Beymen Brasserie (The), Istanbul

This cafe is set in a spacious ground-floor room with huge picture windows, overlooking Taksim Square. It almost never feels crowded, even though it's often filled to capacity, particularly on weekends. A bomb planted here killed a journalist from the local Cumhuriyet newspaper a few years back, hence the tight security. The bakery is one of the best in town for takeout hand-made chocolate, fresh croissants, creamy cakes and sumptuous pastries. There is also an outdoor terrace to people-watch from in summer.