Turkophiles' reunion at Cafe Istanbul

Trip Start Jun 03, 2009

Trip End Sep 18, 2009

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Flag of United States Atlanta, Georgia
Thursday, July 30, 2009

I had enough time to unpack my 2 suitcases and dufflebag before my friend from college came to visit. She is technically an alumna now and has moved down to Florida for graduate school. Pulling up in my drive way around 8pm, Laura sported a Florida license plate on her new car.

To commemorate our roommateship in Istanbul, we visited one of my favorite places in Atlanta: Cafe Istanbul. There are 3 major hookah bar/lounge/restaurants in Atlanta. Divan claims to be "Atlanta's sexiest restaurant", while Ibiza is fancy and romantic. Cafe Istanbul is the most authentic and laid back of them all in my opinion. It's a hidden gem located in Decatur, near Emory University.

We ordered a hookah- peach- and got 2 bottles of Efes. Laura additionally ordered a glass of Raki, a traditional Turkish drink. We felt the urge to talk to the waiter about our amazing moments in Turkey. With his overbearing Turkish hospitality, he sat with us for 30+ minutes and invited us to go clubbing with him... uhh what? I am pretty sure he was drinking scotch at work.

Overall, Cafe Istanbul is worth a trip. There are couples, friends, and big groups lounging around with fun Turkish music in the background. They also have belly dancing on weekends and Wednesdays. Try raki if you are into trying traditional drinks- it's not on the menu!

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