A cosy option for a coffee and a snack if you’re around the Tünel end of Istiklal Caddesi is the casually elegant Simdi (meaning ‘Now’), with its Illy coffee, lovely modern chandelier and attractive blue tiling. On warm days the sliding doors are pulled back so that the comfortable front section is exposed to the street, where bench seats make a great people-watching spot. The back eating area includes a space that is effectively a courtyard, open to the sky and surrounded on all sides by the windows of the flats above. The long menu is simple (pastas, salads, sandwiches) and includes tasty (Turkish-style) breakfast options; there’s also a good selection of wines by the glass, and free WiFi, too.