The Pudding Shop

Since 1957, Lale Restaurant, affectionately called "The Pudding Shop", has been the spot where travelers, tourists, adventurers, and wanderers from all around the world gather in Istanbul to meet up and swap tips and tales of their journeys over a bowl of delicious Turkish pudding, a hot coffee, and maybe a beer or two.

The Pudding Shop holds a special and quirky place in Istanbul's 20th century history. Situated in the vibrant and historic Sultanahmet district, it has a storied past that dates back to the 1950s and gained international fame in the 1960s and '70s as a hub for travelers exploring the Middle East and Asia on the famous overland journey known as the "Hippie Trail."

Originally named "Lale Lokantası" (Tulip Restaurant), it earned the nickname "Pudding Shop" due to its popular desserts (travelers passing through often couldn't remember its name and would tell their friends to meet them in Istanbul at the "Pudding Shop").

I was out for an early morning walk on my final day in Istanbul. It was still dark on a cold, windy morning, and the warm inviting lights of the Pudding Shop invited me inside to sit down and warm up before continuing my adventures in the city.

While the menu is extensive, I knew I wanted to try fırın sütlaç, the famous Turkish baked rice pudding that quite literally put Lale Restaurant on the map. I ordered a bowl of pudding and a cup of Turkish coffee and made small talk with the old Turkish men who were having an early breakfast at the table next to mine.

Today, the Pudding Shop continues to welcome visitors seeking a taste of both traditional Turkish cuisine and a slice of its legendary past. Though it may have shifted and calmed down significantly from its wild freewheeling heyday, The Pudding Shop remains a cultural landmark in Istanbul, inviting both locals and tourists to savor its famous pudding and soak in the nostalgia of its vibrant history.

The walls are plastered in newspaper clippings, postcards, letters, and photographs from travelers dating back decades. It's a piece of living history commemorating a free-spirited past and evoking a sense of wild adventure and history.

Fırın sütlaç is a sweet Turkish rice pudding that is made from fresh whole milk, rice, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. It's baked and served in a shallow clay bowl to give the top a caramelized crust - similar to that of a crème brûlée but much softer. The pudding is then chilled for several hours and is served cold with a dusting of cinnamon.

The pudding is thick and rich, like a sweet vanilla custard. While generally considered to be a dessert, I found it to be a fantastic and indulgent early-morning breakfast.

The rich, sweet pudding goes great with a cup of world-famous Turkish coffee.

Turkish coffee is considered to be some of the best in the world. The finely-ground coffee is boiled in water and served in small cups without filtering. The super strong brew is traditionally served in a very small porcelain cup called a kahve fincanı (literally "coffee cup").

The resulting coffee is strong - some of the strongest coffee I've ever had! You can get it with sugar or without. Coffee is served all throughout the day in Turkey.

The Pudding Shop is located just steps from Hagia Sofia, probably the most famous and iconic site in all of Turkey. I didn't have a ton of time before my flight, but I wanted to at least get a glimpse of this legendary landmark.