As you walk along Galata’s most elegant street — the Serdar-ı Ekrem of boutiques, historic apartment buildings and the scent of coffee — most people do not know that this name is a military title: Serdar-ı Ekrem means commander-in-chief of the Ottoman army. The life of the man who bestowed this title upon the street is too eventful to fit into a novel. He is the man after whom we named our ground-floor café: Ömer Lütfi Lattas Pasha.
From Janja Gora to Istanbul
The story begins in 1806 in the town of Janja Gora, in Croatia, then part of the Austrian Empire. Born into an Orthodox Christian family, the baby was named Mihael Lattas. While serving in the Austrian army, young Mihael made the decision of his life at the age of 21: he crossed the border and sought refuge in Ottoman Bosnia. He converted to Islam, came to Istanbul, enrolled in the Military Academy and was reborn under a new name: Ömer Lütfi.
Commander-in-chief of Crimea
Talent makes itself known, whatever name it bears. Ömer Lütfi rose rapidly through the ranks, and when the Crimean War (1853-1856) broke out, he took command of the Ottoman army with the title Serdar-ı Ekrem. His record is impressive: in 1853, he captured Calafat on the Danube front and defeated the Russian army at Oltenița; in 1854, he halted the Russian advance at Silistre; and in 1855, at Gözleve (Eupatoria) in Crimea, he repelled an attack by a force of 40,000. His star continued to rise after the war: he was promoted to müşir in 1864, became Serasker — or Minister of War — in 1869, and passed away in Istanbul in 1871.
The title for the street, the name for the café
Istanbul remembered this military figure in two ways. The street in Galata took his title: Serdar-ı Ekrem. We, meanwhile, gave our café, which opened on the same street, the name of the person behind the title: Lattas. Because titles summarize history, but names tell stories — like the life of Mihael from Janja Gora, who became Ömer Lütfi in Istanbul.
Today, as you sip your coffee at Lattas Cafe Bistro, you will know that the street beneath you carries the memory of a commander-in-chief. This is how history lives on in Serdar-ı Ekrem: quietly, among shop windows, within signs, at the edge of a cup.
Lattas Cafe Bistro is on the ground floor of Meroddi Galata Mansion and is open daily from 08.00 to 23.00. Discover Lattas →
