Must-see restaurants in Türkiye

  • Hitit Natural Park

    Central Anatolia

    In a prime position for lunch on the route between Yazılıkaya and Hattuşa, this garden cafe dishes up gözleme (stuffed flatbreads), tost (toasted…

  • Mouton Rouge

    Cappadocia

    The shady courtyard, with its comfy wicker seating, is a relaxed place to while away an afternoon, tucking into meze plates of spicy muhammara (dip of…

  • Pervane

    Bursa

    Come here for lunch after exploring the Muradiye Complex across the road and dig into homemade Anatolian favourites of mantı (Turkish ravioli), mücver …

  • Çift Mağara

    Şanlıurfa

    Climb up the stairs of Şanlıurfa's cliff to reach this higgledy-piggledy restaurant overlooking Gölbaşı with a dining room carved into a rocky bluff and…

  • La Gioia

    Ankara

    The see-and-be-seen crowd packs out the front terrace on sunny days, tucking into European-style mains of grilled steak with sage risotto and gorgonzola…

  • Guru's Place

    Kalkan

    Affable Hüseyin and his family, who have been in the area for four centuries, have been running this scenically located seaside restaurant (4km south of…

  • Dayının Yeri

    Cappadocia

    This grill restaurant is a long-time player on Avanos' kebap scene. There are cheaper lahmacun (Arabic-style pizza; ₺14) and pide (Turkish-style pizza;…

  • Cerem

    Black Sea Coast

    If you are staying in Perşembe, just cross the footbridge from the town's hotel to find this unexpectedly professional restaurant. It's tucked behind a…

  • Asmalı Cavit

    Beyoğlu

    Cavit Saatcı's place is an old-style meyhane (tavern) that, like other old-timers on this street, has stood the test of time and retained a loyal local…

  • Cooking Alaturka

    Sultanahmet

    This hybrid cooking school–restaurant serves a set four-course menu of Turkish home cooking, regional Anatolian specialities and Ottoman classics…

  • Kaptan Balıkçılık

    Black Sea Coast

    This excellent yet inexpensive place for fresh seafood, including karides güvec (prawn stew) and fish sandwiches, is a gleaming white contrast to the old…

  • Şıra

    Cappadocia

    Meaty mains of tenderloin cooked in pekmez (syrup made from grape juice) and lamb chops with smoked aubergine head up the menu here. Smaller plates are…

  • Saklı Konak

    Cappadocia

    At this cosy upstairs restaurant, dishes are cooked by local women traditionally in the tandır (clay oven), and ingredients are sourced from the neighbour…

  • Marmaris Balikçisi

    Ankara

    At this blue-and-white fish restaurant, pluck your creature of the deep off its ice bed, then have it grilled or fried up and doused in olive oil and…

  • Amisos Cafe

    Black Sea Coast

    Amid roses and yew hedges at the top of the cable car, this spacious, all-window cafe overlooks the Amisos tumuli and a wide, partially tree-obscured…

  • Anadolu Restaurant

    Eastern Mediterranean

    Popular with families, Antakya's culinary anchor serves a long list of fine mezes on gold-coloured tablecloths in a covered garden where the trees push…

  • Léone

    İzmir

    A Parisian-style divertissement in the heart of the city, this stylish cafe on Lozan Meydanı is wildly popular with Alsancak's ladies-who-lunch. Coffee is…

  • Mihrioğlu Konağı

    Western Anatolia

    Set in an old town Ottoman house, Mihrioğlu offers a menu of Anatolian classics: börek (filled pastry), saç kavurma (stir-fried cubed meat dish), çöp şiş …

  • Blue White Cafe

    Cappadocia

    This cheerfully painted blue-and-white cafe, with its slim terrace strung with dangling nazar boncuk (charms resembling eyes), is Çavuşin's most charming…

  • Dürümzade

    Beyoğlu

    A staple for Beyoğlu night-owls, this tiny grill shop on a grungy corner near the Beyoğlu Fish Market turns out mouth-wateringly tender kebabs – try the …

  • Peri Cafeteria

    Cappadocia

    Just up the slope, directly behind the ticket office for Zelve Open-Air Museum, is this peaceful retreat, with ramshackle terraces, fruit trees and…

  • Siyah İnci

    Western Anatolia

    Try to ignore the entrance cake counters and head upstairs to this cafe where Kütahyalıs hang out drinking tea and scoffing decadent desserts. There's a…

  • Seyir Cafe

    Western Anatolia

    The shady garden of the Seyir Butik Pansiyon has tables surrounded by roses and kitschy classical statuettes. It's a tranquil spot for a lunch of butter…

  • Gülhan Restaurant

    Şanlıurfa

    Slap in the central city, Gülhan does a roaring trade with generously portioned kebap plates, lahmacun (Arabic-style pizza) and local dishes like borani …

  • Güllüoğulu

    Gaziantep

    Since 1871, six generations of the Güllüoğulu family have been churning out pistachio-encrusted and syrup-soaked baklava to the masses. There's also…

  • Restoran Motto

    Black Sea Coast

    Stylishly youthful, this bayfront restaurant and 'gourmet cafe' has a casually upmarket lilt, serving a wide range of Turkish fare alongside Mexican steak…

  • Mavi Cafe

    Ürgüp

    This lokanta (eatery serving ready-made food) run by a friendly couple is deservedly popular. Choose from the six to eight daily-changing dish selection…

  • Doyuranlar Aile Çay ve Gözleme

    Gallipoli Peninsula

    The village women in charge of this roadside eatery and çay bahçesi (tea garden) midway between Eceabat and Kabatepe serve up huge breakfast platters,…

  • Özkonak

    Beyoğlu

    Known throughout the city for the quality of its kaymak (clotted cream), which it has been serving for half a century, this no-frills place is a highly…

  • İkbal

    Western Anatolia

    In business since 1922, the original owner of this lokanta (eatery serving ready-made food) cooked for Atatürk on his 1934 Afyon visit. Adventurous eaters…

  • Zeugma

    Eastern Mediterranean

    The best in a row of welcoming pide/mangal (barbecue) places on the main strip, Zeugma does spot-on mercimek çorbası (lentil soup, served with bread,…

  • Café des Cafés

    Ankara

    Quirky vintage styling and comfy sofas make Café des Cafés one of our favourite Kavaklıdere pit stops. The menu is bistro-style cooking offering mains…

  • Lalezar Türk Mutfağı

    Bursa

    The impeccably clean, comfortable surrounds and ultra-friendly staff raise this long-standing favourite above most of Bursa's lokantas (eateries serving…

  • Dürümcü Mehmet

    Istanbul

    A constant cluster of customers in front of this hole-in-the-wall joint near the Grand Bazaar signals the fact that its offerings are both fresh and tasty…

  • Coffee Company Restaurant

    Trabzon

    Occupying one of the meydan's biggest and most attractive stone buildings, this relaxed international restaurant offers much more than just the chain's…

  • Meşhur Dönercı Hacı Osman'ın Yeri

    Istanbul

    This döner stand, occupying an elegant Ottoman sebil (fountain) outside the Ali Paşa Camii on the corner of Mercan Caddesi, is hugely popular with local…

  • Mükellef

    Beyoğlu

    Local celebrity chef Arda Türkmen is a master of mezes, so that's what you should order at this upmarket meyhane on the top floor of the Haze Hotel. There…

  • Kafe Ara

    Beyoğlu

    Occupying a converted garage in a lane opposite the Galatasaray Lycée, this cafe is named after legendary photographer Ara Güler, whose photographs of old…

  • Çukur Meyhane

    Beyoğlu

    Despite their long and much-vaunted tradition in the city, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find meyhanes (taverns) serving good food. Standards…

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