Turkish restaurant owners open cafe in Sarasota's Gulf Gate

A new coffee shop has opened in Gulf Gate. Café Divan sells coffee, tea, desserts, smoothies and sandwiches. Its sign on Superior Avenue advertises its name and promises "a blend of cultures" inside.

Ugur Sariyar, who owns the Turkish restaurant Divan across the street with his wife, partnered with his brother-in-law in the new business, according to Amina Schnebelt, who works at Café Divan. The owners’ mothers have been baking some of the items on the menu such as Moroccan cookies, she says, while Sariyar’s wife handles daily operations.

Photo by Elizabeth King

“It’s very much a family business,” Schnebelt says.

The cafe opened between Solorzano’s Pizzeria and Clarabell Cookies a couple of weeks ago, Schnebelt tells the Business Observer on Feb. 21. A grand opening is planned for Feb. 23. Since the soft opening, she says, “It’s definitely picking up” as word gets out about the cafe.

On the menu are drinks like Turkish and Moroccan coffee as well as mocha, cappuccino and a pistachio latte; fruit smoothies; baklava; cakes; and sandwiches such as tuna, turkey and Swiss, hummus, chicken and avocado. Most items are made there, while tzatziki and hummus come from Divan across the street, and the baklava and cakes are imported from Turkey.

Café Divan has multiple tables inside and a couple outside. One corner of the cafe features a small market offering Turkish delight, coffee, tea, candy and coffee sets, among other items. While some of the coffees are imported, the cafe also sells Java Dawg, made in Sarasota.

Photo by Elizabeth King

The space where the eatery is located used to house Mediterranean restaurant Healthy to Go and has since been renovated by the cafe’s owners, Schnebelt says.

Café Divan is at 6568 Superior Ave., Sarasota. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit Instagram.com/CafeDivanSarasota.

This article originally appeared on sister site BusinessObserverFL.com.