İnci Pastanesi

İnci Pastanesi is a small patisserie in Beyoğlu that has been serving profiteroles since 1944, and for many Istanbul residents it is the name most closely tied to the dessert. It was founded by Lucas Zigoridis and for decades occupied a shop in the Cercle d'Orient building on İstiklal Avenue. When the building was cleared for redevelopment in 2012 the patisserie had to leave, and after a short break it reopened on Mis Sokak, a side street just off the avenue.

The profiterole is the reason to come. Small choux buns are filled with cream and served in a glass dish, smothered in a thick, dark chocolate sauce, and the recipe is credited as an adaptation of a French dessert. It is rich, generous and best eaten straight away. The counter also holds tortes, bavarois and other cakes, along with croissants, poğaça and börek for a savoury snack, and the shop is known for its homemade lemonade.

The shop is plain and unpretentious, with a counter and a handful of tables, and the atmosphere is that of a neighbourhood patisserie rather than a café to linger in. A traditional sebil, a water fountain, offers free drinking water to customers, a detail that has survived the move. Most people eat standing or perched at a small table, and the visit takes only a few minutes.

Order at the counter, ask for a portion of profiteroles, and take a seat if one is free. Eating them on the spot, while the sauce is still glossy, is the best way to enjoy them. Prices are modest. Afternoons and early evenings are busiest, when shoppers and office workers stop in. Do not expect espresso drinks or a long café menu; this is a traditional pastane, and the profiteroles are the point of the visit. If you want a second dessert, the tortes and bavarois are lighter alternatives.

İnci suits anyone with a sweet tooth, families and visitors interested in the old patisseries of Pera. Mis Sokak runs off İstiklal Avenue between Taksim and Galatasaray, a short walk from Taksim Square and close to Mandabatmaz for a Turkish coffee afterwards. The Çiçek Pasajı, the Galatasaray High School and the Pera Museum are a few minutes further down the avenue.