Mahatma Cafe

I tried the vegan breakfast of this cafe, and I just loved it. It's not a traditional breakfast, it has different editions like beetroot hummus and poppy seeds paste (which I love the most for the breakfast). I haven't tried the other food options of the venue.

Good reggae, you know, it's magic. Especially in Istanbul since you are mainly plunged in different Turkish or western tunes.
You are swayed by it's flow, sipping Turkish tea from a sand glass shaped cup.

Plants are real, colors are vivid, it's an atmospheric cafe, quiet at this time of the year, gives you plenty of time for reflection.

Hummus and pepper bread are super tasty.

Highly recommended ,)

Updated from previous review on 2017-01-12

Try to keep your cool. Easy veganism. Mahatma is parked on a peaceful Kadıköy corner, perfect for al fresco conversations about how good and real the food is. It's all vegan, but there's not one drop of pretentiousness in it. The host conveys surprise at your surprise that it's all vegan. Look again and realize it's all quite normal food. Turkish cuisine, with gentle adjustments, exploits no sentient being. Mahatma is proof that veganism doesn't have to be a spectacle. It can just be delicious banality.

I have been here many times... the food is good, you can have some traditional turkish food , in a vegan twist! Worth trying... not my favorite in Istanbul though :)

I went to Mahatma cafe last September with my girlfriend.
We were very enjoyed by the tasty meal (all it's home made), the good vibration of the place and you can have good discussion with the owners.
It was a definitely great experience, we hope we'll can come back one day.

I found this place a year a go and it seemed really cute and colourful. And than saw the ' go vegan' writing on the wall. The owners were really cute and helpful couple. Everything was fresh and tasty. Especially humus was delicious.

We took the ferry over specifically to try this place out and we were not disappointed. Very friendly owner. Delicious food and great ambiance. We had trouble deciding what to try because it all looked so good and so we eventually decided on two different platters. Everything we tried was great.

I went to Mahatma Cafe last week with my boyfriend. I am doing Erasmus in Istanbul and he visited me, so we were both hungry after wandering around the city. The place is really easy to find and in a nice area with colourful streetart.
Since all seats were taken (it is rather small) we sat outside on one of the multicoloured tables.
We had tea with real flowers in it and shared a piece of tiramisu cake. let me tell you...it was delicious!
The owner came to talk to us and was really friendly! =D
He also offered us some tiny sesame treats as we left.
I will definitely go there again and I am also thinking of bringing my whole familiy for breakfast when they come to visit.

If you are vegan and you want to eat some authentic Turkish food, this is the best place in Istanbul for you! You can enjoy every single meal guilt free :) All the meals are made by a kind old Turkish woman and they are just soooo delicious! I can't recommend this place enough. The prices are a bit high but for the quality and service you get it is totally worth it.

Whenever I want to eat vegan cake/pie/cookies/pastry accompanied by good Turkish tea and a smiling face, I visit this place. My favorites have been lemon pie and tiramisu with orange so far. All staff is helpful, and I like them. Their specialty soup is nice too. Especially in summer, it gets better, because they have good outdoor seating in a quiet neighborhood. Remember that it is hard to find such a place which is "all vegan" in Turkey.

We had a great lunch at mahatma the other day, its definitely worth going out of your way for the delicious veggie food here. There are so many differently options, we shared a few things - a soup, a little pastry, and a mixed plate and everything was delicious and came to around 40 lira with some teas. It's a small but light space with a couple of tables outside and is in an interesting suburb to walk around - heaps of antique, vintage shops record shops. Go here

Mahatma Cafe is such a nice palce. I go there to read, draw, talk, stroke their cats, bring my friends - and eat delicious original food.
The café is located ina super nice area in Kadiköy, about 5 min walking distance from the ferry harbour.
The staff is overwhelmingly friendly, and the food is just delicious.
As already mentioned by the other reviewers, you should definitely go for the hummus!
Also, I really like their vegan interpretation of the Turkish menemen. It takes some 20 minutes to cook, but it is definitely worth the waiting time.

Personally, I do not find the portions small. Actually, I find their prices quite cheap and the plates highly satisfying in comparison to other locations in Istanbul.

If you want to eat vegan in Istanbul - this is the place to be.

Mahatma Cafe is my favourite place to eat vegan regularly in Istanbul. It has a local feel to it, while also being very welcoming to travellers. The cafe itself is very colourful and animal-friendly. It is definitely the first place I would recommend to visitors to have a delicious vegan meal, and to relax during an afternoon with some Turkish tea.

The food is very fresh, mainly organic and locally sourced. Daily there is a mixed plate option, which is perfect to try a bit of everything and feel satisfied. Everything is delicious, however I must confess I am obsessed with their hummus...it is probably the best hummus I have every tried. I am not sure how they make it/what spices they use, but it is very good. I also recommend trying a börek (a savoury phyllo dough filled with various vegetables like potatoes, or lentils). Their lemon tart/pie is also very refreshing at the end of the meal with some tea, if they have it on the day you go (there are various dessert options depending on the day).

Always a lovely experience at Mahatmas, will miss when I leave the city.

colourful place and stuff. you can prepare mixed plate with traditional foods. It is not much expensive.
there are delicious desserts and breakfast options

place also animal friendly ^^ stuff feed the street animals (I am not sure animals belong to whom)

This is a popular vegan cafe on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Most people seem to order the mixed plate, which is a good balance of food such as different veg., beans, lentil balls, potatoes and stuffed vine leaves. It's very tasty.

It's also especially good to see when a plate is made carefully like this with complementary tastes, and not overloaded with greens or depressive scraps of salad to take up space - it's clear that the owner created the menu from the point of view of someone who is vegan/veg. themselves and not just randomly guessing at what might work (or at least, it's a good guess!).

The only problem I had with it was that it finished a bit too quickly... just a little bit more on the plate would have been great.

Apart from the mixed plate, I had the falafel plate once and it was ok, but as usual in Istanbul the falafels are not that great, in this case they were quite hard on the outside, instead of just being crunchy. But it's a minor point.

The hummus on the other hand is especially interesting and tasty, made a little spicy.

Some of the desserts (cakes) here were excellent, although they change every now and then. The chocolate cake and also a hazelnut type of cake were very delicious - you should definitely try some if you have the chance!

Prices are average for the location.

When you're going to the asian side of Istanbul, be sure to check this place. The food is amazing. You can get mixed plates of vegan awesomeness as well as delicious self-made cake. Outdoor sitting is nice, you'll get in contact with Kadiköys citylife.

Amazing cafe! I had visited it two times and absolutely loved it! Their stuff is very friendly and pleasant, food is delicious (especially their hummus, I asked about the recipe but they said that their boss makes it by himself and keeps all the ingredients under the secret), prices are quite low but servings are big (you feel full after half of it!). Definitely worth visiting!
Updated from previous review on Sunday September 13, 2015

Enjoyed a mixed platter and their home made lemonade.
The service was very friendly and the place is lovely.
Recommended!

Worth visiting - really good food - and super nice people. Prices by European standard was very cheap. I went there twice during my trip!

As there aren't many vegan places on the European side of Istanbul, I caught a ferry across to Kadikoy and it was absolutely worth it! We ordered a breakfast plate (various dips, vegetables) and a lunch plate (similar to the breakfast plate, but with beans and rice) - they were 15 lira each. This was accompanied by a generous basket of bread and a delicious vegan chocolate spread and strawberry jam.

Definitely try the desserts. They have vegan baklava, so you won't feel any disappointment from missing out in Turkey! I also ordered takeaway items - a lemon tart, cookie and tomato pastry. The two plates, homemade lemonade plus all the desserts and takeaway were 61 lira. Unbelievable value!! If you are a vegan living or visiting Istanbul, you definitely have to come to Kadikoy for this.

Definitely my favorite -all-vegan place in Kadikoy since you cant find any vegan breakfast around with delicious taste,Mahatma is number 1. If you are 2, order a breakfast plate for one person with their delicious,hand-made "borek with lentils",that will be enough Because portions are not small! Prices are certainly reasonable!They have various of vegan food! In Istanbul,it is a bit hard to find vegan deserts but they have many such as tramisu,cookies,cakes etc very tasty!
They are not like other vegan friendly restaurants,just give you little salad and small portion of olive oils with expensive price.They give you great and delicious work with nice,smiley faces. Plus if we compare to others,prices are really reasonable and def worth it!

You should give a try and you will love it. (I am a big fan of their food )
Updated from previous review on Wednesday August 12, 2015

I love this place. The food was delicious. I've got a mixed plate with all the delicacies for 15TL. I think that's very fair. The service was very nice and accommodating. I will definitely come again.

Don't miss this place in kadiköy. Very creative and cosy atmosphere. The mixed plate with hummus, spinach, lentil balls and other traditional specialties is highly recommendable. Also vegan cakes and sweets are offered.

They have delicious vegan foods. But I didn't saturated with their portions. And portions are expensive for size.

We accidentally bumped into this cafe while walking around asian side of Istanbul and happily stopped by for a lunch. Rather slower staff didn't bother us cos their kindness and great taste of food made us forget it.

Adorable little cafe off the beaten path in Istanbul... you have to travel to the Asia side to find it. Food was flavorful and not similar to American vegan food at all. Everything was wholesome and healthy, nothing fried and no fake meat products used. The staff at the establishment are very sweet and accommodating, but speak very little English, and at the time I visited there was no English version of the menu, so be sure to have a word translator on your phone if you don't speak Turkish. Overall, delicious food and wonderful to see a completely vegan restaurant in Turkey!