Börek is one of the most traditional pastry dishes that is still enjoyed widely today throughout Turkey, to find the best variations its and where to enjoy them, follow our guide.
Börek refers to a family of pastries generally prepared using the paper-sheet thin dough known yufka. It was popular throughout the reign of the Ottoman Empire and continues to be a staple in Turkish cuisine today. It is also related to other Mediterranean words for this delicacy: boureki (Greece), pierogi (Italy), pirochki (Russia).
Turkish börek is one component of breakfast that you can buy in the early morning. In fact, it can be eaten and bought from special borek shops called borekci in the afternoon also, you can find the shops on almost any street corner but the best, and most historical, are in Sarıyer, way down along the Bosphorus.
Thus, set aside plenty of room in your stomach, find a börekçi or a restaurant and then all you have to do is decide which types to go for.
It’s varied, versatile, delicious, inexpensive and, in many of its forms, vegetarian. The main types of Börek that are eaten for breakfast, lunch, for a snack, or packed and eaten cold on the road:
Su Böreği is served in lasagna-style slices and it is prepared with thin like paper sheets of hand-rolled dough are boiled before being baked. Traditionally layered with a mixture of feta cheese, parsley, and ample butter.
Kol Böreği is another popular style of börek that is made from puff pastry and shaped into a spiral (is cut into slices of long rolls). Kol böreği most traditionally is filled with cheese, spinach, potato and the beloved minced meat version that includes pine nuts.
Boşnak Böreği is similar to Kol böreği, except the rolls tend to be thinner and traditionally stuffed with a mixture of both cheese and spinach, they are also prepared in minced meat and potato varieties.
Gul Böreği is also shaped in a spiral, but it is served in a single sized and looks like a rose. It is prepared with phyllo dough and stuffed with feta cheese, spinach, potato, and minced meat.
Pacanga Böreği and Avcılar Böreği are served rectangular sized fried pastries where the former is filled with pastırma and kaşar cheese and the latter is filled with a minced meat mixture and coated in a batter and breaded.
Talash Böreği is different than other böreks. Moreover, if you can find it in restaurants, you are the lucky one. The square-shaped pastry is stuffed with cubed lamb and peas.
Kalem Böreği or Sigara Böreği is smaller and served cylindrical sized. Traditionally feta cheese and parsley are rolled up in a triangle-shaped piece of phyllo dough which is then fried.
Çiğ Börek is highly popular especially among Turkey’s Tatar community or in Eskişehir that is used minced meat and cheese versions to prepare. It is a deep-fried semicircular shaped turnover.
Tepsi Böreği refers to a type of börek traditionally homemade where lots of ingredients are filled between layers of phyllo. However, the layers are brushed with butter, egg, sometimes milk and even yogurt that is baked and then cut into square slices.
Küt Böreği or Kurdish Börek is a sweet pastry that consists of many thin like papers layers of phyllo slathered in butter and powdered sugar and baked to be golden and crispy.
Also, you can find börek in these varieties at a börekçi(börek shop):
ıspanaklı= with spinach
karışık = with everything
kaşar peynirli = with yellow cow’s milk cheese
kıymalı= with ground lamb
patatesli = with mashed potatoes
peynirli = with white sheep’s milk cheese (feta)
Where to get the best börek in town?
Tarihi Yeniköy Börekçisi
Serving up börek since the 1930s, Tarihi Yeniköy Börekçisi is another steadfast location situated by the sea that serves traditional Kol böreği as well as a wide variety of pastries.
To get away from the city center and view Bosphorus, you can prefer Tarihi Yeniköy Börekçisi. Since 1817, it is the address for delicious Kol böreks. Especially, most people love the börek with ground lamb.
This place is bigger than the other place that we mentioned, thus you can also sit in front of the restaurant. They have also desserts that baked with stone oven.
Address: Yeniköy Mahallesi, Köybaşı Caddesi, No 82, Sarıyer, İstanbul
Contact: 05322822477
Price: 25 TL ($ 5) for 2 people
Karaköy Güllüoğlu
While Karaköy Güllüoğlu is renowned worldwide for their baklava, their su böreği, which comes in cheese, spinach, and minced meat varieties, also deserves an honorable mention.
Address: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mahallesi, Rıhtım Caddesi, Katlı Otopark Altı, No 4, Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 2930910
Price: 70 TL ($12) for 2 people
Sarıköy Hünkar Börekçisi
If you didn’t try Sarıyer börek before, you should visit here. Since this delicious place is the oldest (more than 30 years) place in the city, they are famous with their Kol böreks with ground lamb and with cheese.
Address: Merkez Mahalesi, Mesarburnu Caddesi, No 4, Sarıyer, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 2428782
Price: 30 TL ($6) for 2 people
Tarihi Odabaşı Çiğbörekçisi
Tarihi Odabaşı Çiğbörekçisi is the most famous place with its Çiğ Böreks. They do böreks as yummy as Eskişehir. (Eskişehir is famous with Çiğ Böreks.) Thus, if you want to try Çiğ Börek but you are in İstanbul, you should visit here.
However, we recommend you to not go at the weekends since it is so crowded.
Also, the place is so small that it has got the only 3-4 tables to eat, thus you cannot eat slowly your böreks. Maybe you can take your böreks and have a walk.
Address: Şehremini Mahallesi, Mevlanakapı Caddesi, No 125/B, Fatih, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 6328786
Price: 20 TL ($5) for 2 people
Kireçburnu Fırını
Also located in Sariyer, Kireçburnu Fırını has been operating since the 1950s and serves a wide variety of böreks such as su böreği, as well as a mushroom variation, Kol böreği and even gül böreği.
With a beautiful view of Bosphorus, you can prefer delicious Kol Börek with ground lamb or with spinach and Su Börek. This place is also famous for its breakfast for Sundays.
Maybe you can try Mıhlama here. (Special Turkish breakfast with cheese.)
Address: Kireçburnu Mahallesi, Haydar Aliyev Caddesi, No 48, Sarıyer, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 2621059
Price: 55 TL ($ 10) for 2 people, 100 TL ($ 20) for breakfast (2 people)
Tarihi Bilice Börekçisi
Another serious contender in the Sariyer district is the Tarihi Bilice Börekçisi, which dishes up Kol böreği in variations including raisin and chicken in addition to the traditional su böreği.
Address: Çayırbaşı Mahallesi, Çayırbaşı Caddesi, No 17, Sarıyer, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 2710966
Price: 70 TL ($ 12) for 2 people
Prava Pita
Prava Pita, in Bayrampaşa, is famous with its mantı ve böreks. Since 2006, you can find every type of Boşnak böreks. For example, sasirom (with cheese), kompirnak (with potato), Zelanik (with spinach).
Prava Pita, actually means “Real börek” also take home order. You can prefer this place to have böreks for your special days.
Address: Yıldırım Mahallesi, Şehit Kamil Balkan Caddesi, No 12, Bayrampaşa, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 5814633
Price: 25 TL ($ 5) for 2 people
Meşhur Sarıyer Börekçisi
Serving up börek since 1895, the Meşhur Sarıyer Börekçisi is as its name suggests, is famous for the Kol böreği variety of this pastry that has become an iconic food from this neighborhood which conveniently hugs the Bosporus.
Their minced meat version, which includes pine nuts and currants, has become a symbolic pastry of Sariyer and well worth the trek. Plus, they also serve the highly coveted and harder to find sweet kut börek.
Address: Muratpaşa Mahallesi, Tuna Caddesi, No 64/C, Bayrampaşa, Sağmalcılar, İstanbul
Contact: 0212 5012127
Price: 15 TL ($ 3) for 2 people
Çengelköy Börekçisi
After historical Çınaraltı Tea Garden, Çengelköy Börekçisi is the other symbol of Çınaraltı. It is a favorite in the quaint neighborhood of the same name lining the Asian side of the Bosphorus that also boasts one of the most popular tea gardens in Turkey by the name of the Tarihi Çınaraltı Çay Bahçesi.
The two make for the perfect combination of picking up pastries to enjoy while having tea with a spectacular view of the Bosphorus. They also have branches in Ortaköy and Kanlıca and they serve a wide variety of böreks ranging from su böreği, Kol böreği, kalem böreği and even kut böreği, however, their specialty is a cheese and onion and cheese and walnut tray börek variation they make using whole grain wheat.
Address: Çengelköy Mahallesi, Çengelköy Caddesi, Çınarlı Cami Sokak, No 26, Üsküdar, İstanbul
Contact: 0216 3183468
Price: 35 TL ($ 7) for 2 people, 60 TL ($ 12) for breakfast for 2 people
Boşnjak Mutfak
With locations in Etiler and Karaköy, Boşnjak Mutfak is one of the most happening eateries of late to dine on traditional Bosnian classics including their signature böreks on stylish rustic wood furniture seating. They have potato, spinach, cheese, and even zucchini böreks as well as their version of mantı which more resembles a pastry.
Address: Atatürk Mahallesi, Ataşehir Bulvarı, 41. Ada, Ata-4-4 Çarşı, No 3, Ataşehir, İstanbul
Contact: 0216 4560016
Price: 30 TL ($ 6) for 2 people
Borsa Cafe
You can taste the delicious Su Börek in Borsa Café that is near to Borsa Restaurant in Osmanbey.
Address: Cumhuriyet Mahallesi Halaskargazi Caddesi No: 107 Şişli / İstanbul
Contact: 0212 232 48 86
Price: 30 TL ($ 6) for 2 people
Mado
Mado uses two different cheese; Maraş cheese and white cheese of İstanbul for its böreks.
Address: Caferağa Mahallesi Moda Caddesi Gündoğdu Sokak No: 2 Kadıköy / İstanbul
Contact: 0216 347 35 36
Price: 30 TL ($ 6) for 2 people
Asu Börek
Since 1990, Asu Börek is famous for its Su Böreks with cheese, ground lamb and spinach types.
Address: İstasyon Caddesi 107/1 Göztepe, Kadıköy / İstanbul
Contact: 0216 386 25 78
Price: 20 TL ($ 5) for 2 people
Levent Börekçilik
Levent Börekçilik has delicious Su böreks with cheese. However, it is different from others since they use 3 different cheese for their böreks. Note that, you can visit Levent Börekçilik until 14:00.
Address: Yenidoğan Mahallesi Abdiipekçi Caddesi 28/B Bayrampaşa / İstanbul
Contact: 0212 223 26 59
Price: 40 TL ($ 8) for 2 people
İzol Börek
İzol Börek also uses different cheese mixes for its böreks.
Address: Zeytinlik Mahallesi Yakut Sokak Erçetin Plaza 24/A Bakırköy / İstanbul
Contact: 0212 571 33 99
Price: 25 TL ($ 5) for 2 people
Aslı Börek
As the name implies, Aslı Börek are devoted to dishing up some of the most amazing su böreği that ever was. A must-stop to try this pastry variation in its ultimate form, and in cheese, spinach and minced meat varieties, therefore, it is lucky that they have dozens of branches all over the country. You can even purchase trays of börek for takeout, as well as boxes of their delicious stuffed grapevine leaves, which if I do say so myself, make for the perfect accompaniment.
Address and contacts:
If you want to visit Aslı Börek, you can prefer many places of it. Here are the examples:
Ataşehir
0 (216) 580 86 25
Bağlarbaşı
0 (216) 391 99 40
Bostancı
0 (216) 463 14 34
Bulgurlu
0 (216) 443 91 51
Cevizli
0 (216) 441 21 73
Çekmeköy
0 (216) 640 09 09
Göztepe
0 (216) 360 65 78
Bağcılar
0 (212) 611 67 01
Bahçeşehir Galleria
0 (212) 669 69 80
Bakırköy
0 (212) 542 93 81
Beşiktaş
0 (212) 260 26 86
Beykent
0 (212) 509 55 55
Beylikdüzü MigrosAVM
0 (212) 734 30 30
Büyük Çekmece
0 (212) 881 10 60
İstinye
0 (212) 229 00 06
Göktürk
0 (212) 322 02 02
Levent
0 (212) 283 01 76
Maslak İTÜ Kampüsü
0 (212) 286 12 12
Mecidiyeköy
0 (212) 274 89 13
Nişantaşı
0 (212) 225 58 45
Sirkeci
0 (212) 522 15 60
Şişli
0 (212) 343 39 13
Tarabya
0 (212) 262 70 00
Price: 24 TL ($ 6) for 2 people
