In general a light roast in Istanbul would mean medium in Copenhagen, the craft of the baristas is pretty high quality
Petra: Didn’t go to the roasters but I tried the beans, very nice
Coffee Brew Lab: chain, not worth it
Kronotrop: Highly recommended, also nice pastries. The barista recommendations were on point.
Norm: Nice café, they don’t roast their own, the iced coffee was very good
Coffee Sapiens: Overhyped IMO, but nice for a morning kick
Montag: Probably my favourite, they do proper light roasting, the barista knows his shit and they have a bunch of very nice unwashed stuff
Rafine: Super tiny place but very good beans in the hippest location, the barista was very friendly
Poika Coffee: The coffee is ok, but the salty cheese and raspberry jam tart is what dreams are made of
Karakoy Lokantasi: Didn’t get a reservation but peeked around, everything looked amazing and smelled fantastic
Hamdi: Great view! The pistachio kebab was super nice and the baklava was amazing
Galata Simitcisi: Best simit by a country mile. Excellent for breakfast
Mola Yemek Evi: Nice homemade food, the yoghurt and pickled grape vine leaf soup was a revelation
Ficcin: Pretty decent quality compared to the surrounding tourist traps
Basta!: Michelin-starred chef opens street food-inspired restaurant, you know the drill
Do all the history stuff in one day (Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Sultanhamet, Grand Bazaar, Topalki, etc), the spice market is better than the grand bazaar. Check at what time are prayer sessions happening since the mosques close for tourists at those times
Get lost in the Asian side, I liked it A LOT more than the European one
Galata tower is not worth it, crowded and you’ll only get the same picture as everyone else
The residential area north of Karakoy is fun
Taksim square is not interesting at all