Pudding Shop's History

Just opposite the Blue Mosque, for instance, there is a place called the Pudding Shop, a restaurant and garden and meeting place where a youthful traveler might negotiate a ride in the 1970's to Aphganistan or Nepal. The Pudding Shop, they used to say, marked the start of the "hippie trail" that led many young Americans and Europeans east.

Idris Įolpan and his brother Namik opened Lale Pastahanesi in 1957.

At the time The Pudding Shop was the only place in the area
the adventurous could get direct transport to Asia
and tourist information on Turkey.

The tourists made The Pudding Shop famous,
using it as a meeting place and message center.

Idris Įolpan explained that " pilgrims" travelling East,
often driving old cars or Volkswagen vans,
would stop at his restaurant to meet new acquaintances
and find other travellers
with whom to share expenses and experiences.

The Įolpan brothers put up a bulletin board
to handle all the messages from people offering
or hitching rides to Europe or the Far East.

Click to enlarge

Now Pudding Shop is a place
where our guests can taste many kinds of Traditional Turkish Cuisine
from 07:00 AM to 11:00 PM.