Flat White, Cortado or Spanish Latte? Decoding the Coffee Menu for First-Timers

A flat white, a cortado and a Spanish latte are all espresso with milk; the difference is how much milk, how it is textured, and — in the Spanish latte’s case — whether part of it is sweetened condensed milk. Our menu board on Sultanahmet Square lists fourteen hot coffees, and we watch first-time visitors read it the way people read a wine list: confidently, and without a clue. This is the board explained, from the smallest cup to the sweetest.

Start with the espresso

Everything on the hot side of the board except the Turkish coffee and the filter begins with an espresso: finely ground coffee, tamped into a basket, with hot water forced through it under pressure for around twenty-five to thirty seconds. On its own it is an Espresso (₺280) or a Double Espresso (₺340) — small, concentrated, with a layer of reddish-brown crema on top. Our beans come from Calibre Coffee, the Istanbul roastery behind the 2023 World Coffee Roasting Championship runner-up, and the espresso is the clearest way to taste what that means.

The milk drinks, from least milk to most

Cortado (₺340). The name comes from the Spanish cortar, to cut: a shot of espresso cut with roughly the same amount of lightly steamed milk, served in a small glass. It is the strongest of the milk drinks and the one to order if you like coffee and want the milk to soften it rather than take over.

Flat White (₺340). An Australian and New Zealand invention from the 1980s that has since gone everywhere. A double shot with steamed milk textured into a fine, velvety microfoam — no thick cap of froth — in a cup smaller than a latte. It tastes of coffee first and milk second, and the smooth surface is what baristas pour latte art into.

Cappuccino (₺340). The classic: espresso, steamed milk and a deep layer of airy foam on top, in roughly equal parts. Lighter in the mouth than a flat white because of that foam.

Latte (₺340). The most milk of the four, with only a thin layer of foam. The mildest, and the one to choose if you want a long, gentle cup.

Spanish Latte (₺370). Espresso, steamed milk and a measure of sweetened condensed milk. The result is rich, smooth and noticeably sweet without any syrup, with roots in the Spanish café bombón — espresso layered over condensed milk. It is the drink to order if you usually add sugar.

Honey Latte (₺380), Mocha (₺340) and White Mocha (₺360) round out the milk side: honey, dark chocolate and white chocolate respectively.

Black, but not espresso

Americano (₺360) is an espresso lengthened with hot water — the body and roast character of espresso in a larger, milder cup. Filter / Black Coffee (₺340) is brewed a different way entirely, with hot water poured over coarser grounds and drawn through paper. It is cleaner, lighter and better at showing the fruit and floral notes of a single origin. If you like your coffee black and have twenty minutes, filter is the more interesting choice.

The two that do not fit the ladder

Turkish Coffee (₺370) is brewed unfiltered in a cezve and served in a small cup with the grounds settling at the bottom; we have written about it separately. Affogato (₺420) is a scoop of Mövenpick ice cream with a hot espresso poured over it — dessert and coffee in one glass, and the right choice on a warm afternoon.

How to order

Say the drink, then the milk: dairy is standard, oat or almond is ₺90 extra. An extra espresso shot is ₺120 if you want any drink stronger, a larger size is ₺30, and caramel, vanilla or hazelnut syrup is ₺90. If you are unsure, tell the barista how milky and how sweet you want it and let them choose. The whole board, hot and iced, is on the menu page.

Which to order first

If you like coffee: a cortado. If you are not sure: a flat white. If you take sugar: a Spanish latte. Then sit on the terrace, look at the Obelisk a minute away, and try a different one tomorrow. We are open every day from 09:00 to 19:00, and the board is not going anywhere.