Simit Sarayı (İstiklal Caddesi)

This entry covers Simit Sarayı's branch on İstiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu. It sits in Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mahallesi at the Taksim Square end of the street, and is listed in the company's official store directory under the name 'İstiklal' with the type 'CADDE' — a street-front store. The location defines the branch: a spot built for over-the-counter service on a street with foot traffic at every hour. A simit picked up on the way to work, a tea break between sights, a poğaça in the late afternoon — that is how the place is actually used, with limited seating and the weight on takeaway and quick eating. Alongside simit, the menu covers oven items such as poğaça, açma and kurabiye, as well as burgers, wraps, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, salads and main dishes; the company says its products are served with strong-brewed tea. For context: Simit Sarayı opened its first shop in 2002, reached 18 stores across Istanbul by 2004, moved to a franchise model in 2007, opened its first store abroad in the Netherlands in 2010, and opened its Dam Square store in 2014. The İstiklal branch is among the brand's most visible shop windows in Istanbul.