I was in Paris, France last week and my friend and I were arguing why any person who lived there or visited there would ever go to a starbucks. In a city where cafe's are plentiful and coffee delcious, why my friend argued, would you be caught dead with a starbucks caught in your hand. Now as a disclaimer for this review, I dont drink coffee. Believe it or not, I have never drank coffee in my life.
With this said, I argued about maybe starbucks are using local products, you want coffee on the go etc. While I can't speak for Starbucks coffee, in relation to their actual coffee, I wanted to take a minute to rate the Starbucks experience. While I am generally not in favor of supporting multi national corporations, the Starbucks in Bebek is an experience. The views are stunning, located right on the bospohorus. In line with the great Istanbul tradition of the service industry letting you sit as long as you would like, it is the perfect place to grab a tea (for me) and sit and do work. In the warm weather, the views and sounds from the outdoor seating area are second to none.
I am not ashamed of telling my guests who visit to go there and sit and enjoy the sights and sounds. This is not a little known fact, so the place is usually packed. But if you are lucky enough to get a seat outside on a nice warm day, bunker down and enjoy the best of what Istanbul has to offer. And hey, if you want to get a coffee, I wont judge! read more