We walked into EspressoLab on Istiklal street and for a moment I forgot where I was.
Me: Do you have Iced Tea?
Young, mod Turkish Server’s expression says: What are you talking about.
Me: You know, tea over ice.
Server: Uh, OK?… But Turkish tea!
Me (finally remembering I am not in Starbucks in the US): Never mind. Coke Zero?
Server (impatiently): Coffee!
Other Server (in rescue mode): Ma’am, we have very nice fresh squeezed orange juice.
Me: OK, Espresso Macchiato.
Husband: (sighs)
EspressoLab has small, nice covered patios from which to watch the Istiklal foot traffic go by. And their desserts are huge and fresh, we can vouch for the Oreo Cheesecake.
EspressoLab, Katip Çelebi Mah, İstiklal Cd. No:15, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Bonus Round question: what rule did we forget to follow in Naples?
Answer: we ordered without finding out what anything cost. This is a very typical situation where the shop is then free to charge you whatever they like, after you have consumed it. Fortunately Jam Cafe did not do this to us. We do recommend Jam, it’s on Spaccanopoli (Via San Biagio Dei Librai, 19) and is a great place to stop and rest your feet while you are logging 25,000 steps on your first day in Naples.
In both Naples and Istanbul (as in much of the real world) we quickly realized/remembered that we had to order something in a cafe in order to get access to a restroom, as there are very, very few public restrooms. Sometimes churches have restrooms, but we have paid $5 each to rush thru a church only to find out there are no restrooms…
Jam Cafe e Beer, Via San Biagio Dei Librai, 19, 80138 Napoli NA, Italy
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