It’s hard to talk about Ara Kafe without mentioning its original owner, Turkish photojournalist Ara Güler, who passed away in 2018. He was one of only two Turkish photographers to join the Magnum Photos agency and worked with the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Alfred Hitchcock. During his long and distinguished career, he also opened Ara Cafe in 2001.
The café occupies the ground and basement floors of a three-storey building that also belonged to the artist, who used it both as his home and as an archive for his decades of work. Located at the end of a small street just around the corner from the famous İstiklal Street, the charming little building sits between two bulky buildings.
The interior of the café has never changed over the years. It reflects the photographer’s old İstanbul aesthetic, with plenty of wood, warm colors, amber lighting, stained-glass windows and large prints of his striking photos on the walls.
Ara Kafe offers a rich menu of dishes alongside a wide variety of drinks, including beers and wines. This cozy eatery serves snacks, main dishes, salads, and many other options, all prepared in its basement kitchen. And just like its warm, unchanging atmosphere, the quality has remained consistently high over the years.
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