Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir — Attraction in Kadıköy

Got scammed $600 liras by the counter staff for a cup of tea.

Went in to shop for Turkish delights and was thirsty so went to the counter to get a drink. Didn't see options for tea on the counter menu so asked the counter staff if there was any option for a non caffeine iced drink to which he said ice tea.

When he handed me the cup of tea, he said the price was $600. I was like $600 for a cup of tea?! He just shrugged and said yeah $600. It was the most expensive two mouths of tea I had and there was nothing great about it.

I assumed it was a tourist trap and just paid in cash. When I checked the menu online at the shop, I couldn't find a section for drinks. But now with proper wifi and translation, I just checked the menu online and clearly none of the drinks are anywhere close to 600 liras.

Well I hope this chap is happy and I'll take it as my donation - maybe his family has more need for the money than me. It was also a good lesson for me - next time if this happens (including to you), ask for the menu, ask for the receipt, pay in card, and take a good look (or photo) of the servers face!

And if the business owner/manager sees this - it was a male in his 20-30s(?) on...

For Turkish Delight and any number of chocolate covered nuts and whatnot, there is just no better place than Haci Bekir. Their Turkish Delight in particular is fabulous: not overly sweet and incredibly flavourful. The level of English varies according to which branch you enter, but who cares - pointing and using your fingers to indicate numbers works as well here as anywhere else in the world.

The prices are excellent too and you'll pay only marginally more here than in a mediocre, run of the mill place. That's a saving which certainly isn't worthwhile.

If you do visit Istanbul, this is one place you really must treat your...

This place markets itself as upscale but falls short of that standard. The dessert display glass could use a good cleaning. Despite having second thoughts, I decided to give it a try after making eye contact with the staff. I purchased a strawberry tart and a slice of fruit cake. The tart looked good but tasted like something from a grocery store, and the fruit cake, though visually appealing, was disappointing in flavor. I paid 200 Turkish lira and felt it wasn’t worth it. The restroom also had noticeable buildup of filth and dust, which was quite off-putting. The staff should be more attentive to cleanliness...