Simurgh Bakery and Cafe

10/20/2026

One minute I love being a café owner. The next, I’m questioning all my life choices. 😂☕️

And somehow… we’re opening a second location!

10/17/2026

“What do you recommend?”

A little bit of everything, of course. 🤍

10/16/2026

Cali Döner, a different take on a classic. 🇹🇷

But does it still taste like döner? We asked a chef from Turkey. 👨‍🍳

Part 2 — Here’s what he thinks!
Hakan

10/15/2026

This isn’t Turkish food.” We hear it often. So we asked a chef from Turkey, Hatice’s brother. 🎙️

10/15/2026

In 2004, when I graduated from university, I could not see a future for myself in the country I called home. I was forced to choose between my faith and my education, between my identity and my dreams.

So I left my country, my family, and everything familiar behind and came to the United States.

Twenty-two years have passed.

Today, seeing what is happening in Azerbaijan regarding women’s right to education and the wearing of the headscarf brings back the same feelings of helplessness I experienced all those years ago.

As a woman, I believe deeply in one simple principle:

No woman should ever have to choose between her faith, her identity, her way of life, and her education.

Whether a woman chooses to cover her hair or not should be entirely her own decision. Her right to education should never come at the cost of that choice.

I had to leave my country to pursue my dreams. My hope is that no young woman will ever have to pay the same price simply to build a future for herself.

I am leaving these words here as a personal protest — for every woman’s right to believe freely, live freely, and pursue an education without having to compromise who she is.

Hatice Yıldız
Founder, Simurgh Bakery & Cafe

10/10/2026

Turkish Breakfast + Shakshuka = your plans for the day.
👀🍳
Sharing with two?

Trust Hatice, this will keep you full for the rest of the day! ☕️

10/09/2026

More than just breakfast! 😋

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

Not a hamburger… but better. 👀

Meet the Balkan-Style Burger — stuffed with Jack cheese, sumac onion salad, tomatoes, pickles, ajvar, and labneh, all tucked into warm pide bread. 🤌

P.S. Our Instagram manager has officially stopped pretending to be unbiased. This one’s the favorite. 😂