Karaköy Güllüoğlu

Wow — grandioses Baklava! Nicht zu durchtränkt mit Honig und Sirup, aber auch nicht zu trocken. Pflichtbesuch bei jedem Istanbultrip. Ja, der Preis ist nicht ohne, aber Qualität hat nunmal ihren Preis.
Das Prinzip des Cafés ist zunächst etwas schwierig (an der Kasse bezahlen und anschließend mit dem Kassenbon das Bezahlte bestellen), aber insgesamt ein tolles Erlebnis!

5 stars PLUS. This is what we ate: Borek (savory pastry filled with minced meat, cheese and spinach) and Baklava.
Famous place — the borek and baklava here are transcendent. If you don’t know where to buy baklava to bring home… this is the spot. SO SO GOOD!
Note: this is part of the Culinary Backstreets Two Continents Tour. I advise you do the tour, rather than go here on your own.

Can I add 5 more stars? This place deserves it! A self service baklava shop/​café that is sure to make you fall in love with this Turkish dessert. Fresh everyday and amazing quality of different baklava varieties are served. They also have a variety of teas, sherbet and lemonade. In conclusion, don’t leave Istanbul without stopping by this place.

When you say baklava, you have to start here! Hands down, the best!!! This is as turkish and traditional as it gets. Get your sweet tooth fix here and bring it home. Lots of it!!!

Really good Baklava, but confusing!
I completely understand the need to separate money from food. Currency, no matter where you are is inherently dirty. However, especially if you are a foreigner, the way they’ve done it is especially difficult.
If you approach the counter and attempt to buy some, you will inevitably be sent to the payment counter on the other side of the room. There you will need to pay for whatever you want, but names and prices are with the food… I’ve experienced something like this elsewhere, but in that case, you ordered, were given a slip of paper with your order that you could then take to the cashier to pay with, get the receipt and then head back to get your food. That extra step would have made it a lot simpler.
In any case, we ordered a couple of boxes to take away in the end. The boxes were prepared by the countermen quickly and without any input from us as to what to include/​exclude (a pity in my opinion as there were definitely some things I particularly wanted but did not get…)
The baklava itself? Fantastic. Crispy, Chewy, Sweet and Succulent. Having had baklava elsewhere during my trip, this was great. Definitely would go back for more, but probably with someone who will be able to order for me! One star knocked off specifically for the ordering process!

We specifically went to this place after reading all the Unilocal reviews and sampled a number of different desserts. The baklavas are definitely very tasty but thanks to globalization I’ve had very similar ones in the US. I probably won’t go here again. If you are in the area however I’d recommend that you stop by just to ogle at all the varieties of baklavas they make.

Acudí a este local tras leer en varios foros y guías que era sin lugar a dudas, el mejor sitio para tomar baklava de todo Estambul y parte de Turquía y no se equivocaban.
Cuando llegué, me encontré con un local tipo pastelería bastante grande y lleno de gente a rebosar. Al final, encontramos sitio en una de las mesas y decidimos quedarnos a probar estos famosos pastelillos de hojaldre, pistacho y miel.
El funcionamiento de la cafetería difiere un poco de lo habitual ya que es un autoservicio en el que se pide la comida en alguno de los mostradores y luego, se paga en una caja que está aparte.
Los pastelillos estaban deliciosos y tanto es así que decidimos llevarnos una caja para uno para llevar a casa. Los pasteles para llevar los preparan perfectamente y no hay ningún problema en su transporte en avión hasta España.

I found this place by searching «Best baklava in Istanbul.» Is it? Maybe! It is very, very good and the number of varieties is unbeatable. The baklava we had was truly delicious, and we tried a whole bunch of different varieties… Each one tasted very distinctly different, some with more nuts, some with less, some with floral notes in them. And it is a famous place, this is the type of baklava they sell at the airport so it very much has the Turkish stamp of approval!
All of that being said, I think it’s difficult to make *bad* baklava. And because this place is famous, it is absolutely bonkers. You have to be super aggressive to get a table, and if there are more than 2 of you, you will be all squished together at the table. I really enjoyed coming here and the baklava was certainly delicious… But on a hot day, after a lot of walking, it might have been a more pleasant experience to find a smaller sort of shop with more seating and perhaps some air con. To be able to really savor the moment– eating crispy, sweet pastries in one of the most amazing, cosmopolitan cities in the world.
I’ve had a lot of baklava in Turkey and while this was indeed fantastic, I think it’s important to be forewarned about what a crazy and rushed feeling it is to eat here… and to know that there are many other sweets shops in Istanbul with very good baklava that may be more comfortable to visit.

Where to start… Well, even looking at its name gives me an appetite! It’s THE place to eat dessert in Istanbul. You must try this specific Gulluoglu as the rest are franchisees and nothing to do with this original one. Baklava, kadayif. all incredibly yummy.
You need to pay first and then grab your dessert showing the servers your bill.(just keep it in mind)

Wow!
They weren’t kidding when they told me this is THE best place to get baklavas in Turkey. The place has been around since the 1820s! I saw a ton of locals here buying boxes and boxes of mixed baklavas in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. After having baklava here my standards for good baklava is set super high. Believe me when I say I’ve tasted a fair share of baklavas in Greece and Turkey. This place is hands down the best (and definitely worth the trek from Old Town!)
Why so good? The pastry shell is crisp and the honey is held all inside. No ooey gooey mess here. The nuts and honey come together in perfection with crispy flaky pastry — freshly baked and still taste almost as good 5 days later. No funny business with ingredients here, just natural. I don’t pop pastries like candy in general but with these I could easily down a few pieces in one sitting. Heavenly!!!
We bought 3 boxes to bring home. I gave a box to my friend for taking care of my dog and have some baklavas to family as well. Buyer beware, the price is steep but well worth it!!! They loved it!

This is the original Gulluoglu and they are famous for their baklava. Every time I visit Istanbul, I make sure to stop here and buy some baklava to take back to the States.
What a lot of people don’t know if that this place is also famous for their Borek. A local tipped me off to this. During my visit last week, I had the meat borek and it was one of the best I have ever had. The addition of tiny raisins in this savory treat was interesting and yum!
I still haven’t had a chance to try their dondurma (ice cream). Hopefully I will get to do so next time (whenever that may be).

The baklava here was so good that we came a second time during a short trip to Istanbul! This time we made it to the commercial location.
It was about 8 or 8:30pm on a Sunday night during low tourist season (mid-​May) and they were pretty packed. All the tables except the small standing ones inside were full. But the turnaround was fast, and we just waited a minute or two before we saw a table on the sidewalk open up.
You seat yourself. There is no Wi-​Fi.
The system for ordering is pretty confusing as most of the staff behind the counters have very limited English. It took me a while to figure out that first, you pay at the register in the middle. They asked me whether I wanted pistachio or walnut and how many pieces. I also paid for tea here. I went to the counter all the way on the right (when facing the back of the restaurant), but that one’s for bulk orders. My boyfriend got a box later and he paid per kg (about 30 TL for 0.5kg, which was about 15 pieces of the classic baklava). I was sent to the «Self Service» counter in the middle and at first he just gave me 3 pieces of regular baklava, but then I gestured I wanted specific pieces. He seemed kind of upset about this but gave me what I asked for. Then you go to the counter all the way to the left for drinks.
It was 2.2 TL per piece (more expensive than the factory location a couple blocks away), and about another 5 TL for two tea’s. See my photos for details on the desserts we got.

Great and absolutely perfect Baklavas.
We were eating baklava and drinking tea at the same table as Mr. Nadir Güllü, the owner and master of the Baklavas. He sits always on the same place, but the other places at the table are free to join and you can have a chit chat with the master himself, depending on how much you can understand of Turkish.

Everyone I spoke with in Istanbul insisted that this place has the best Baklava in Istanbul but for me this was a bit of a let down.
The method of ordering can be a bit confusing at first but it’s not too complicated. There is a section for buying large quantities to put in boxes and take away and then there is another section to get individual pieces or smaller amounts to eat there.
First you need to go to the register and pay for a ticket which you later give to the people behind the pastry counters. I ordered a three piece plate and was given three of the standard looking pieces. Two out three were very good although not outstanding in my opinion. The third, most standard looking baklava was almost too sweet to eat and I’ve definitely had better of these even in the US. The other two were had a lot of pistachio and to me were much better pastries.
The place itself is nice to hangout, eat pastries and drink tea but there are a lot of places you can do this in Istanbul. If I were to try baklava again I would definitely try another place more off the beaten path.

Doesn’t live up to expectations at all. The boreki with cheese (su boregi) was not good and not anywhere close to how it is supposed to be. Everyone seems raving about the baklava but I definitely had much better. The only good thing about the baklava was that it had lots and lots of pistachios. But if you are craving for pistachios you would be better off if you just buy some from the local grocery store. :) Too touristy, I want to call this place the Ghirardelli of Istanbul.

Yum! If you’re lucky and they have their chocolate baklava, try it– it’s amazing!

I don’t know much about Turkish cuisine, so I just let the staff help me pick a variety of baklavas, including the pistachio one which is the most popular. They were nice, but I didn’t find them to be as amazing as everyone here seems to rave about. It might just be my personal taste though (somehow I still like the Costco pastry platter dripped in honey better lol).

Allgemein als bestes Baklava in Istanbul bekannt.
Kann ich nur bestätigen. Nichtt zu süß, nussig und frisch.
Nicht sehr billig, aber das Geld allemal Wert!

Excuse my indecency, but GAWD the baklava here is better than sex. Greece, Turkey, Lebanon– they all claim to be the birthplace of baklava. Baklava should be revered and appreciated by all– who cares where it originated? I’m just thankful that it exists.
The baklava we have in the U.S. is severely lacking. Again, pardon my language, but in comparison, what we have here is shit (my review is totally getting flagged as inappropriate in Turkey).
The first time I had a taste of this glorious baklava was when my ex-​coworker brought some back from Turkey. It wasn’t even fresh, but it changed my life forever. I did a little research before my trip, and discovered that it’s distinctly the most famous and popular baklava shop in the country. It’s one of the few Turkish businesses on Unilocal,so you know it’s legit. Not to mention, despite the language barrier, every single local we approached knew exactly what we were inquiring about.
«Baklava…where?»
“Ah, Karakoy Gulluoglu! 200 meters.” Points to give directions.
My travel buddy and I trekked 20+ minutes through the rain and finally arrived. It was no doubt one of those hallelujah moments. My intense hatred for rain can only be softened by the promise of baklava. I was soaking wet and very confused as I was turned away from the display of golden goodies. Apparently, you pay at the register first, then take your receipt to the counter and get the goods. HOW DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE?
I got an assorted box, $ 30 USD for 1 kg, ~25 pieces. They fill up the box with a set variety, but if you want to customize, you may get more or less pieces depending on the weight. The packaging is beautiful, and they even have a machine that seals the box with plastic wrap. They know, they know, they know. People aren’t leaving without stocking up.
The classic baklava with pistachios has a coat of butter in between every single layer of pastry, then drenched in honey. It makes for a very sweet, sinful, and decadent treat. You may have a preexisting notion of baklava, but this is a million times better than anything you’ve ever tried.
My eyes widened at the chocolate baklava, and the man behind the counter offered me a piece to sample. My eyes proceeded to roll to the back of my head. Needless to say, I enjoyed it tremendously.
I may not know you, but I will still never forgive you if you don’t come here while you’re in Istanbul. Eat as much as you possibly can, and take a box to-​go so you can eat more. Uh, I mean, to share with your loved ones.

Something about the Broadway-​bright lights of the storefront, overly gold interior décor, and location under a large car park initially made this place less appealing and feel a bit like a tourist trap but upon further inspection, this was legit. We meant to try more sweets but didn’t have a ton of time so my boyfriend and I only ordered 4 small pieces of regular baklava, 4 of chocolate baklava (what? yes, it exists), and of course, Turkish tea. My goodness. I admittedly don’t have a sweet tooth but this shiz was GOOD. They were sweet but not too sweet, had great nutty flavors, and was perfect mix of chewy and crunchy. 5 noms all the way. This was also the second time I’ve ever tried baklava, both times being in Istanbul, so I think I’m pretty much spoiled for life.

Not all baklava is created equal. Not by a long shot.
I’d tried a few pieces that were really just… not good. I was shocked! When in New York, you can walk into virtually any ol’ pizza shop and have a pretty damn decent slice of pizza. Isn’t that how baklava should work in Istanbul? Apparently not.
I also found out that the stuff has a limited life span, especially in purse conditions. I learned right away there was no such thing as «saving it for later.» Rookie move.
In fact, I hadn’t had any baklava that really impressed me until C and I started to explore more of the city. We decided we’d spent way too much time in and around Taksim Square and the tourist-​ridden Sultahnamet. Now fully cultured with museum passes used to pieces, we started to venture up through Karakoy and into Ortakoy.
And on the way, we encountered *cue angelic music here* Karakoy Gulluoglu (but with way more accent marks)!!! This place was serious baklava heaven. It was pretty early in the morning and it was packed. While I always thought of the pastry as a very sweet dessert, apparently it is totally acceptable to nosh on it for breakfast! And if that means trying every flavor, so be it! Walnut, Pistachio, chocolate in varying shapes and sizes! Perfectly crispy and chewy at the same time, without being soggy (which was the problem I’d encountered at other places)
Oh– and be sure to order some kaymak (clotted cream) on the side! Its cool creaminess really cuts some of the intense sweetness and makes the perfect accompaniment for breakfast. Along with some strong Turkish tea of course. Breakfast of champions!

Großartig, wenn man Baklava mag, muss man dieses Geschäft bei der Istanbulreise unbedingt besuchen. Man darf übrigens kostenlos probieren, wenn man sich ein Päckchen zum Takeaway zusammenstellen lässt.

Here’s my first world issue. I love baklava, but nowhere in England can seem to make it right. It’s always too sweet or too flaky and falls apart in my hands or just the wrong combination.
Here? This is the best baklava I’ve ever had. Hands down. Amazing.
This bakery is one you might walk right past, even though it’s giant (it sort of blends in with the surroundings). Don’t. Stop in, all those people sitting at tables are not wrong. This spot is amazing.
I tried a bunch of different things here — no idea what it was besides the baklava (again, perfect.) Doesn’t matter though, whatever you get here is unbelievably well made. Also, hey the white almost marshmallow-​y looking cream to put on top of it. That made something insane good into insane crazy good.
The only true issue with this place is the service, which feels unnecessarily confusing. There’s a giant line at the counter, but if you get up to the front, you realise you needed to order and pay at the register first. Only, at the register, you have no idea what you’re ordering, since the food is on the other side of the room. The names of the dishes are in Turkish (obviously), but beyond baklava, I was lost. There are labels to each dish, but they’re not matched with the item (just running along the top of the counter with a grainy picture attached).
Then there’s a counter for take away and a counter for eating in. Try not to get them mixed up.
There also is a bathroom here if you need it, but it’s behind the counter through the door that looks like it’s going to the kitchen. That’s the one.
If in Istanbul, do not miss this bakery. Seriously. Write down the name of what you want, order it, sit and enjoy. Because this is truly some of the best desserts I’ve ever had.

I decided to write this review in English just cause anyone in Turkey would know this is one of the best Baklava places in Istanbul. So it may not be as helpful for a Turk. Let me explain you a little bit. It’s located very close to Karakoy Ferry Station and the store is a pretty big one for a Baklava store. Well obviously, we do not just have Baklava, we have tons of others such as Pistachio Durum, Kadayif, tons of other stuff with nuts.
So when you go here, make sure that you are not just trying baklava. Try the others as well. Anything is as good as baklava or even better. For example, let me give you a name of something you never heard of before. Try Sutlu Nuriye. Its similar to baklava but more milky and is too good to be true. They dont always have it as its made in less amounts, but if you find it, you are lucky, order yourself a platter with different types, sit outside and drink Turkish tea along with it. Prices arent cheap. You have to pay first, and then go on the line to get your order, very different than what we normally do –but I guess this is the easiest way for a place that is full at all times.
If you are looking for a new taste that isnt sweet, you could also go for borek. Just have tea with whatever you are having. It makes the whole experience way better. Enjoy ;)

Ich habe ja schon einige Läden zu meinen persönlichen Schlaraffenland-​Orten erklärt dieser hat noch gefehlt! Bei so vielen leckeren Baklava-​Sorten war ich erstmal leicht überfordert. Da hilft alles nichts und man muss einfach anfangen zu probieren. Als ich einem Zuckerschock nahe war, habe ich mir noch einiges zum Mitnehmen einpacken lassen. Das hat zwar einiges gekostet, aber der Geschmack und die Qualität sind einfach unschlagbar! Danke Eyüp, für deinen Tipp, doch mal bei Güllüoglu vorbei zu schauen!

Absoluter Hammer! Am besten einen gemischten Teller bestellen und bezahlen (wichtig: vorher an der Kasse bezahlen und mit dem Bön dann zur Baklava Theke marschieren) und sich diesen dann nach Herzenslust vollpacken lassen.

Hat natürlich absoluten Kultstatus :).
Es schmeckt hier wirklich immer gut! Ganz gleich,
was man sich genehmigt. Einzig die Preise sind
in den letzten Jahren vor allem in Istanbul gestiegen!
Daher gibt es einen Sternabzug, denn ist kein Ende
dieser konstant steigenden Preiserhöhung in Sicht!

Baklava ist GUT (nicht so gut wie in Antep) aber SU BOREGI ist die Beste hier!

Güllüoglu ist sowieso die beste Baklava Bäckerei in der Türkei ist eine Kette und hier soll es begonnen haben. es schmeckt wirklich hammer

Güllüoglu ist das BESTE überhaupt!!! Der Beste Baklavaverkäufer in Istanbul und Umgebung… mein Vater hat mich dazu gebracht, er sagte als Kind schon, brauchst nichts anderes zu vergleichen. DAS ist das leckerste!!! Er hatte und hat immer noch recht.
Jedes Jahr wenn ich in Istanbul bin, muß ich mind. eine Portion mit Walnüssen, Pistazien essen, eine riesige Portion dann für mich und Freunde nach Deutschland mitnehmen.
Man merkt die Qualität!!!
DAS BESTE!!! :)))

Da im Karaköy Güllüoglu nach Baklava-​Experten-​Meinung, das beste Baklava hergestellt wird, war ein Besuch für mich eine Selbstverständlichkeit. (Wie könnte ich mich ansonsten, in einen «Orientalen» einfühlen?)
Photo link:
Karaköy Güllüoglu Ladengeschäft von Aussen
Das Karaköy Güllüoglu ist gleichzeitig ein Selbstbedienungs-​Café und ein Ladengeschäft.
Photo link:
Karaköy Güllüoglu Baklava-​Kurse
Die Preise der einzelnen Baklava-​Sorten werden, wie Währungskurse durch rot leuchtende Ziffern angezeigt.
Man kann entweder frisch gebackenen Baklava im Café verzehren oder man kann sich seine Auswahl zum Mitnehmen verpacken lassen.
Das Café ist nicht sonderlich gemütlich, also haben wir uns eine kleine Auswahl einpacken lassen, um sie in unserer Ferienwohnung mit einem türkischen Mokka zu geniessen.
Photo link:
Karaköy Güllüoglu Ladengeschäft von Innen
Photo link:
Karaköy Güllüoglu Baklava-«Kiste» zu
Photo link:
Karaköy Güllüoglu Baklava-«Kiste» offen
Baklava ist jetzt nicht mein Süßigkeitenfavorit, aber das Baklava von Karaköy Güllüoglu war wirklich das beste das ich gegessen habe.
Wahrscheinlich deshalb, weil es so frisch und nicht so süß war, einfach da es noch nicht lange genug Zeit hatte das zur vorhandene Zuckerwasser aufzusaugen. ;-)

Der beste Baklava ever! Mit aromatischen Pistazien aus Antep, und nicht zuviel Sirup, und trotzdem nicht trocken. Ein Meisterwerk!
Als ‘Beilage’ zum Baklava sollte man noch Kaymak probieren, ein Erzeugniss aus der Wasserbüffelsahne, ähnlich der englischen ‘clotted cream’