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