Reviewed by Ruman Kahve Dünyasi is a Turkish chain serving coffee, desserts, artisan chocolates and much more. With over 100 branches in Turkey, the chain is well known and opened its first London branch in Piccadilly in 2011. Having only been to the cafe once before, I was excited to get an in-depth and behind the scenes look at what they serve. Upon entering, we were greeted by Fabio who had invited Zohra and I down. He talked us through the menu, explained what the most popular items are and even gave us a tour of the kitchen. When walking into the cafe, the first thing you will notice is a counter full of chocolates, Turkish delight and other sweet treats which are all made in house. The cafe has plenty of seating and the menu is extensive. Kahve Dünyasi, Piccadilly We started off with the Lamb Sandwich from the lunch section of the menu. Fabio mentioned that this was one of the most popular lunchtime products and we could see why. Lamb, rockets, red peppers, mint and a hint of parmesan cheese were served in a baguette made in house (note the picture only shows half of what was served). I found the mint slightly overpowering so I removed a few bits but we enjoyed the taste of the sandwich overall. If you work in the area or find yourself needing a break from shopping, this is a quick and relatively cheap lunch option.
Lamb Sandwich [£5.95]Next up was the Club Sandwich. To be honest, I only ordered this because they had run out of salt beef so we couldn’t go for our preferred option. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to order the club sandwich given I don’t like eggs in sandwiches or chicken that isn’t served hot. The Club Sandwich consisted of chicken breast, eggs, a lettuce and mayo mix, tomatoes and emmental cheese. It was served warm with a side of crisps and I was surprised to find out that the bread is made in house as it didn’t seem that way upon first impressions. Not liking this sandwich comes down to my personal taste and making a mistake when ordering – it would be incorrect for readers to assume it is because of the skills of the chef. However, at £8.25 I think it’s a pricey lunch option. Chicken Club Sandwich [8.25]Having tried Borek before, we were intrigued to try the Borekitas. We chose one of each flavour – aubergine & cheese and potatoes & cheese which were priced at two pieces for £3.50 or four pieces for £5.25. We found these to be a little dry and would have preferred them if they were cheesier. Admittedly, we were taking photos of the food that arrived at the table and it’s possible that the Borekitas had cooled down resulting in the cheese losing its gooeyness. [L-R] Potato & Cheese and Aubergine & Cheese Borekitas, 2 pieces [£3.50]Once we were done with our lunch, we moved on to some much need coffee! The Turkish coffee was prepared in a traditional pot called ‘Cezve’ and we went behind the counter to watch it being made. My drink of choice was the dark chocolate mocha (they also have an option of a white chocolate mocha). While the mocha wasn’t too strong, the Turkish Coffee was unsurprisingly much stronger and had that bitter taste that Turkish coffee tends to have. N.B Zohra calls this the ‘glorious bitter taste’. I guess taste really is a matter of… well, taste. [L-R] Dark Chocolate Mocha [£3.50] & Original Turkish Coffee [£2.95]Lets move on to one of the highlights of the afternoon – the Profiterole. Served in a pot and covered in milk chocolate, this dessert was an absolute delight. Even Zohra, who prefers dark chocolate over milk, commented on how good this was. The inside of the profiteroles didn’t have a creamy texture but more of a custard-like texture. We’d definitely recommend this dessert! Profiterole [£4.95] – RECOMMENDFinally, we tried the Kahve Dünyasi Cake. This signature cake was made with white, milk and dark chocolate with the base being made up of Kenya single origin coffee and sesame biscuits. When cut open, you could see the different layers of chocolate as well as the base. The sesame biscuits added a pleasant crunch to the cake while the chocolate was smooth on top of it.
Kahve Dünyasi Cake [£5.25]Overall, we’d recommend Kahve Dunyasi for your coffee / dessert fix. The customers seem to be mostly tourists and I do think that the cafe has a tough job on its hands when it comes to competing with other cafes in the area. I probably wouldn’t return for lunch as I think there are better options in the area especially as far as value for money goes, but if you’re looking for a taste of Turkey in central London, Kahve Dünyasi is a good option. RATINGS Food: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Atmosphere/Decor: 7/10
Value for money: 7/10 (£34.35 total bill excluding service charge // £17.18pp – we received a complimentary meal) Overall: 7.3/10 Halal Status: All meat served is halal. No alcohol is served. Address: Unit 3, 200 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HU Nearest station: Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines) / Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines)
Parking: Discover great halal restaurants near you using the Halal Gems Restaurant Finder App. Download it for free on the App or Play Store here. About Ruman Ruman eats a brownie a day, but only with coffee. She struggles to eat more than 2/3 of an adult size portion of food, but always has room for dessert. When not exploring restaurants, galleries or cities around the world, Ruman is a Marketing Ninja at Halal Gems, where she also holds the title of Chief Chocolate Officer.
Forever consumed by a mixture of wanderlust and FOMO, her interests include all things social media, travel, charity, photography and food. You can follow Ruman on Instagram and Twitter.
