Bars and Drinks at Istanbul Airport: Prices, Pubs, Coffee 2026
Quick answer: Yes, you can get a proper drink at Istanbul Airport (IST). Alcohol is served airside without restriction: Brewmark Pub pours draft Efes, Heineken and Carlsberg, Tickerdaze near the A-B pier runs 24/7, and The Greenport opposite duty free carries one of the better wine lists in the terminal. For coffee there are several Starbucks and Caffè Nero branches plus Turkish coffee at Hafız Mustafa 1864. Brace for the bill: IST was rated Europe's most expensive airport for food and drink in a 2025 price survey, so expect around 12-17 EUR for a draft beer and 6-9 EUR for a cappuccino. If you plan on more than two rounds, a lounge day pass with unlimited drinks often works out cheaper.
Where to get a beer or a cocktail at IST
All the real bars sit airside, past security and passport control. Landside choices are basically cafes, so if you are picturing a pre-flight pint, clear security first. Turkey serves alcohol at its airports year-round, and nobody will blink at a beer with breakfast in the international terminal.
The venues below operate at IST as of mid-2026. Outlets rotate, so treat gate references as approximate and check the screens or the official airport app on the day.
Brewmark Pub is the closest thing IST has to a classic airport pub. It pours Efes, Heineken and Carlsberg on draft and serves pub food, meat pies and pasta alongside. You will find it airside shortly after security, before the fast-food hall; reviewers also place it near the F pier. Typical hours are roughly 07:00 to 23:00.
Tickerdaze, close to the A-B pier junction, is the 24/7 option. It is a sports-bar style spot with beer and a full bar, useful when your connection lands at 3 a.m. and everything else looks shut.
The Greenport, opposite the main duty-free area right after passport control, also runs around the clock. It is part snack bar, part restaurant, and its wine selection is regularly named among the best in the terminal. A reasonable pick if you want a glass of Turkish red rather than another lager.
Avenue Bistro Bar (near the A-B pier) and the compact Bi Bar (A pier) round out the list on the airport's own directory. Both are bistro-bar hybrids: cocktails, beer and wine plus a short food menu.
One practical note on location: international gates A through G all connect airside, so you can walk from a bar near A to a gate at F. Budget 15-20 minutes for the longer hikes; the piers are far apart. Our terminal guide maps the layout.
Coffee, Turkish coffee and tea
Chain coffee is easy to find. Starbucks has branches near the B pier, at gate D6 and in the domestic airside area. Caffè Nero is even more spread out, with airside locations at gates B10, D9 and F5 plus a landside branch in arrivals, handy if you are meeting someone off a flight.
For something local, Hafız Mustafa 1864 opened at IST in 2025 near the main departure gates. The famous Istanbul confectioner serves proper Turkish coffee alongside baklava and Turkish delight, and it is the most atmospheric coffee stop in the terminal. A cup of thick, properly brewed Turkish coffee with a piece of pistachio baklava is a better use of 20 minutes than most duty-free browsing.
Tea drinkers are covered too. Çay Saati ("tea time") near gate D3 does Turkish tea in the traditional tulip glass. It is one of the few drinks at IST that still feels cheap-ish relative to everything around it.
Fresh orange and pomegranate juice show up on many cafe menus airside. Prices are not posted consistently, so ask before you order; juice carries the same airport markup as everything else here.
What drinks actually cost at IST
This is the part nobody warns you about. In April 2025 the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera compared prices across major European airports and ranked Istanbul Airport the most expensive of them all, roughly twice the level of the runner-up. The survey clocked a draft Efes at 17.50 EUR, an espresso around 6 EUR and a cappuccino near 9 EUR. Traveler reports on forums back this up: 15 EUR small beers and 6 EUR half-liter bottles of water are standard complaints. The airport operator says prices are comparable to Amsterdam or Frankfurt; the survey data disagrees.
Figures below are realistic ranges as of mid-2026, converted from lira, so treat them as ballpark rather than menu quotes.
| Drink | Where | Expect to pay |
|---|---|---|
| Draft beer (Efes, 50cl) | Airside bars | 12-17 EUR |
| Glass of wine | The Greenport, bistro bars | 10-15 EUR |
| Cappuccino / latte | Starbucks, Caffè Nero | 6-9 EUR |
| Turkish coffee | Hafız Mustafa, cafes | 4-7 EUR |
| Turkish tea | Çay Saati, cafes | 2-4 EUR |
| Bottled water (0.5L) | Cafes / vending | 5-6 EUR / ~2 EUR |
Two ways to soften the blow. First, vending machines sell water for roughly a third of cafe prices; there are also free water fountains scattered through the terminal, so an empty bottle through security pays for itself immediately. Second, if you are flying out of Istanbul, have your last cheap coffee in the city. The same cappuccino runs 2-4 EUR downtown.
The lounge math: when a day pass beats the bar
Here is the calculation frequent flyers at IST make. The iGA Lounge, the airport's flagship pay-in lounge, charges roughly 90-110 EUR for a walk-in day pass as of 2025-2026, with a six-hour maximum stay. That sounds steep until you price it against the terminal: the pass includes a full open bar with beer, wine and spirits, specialty coffee, fresh juices and a hot buffet, and the lounge is open 24/7.
At terminal prices, three beers and a sandwich already put you past 60 EUR. If you are facing a five-hour layover and planning to eat, drink and find a quiet chair anyway, the lounge frequently wins on pure arithmetic, before you count showers and decent Wi-Fi. Online booking is usually cheaper than paying at the door, and Priority Pass and several premium cards get you in without paying cash at all. For layover-length stays we break down all the options, lounges included, in our IST layover guide.
Taking a bottle with you: duty free in brief
If the goal is a bottle of raki, Turkish wine or standard-issue whisky rather than a drink on the spot, the duty-free shops airside are large and open around the clock. Prices on alcohol there are far closer to normal retail than the bars are. Two things to remember: keep your receipt, and if you have an onward connection, have the shop seal the bottle in a security bag so it survives the transfer screening. Full details, including allowance limits by destination, are in our IST duty-free guide.
About that "world's best airport dining" award
IST's food-and-drink reputation is not just marketing. Skytrax named Istanbul Airport the winner of its Best Airport Dining category in 2024, and the airport holds a 5-star Skytrax rating overall. There is substance behind it: over 115 food and beverage outlets, including seven dedicated bars, spread across the terminal. The quality and variety are real. The prices, as covered above, are the asterisk on the trophy. If you want the full picture of what to eat rather than drink, our restaurant guide to Istanbul Airport covers the food side properly.
Frequently asked questions
Is alcohol served at Istanbul Airport?
Yes. Turkey serves alcohol at its airports, and IST has around seven dedicated bars airside plus restaurants that pour beer and wine. There are no dry hours; several bars, including Tickerdaze and The Greenport, run 24/7. Landside options are limited to cafes, so drink after security.
How much is a beer at Istanbul Airport?
Expect around 12-17 EUR for a draft Efes as of mid-2026. A 2025 European price survey recorded 17.50 EUR at one outlet. It is one of the most expensive airport beers in Europe, so budget accordingly or use a lounge pass instead.
Where can I get Turkish coffee at IST?
The most notable spot is Hafız Mustafa 1864 near the main departure gates, which opened at the airport in 2025 and serves Turkish coffee with baklava and Turkish delight. Various other airside cafes also brew it. Expect around 4-7 EUR a cup.
Are there bars that stay open all night?
Yes. Tickerdaze near the A-B pier and The Greenport opposite duty free both operate 24 hours, and the iGA Lounge with its open bar is also 24/7. Brewmark Pub keeps daytime hours, roughly 07:00 to 23:00.
Is the iGA Lounge worth it just for drinks?
Often, yes. A walk-in pass costs roughly 90-110 EUR for up to six hours and includes unlimited alcohol, coffee, juice and a hot buffet. If you would otherwise spend a long layover buying rounds at terminal prices, the pass can pay for itself by the third drink and a meal.
About the author
Anastasia Maisuradze is a travel writer covering Istanbul Airport for this guide. She flies through IST regularly, tests routes, transfer times and prices in person, and keeps the venue and price information on these pages current. Her focus is practical advice travelers can act on at the gate.
