The magnificent Beyoglu Culture which inspires Civan mostly has been a wonderful background for Istanbul gentlemen and old time ladies. By the time with the changing of consumption behaviours and urban "transformation", some of the main building stones were forced to change or shut down. Civan gusto which took the responsibility to give back what the city gave to us, set us in motion and made us support the legendary bakery store "İnci". We are meaning to show our love by writing it in our City Notes.
It probably won't get your whole attention first time you walk by in front of it in Taksim Square-Tunnel direction as it has a very pretensionless and simple display window, however as you experience the ultimate taste once you will want to have some tips in your mind to remember every time (right across Mephisto)
The simplicity of the display and and the "very small" amount of tables and chairs in the store might surprise you at first. Service employees who work like a machine and the calm discipline makes the place somewhere that you don't want to lay and hangout all day already. Yet, visitors of the store know what to do like its their job; they order rapidly and eat the whole plate in 3 moves like a professional so that new seats are opened for newcomers.
There used to be a shirt maker named Tatarian which is claimed to be prefered by Atatürk, in the current place of İnci before Lucas Zgoridis (or Luka Zigori as written on the display window) created the legendary formula of delicious profiterole. We fonder if the shirt maker knew back then that he was preparing the fundamentals of an urban legend when he decided to sell his store to expand the business.
İnci Patisserie is still producing amazing desserts at the same place where Mr. Lucas set up the business. Heir of the business, Mr. Musa introduces himsef as son of Lucas since he joined the adventure in 1960 (İnci was established in 1944). They are one of the most fascinating examples of the mentor-protege relationship's turning into something more.
In İnci Patisserie where you will be hosted gently in a vintage way, we recommend you to try their classics like Bavaruaz, Uludag Cake, Creme Caramel and Maron Degise (if you can skip perfectly looking profiteroles each and every time).
İNCİ PASTANESİ
İstiklal Caddesi No: 124/2, Beyoğlu, (212) 243 24 12