatics such as onion and other herbs and topped with an optional handful of creamy cheese (highly recommended if it's available on the menu!). Menemen is eaten by scooping up a portion onto a piece of bread or by dipping the bread directly into the hot skillet of delicious stew.
I ate every bite, finishing off my basket of bread and eating up the rest of the menemen with a spoon. It was too delicious to let any of this savory and filling breakfast go to waste!
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| menemen, or tomato and egg with bread in Istanbul |
More of my favorite places to eat breakfast in Istanbul
Menu and Price
Prices are reasonable. I ordered the menemen with cheese for 105 lira and a Turkish coffee for 40 lira. My entire bill was just 140 lira, or about $4.50.
Location
This restaurant is located at Binbirdirek, mahhallesi, Peykhane Cd. no:2, 34126 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye. The nearest metro station is Çemberlıtaş trolley station, just a few steps away.
I used the translation app on my phone to read about the history of the restaurant as printed on the menu. I was impressed to learn that this small local restaurant has been in operation for well over a century! Founded in 1880 during Ottoman rule, Tarihi Çemberlitaş Muhallebici has endured for a reason.
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| Tarihi Çemberlitaş Muhallebici in Istanbul |
The restaurant opens at 7am and is a great place for an early morning breakfast and coffee in Istanbul.
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| breakfast in early morning in a restaurant in Istanbul |
You can see the exact location and walking directions on the map below.
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