Çiçek Arcade, one of the most famous passages of İstiklal Avenue, was built by Architect Kleanthis Zannos for banker Hristaki Zografos in 1876. “Cite de Pera” was opened as a complex consisting of three apartments, each having 18 flats, and 24 shops located in the arcade section.

Its ownership passed to Grand Vizier Küçük Said Pasha in 1908 and the arcade began to be referred to as “Çiçek Arcade” due to several flower shops that opened there during the years of the armistice. Led by Degüstasyon restaurant which opened in 1928, new restaurants and taverns moved into the arcade. Beginning in the 1940s, Çiçek Arcade became famous for its taverns and beer houses where artists and performers were regulars, causing the flower shops to relocate in adjacent streets. The arcade retained its fame until the 1970s but collapsed suddenly on the night of May 10, 1978.

It remained in ruins for many years until its reopening in 1988. Çiçek Arcade was renovated again in 2005 but is no longer the old arcade of modest taverns where people can go for a beer and chat while standing up. Nevertheless, the passage continues to serve as a historic structure identified with its taverns, although not in the same form as its old days.