Travelers who visit the Taksim/Beyoglu area might wonder what’s so special about these neighborhoods. Right now there is a lot of construction, cheap shops and a changing population that fill the streets every day. Unfortunately Istiklal Caddesi and the surrounding area is far from its glorious days of 10 years ago and my generation loves to say that Taksim is “over”. Fear not dear reader, Taksim is not over! It is still the throbbing heart of Istanbul, and whatever is going on in the country can be observed in this microcosm. Taksim changes, rots, blooms and fails; but it is never over.

After this long intro, let me take you to my favorite place in the area: Urban! This is the perfect place for almost any time of the day – breakfast, coffee, lunch and a beer, aperitivo… you name it. You can always find the coziness you need in Urban’s welcoming arms.

The ideal time to go? For me it’s on a summer afternoon, when you can have a drink and watch people go by. Or a snowy day when you have cups of coffee and read magazines. Or in between two movies of the film festival in spring. Did I tell you that I like this place a lot?

P.S.: Urban doesn’t rhyme with bourbon. Try it in German: “uhr”+”bahn”.