A Sustainable School's Cafeteria: Postane

Can a building hold on to memories? Can memories seep into the concrete, the bricks, the metal, or the steel, and live on for years, decades, or centuries? Can one, while sitting on a chair waiting for lunch to begin, commemorate a past they haven’t lived or experienced, yet imagine a future—one that might actually surpass one’s temporary life? I believe one can, if they are in Postane.

Postane terrace, summer time.

After the Crimean War of 1853-1856, as British visibility in Istanbul, particularly in Galata, increases, the British Post Minister requests the construction of a new building. Designed by architect and engineer Joseph Nadin, the British Post Office building—where I am currently sitting, watching the menu being written on the blackboard—opens its doors on October 15, 1859, and serves for correspondence until 1895. Ten years after the closure of the post office, the facility becomes home to the English High School for Boys, the first trade school in Istanbul.

In 1931, the Çukran family buys the complex from the British, until 1982, the upper floors are residential, like many similar buildings in the area, while the ground floor functions as a carpentry shop. Later, the building is registered as a historical monument under the ownership of the Sarıboğa family and remains idle. In 1995, Kenan Ormanlar buys and renovates it to its current appearance before it becomes Postane, the hub as we know it today. During the entire repair process, Postane functions as an open construction site, striving to involve local residents and the future community. The flooring continues its life as plant beds on the terrace, and steel cabinets become greenhouses. Today, I am sitting on the ground floor, where the café resides, my back against the wall, ordering an eggplant dish with sumac flavor, accompanied by rice and pickles, I become a part of audible history.

Borlotti beans, called barbunya, from the daily changing menu of Postane Cafe.

Postane is many things. It’s a garden where experts from İyiEkim (Good Harvest) shed light on urban gardening from their terrace, with a panorama of Galata Tower in the background. The same products used in these sessions later appear on Postane Café's plates. It’s a shop where you can buy or sell products that adhere to fair trade principles and address social, cultural, and environmental issues—whether defending children’s right to play, providing financial opportunities for women who can only work from home, or creating innovative products through upcycling. It’s an exhibition space where Postane: Archaeology of a Building presents a selection from the memory of the Postane building through sound recordings accessible through QR codes. It’s a library where you can find books, fanzines, newspapers, and journals specifically about urban and environmental studies. Please flip through the pages of Beyond Istanbul. It’s an auditorium where you can participate in Creative Mornings or after-work talks about Fair Food Rights, or attend film screenings focused on solidarity in Gaza. It’s also an institute where you can work on projects that receive grants through funding.

To me, Postane is the local alma mater where I can meet fellow scholars during lunch hour, learn about page-turning writers or forward-thinking projects from impromptu speeches, become an active participant in a world seeking better solutions, get inspired, get nourished, get cultured, and grow broader. As a resident of Camekan Sokak, the street that leads to Kamondo Stairs and then to the vapur, yes, I’m lucky like that.

A must-have: Antakya-style hummus.

My favorite: Ağın chickpeas sold at the pantry.

Word of mouth: Postane Cafe is also a solidarity space that supports disadvantaged communities through a pay-it-forward meal program. You can buy an “Askıda Yemek” to contribute to this mission. Also, the water is free here because access to water is a human right.

Heads up: This space is mostly vegan but also vegetarian-friendly because they believe in the importance of supporting local producers. Make sure to ask about the daily menu before ordering.

Address: Bereketzade, Camekan Sk. No.9, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul

Check Out Our Other Articles