Restaurants in Cappadocia (Kapadokya)
-
A
SOS & Sultan Restaurant & Café
A cheapish option that offers belly fuel rather than gourmet meals.
reviewed
-
B
A'laturca
Style meets substance at this elegant eatery. The menu here has been thoughtfully and creatively designed and the food is exceptionally well prepared. We enjoyed the classic meze selection and were very impressed by the succulent A'laturca-style lamb şiş kebap served on a perfectly cooked ratatouille. Other visits have introduced us to the delights of the chicken şiş kebap and the wickedly rich Kayseri mantısı (ravioli with garlic yoghurt and spices).
The restaurant has a number of eating areas, the most popular of which are the upstairs terrace and the quirky downstairs garden with its brightly coloured beanbag seating. Highly recommended.
reviewed
-
C
Orient Restaurant
Göreme's most atmospheric restaurant swoons under the weight of its own reputation as coupled-up diners nestle behind an extensive wine list. Juicy steaks, tender veal clay pots and a stack of flavoursome pasta dishes head the impressive, meaty menu. It's easy to order poorly though, as the cold mezes are oily, and the fish is dry. A safe bet is the decent three-course set menu (TL20). Service is delightful.
reviewed
-
D
Nazar Börek
This expat and industry hangout joint on the canal serves simple yet delicious meals, and the atmosphere is eternally fun and friendly. Fresh plates of börek (filled pastries), gözleme (savoury pancakes) and sosyete böregi (stuffed spiral pastries served with yoghurt and tomato sauce) are presented by jovial men with can-do attitudes. The canal-side chill-out area is where you'll get the skinny on local people and places.
reviewed
-
E
Göreme Restaurant
The live Turkish music played here every night tends to lure diners off the comfortable floor cushions and onto the impromptu dance floor around the low brass tables. The food is nothing special, but it's well priced and the menu includes 'world kitchen' items such as green curry chicken, stir-fried noodles with vegetables and falafel sandwiches. Beer and rakı (aniseed brandy) flow freely and service is good.
reviewed
-
F
Fırın Express
Simply the best lahmacun (very thin Turkish pizza) and pide in town are found in this local haunt that also does take away (paket) by the boxload. The cavernous wood oven fires up meat and vegetarian options and anything doused with egg. Traditional stews are also available but we suggest an ayran (yoghurt drink) and a çoban salatası (sheperd's salad) for a delicious bargain feed.
reviewed
-
G
Mercan
Geared towards the bus-tour trade, Mercan doesn't have the best food in Göreme by a long shot, but still has a pleasant terrace where you can sit and eat while gazing over the town.
reviewed
-
H
Cappadocia Patisserie
Close to the otogar, this place brings in cakes, pastries, baklava and ice-cream from Nevşehir and serves them with cappuccino or fresh orange juice.
reviewed
-
I
La Padella
La Padella's chef-owner previously worked at Göreme's well-regarded A'laturca, and it shows. The menu showcases many of the same dishes, but offers them at prices that are considerably cheaper. We heartily approve!
The menu (presented in Turkish and English) includes favourites such as soğuk salata tabağı (mixed cold meze plate,and kapaturco tavuk şiş (chicken kebap served on a bed of eggplant, tomato, onion and peppers. A beer costs a bargain-basement around €2 and service is extremely friendly. Highly recommended.
reviewed
-
J
Local Restaurant
This reliable upper-echelon eatery stands on its own en route to the Open-Air Museum, and stands out for its wholesome continental meat dishes including stews, steaks, lamb shanks and tavuklu mantarli krep (chicken and mushroom pancake). The white tablecloths and stone-walled terrace provide some consolation for indifferent service.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Şömine Cafe & Restaurant
This popular restaurant on the plaza is as sophisticated as the Ürgüp dining scene gets. Choose a table on the outdoor terrace or in the attractive indoor dining room, sit down and admire the pristine napery and quality tableware, and then make your choice from the large menu. Most people choose a salad to start and then move on to a kiremit (meat dish baked on a tile in a traditional oven), accompanied by crisp, freshly baked lavash bread.
The food is good but doesn't quite live up to promise of the décor.
reviewed
-
L
Ehlikeyf
Competing with nearby Şömine in the sophistication stakes, and suffering from the same flaws, Ehlikeyf occupies a sleek dining room with a wavy ceiling. Dishes such as the fabulous Ehlikeyf kebap (steak served on slivered fried potatoes, garlic yoghurt and a demi-glace sauce; TL19) arrive on glass plates; a gloved waiter wielding a carving knife accompanies the testi kebap. The large, well-spaced tables with leather chairs are comfortable for spending an evening, but the bill at the end of it will be as ambitious as the presentation.
reviewed
-
M
Ahra
This is undoubtedly the most atmospheric restaurant in town. Located on the first floor of a beautifully renovated old house on the road to Mustafapaşa, it has an intimate feel and simple but attractive décor. The simplicity extends to the excellent menu, which features home-cooked dishes such as sulu köfte and Kayseri mantısı. You can celebrate your good fortune at being here by ordering a bottle of local wine.
reviewed
-
N
Dayının Yeri
In a new location near the bridge, this shiny, modern ocakbaşı (grill restaurant) is one of Cappadocia's best. The kebaps are sensational and the pide is just as good. Don't even think of leaving without sampling the freshly prepared künefe (strands of cooked batter over a creamy sweet cheese base baked in syrup; TL4), cooked on little hobs near the tables. No alcohol is served.
reviewed
-
O
Beyazsaray
Across the road from Öz Urfa Sofrası, this frantically busy place serves İskender kebaps that are nearly as good as those served at Elmacioğlu İskender et Lokantası. Best of all, it has a takeaway counter at the front where you can grab an absolutely delicious chicken döner sandwich for a mere around €1.55.
reviewed
-
P
Cappadocia Kebap Center
This tiny, friendly joint is a great place for a fast feed. You can enjoy a chicken döner kebap sandwich for a mere TL3 or acılı ezme (spicy tomato and onion paste) kebap sandwich for TL4, accompanied by chips (TL3.50) and a beer (TL3.50) or fresh orange juice (TL3).
reviewed
-
Elmacioğlu İskender et Lokantası
Ascend in a lift to Kayseri's best restaurant, with waiters sporting bow ties and big windows overlooking the citadel. İskender kebaps are the house speciality, available with köfte or in 'double' form (TL13), and other dishes include pastırma pide (TL8.50). Recommended.
reviewed
-
Q
Han Çirağan Restaurant
The Han is a hugely improved restaurant that has undergone a terrific renovation under new management. The terrace dining area is lovely (though lacks breeze) and the food is high quality. The lamb chops (TL14) and trout (TL13) are highly recommended. After dinner, retire to the cool new bar downstairs that has a city atmosphere and an excellent wine list.
reviewed
-
R
Şanso-Panso Restaurant
This low-key eatery on the main square is a great spot to have a beer and people-watch. Given Avanos' pottery trade, it's hardly surprising that the speciality is güveç (beef stew with potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, paprika and cumin, baked in a clay pot).
reviewed
-
S
Ocakbaşı
Above the otogar is this massive restaurant bordering on an institution that serves delectably oily mezes and huge plates of grilled meat and rice to grinning locals who slosh down beer and fresh ayran, often in the same gulp.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
Tafana Restaurant
This cluttered but reasonably attractive eatery on the main street is nowhere near as impressive as Dayının Yeri, but is a decent fall-back option if one is needed. It specialises in pide, which is cooked in a wood-fired oven. The beer here is cheap.
reviewed
-
U
Tuana
Entered from the lane leading from the PTT to Sivas Caddesi, the smart Tuana offers a roll-call of classics such as kebaps and Kayseri mantı. When it's quiet, the ocean of red tables and chairs adorned with golden ribbons have the air of an out-of-season seaside resort, but it's easy to distract yourself with the views of the citadel and Erciyes Dağı.
reviewed
-
V
Sofra Restaurant
In a line of restaurants catering to the tour groups visiting the nearby pottery shops, Sofra has a wide-ranging meze menu, pottery dishes and a small terrace.
reviewed
-
W
Kardeşler
This cheap-and-cheerful place is popular for its tandırs (stews cooked in a clay pot with a bread crust). These come with beef and white beans or you can order a vegetarian alternative. A beer to accompany your meal costs around €2.
reviewed
-
X
Cappadocia Pide Salonu
Ask any local where the best pide in town is served and they will inevitably nominate this cavernous place near the tea shop (well, they will unless a family member owns or runs one of the town's other eateries). You can also get a cold beer here.
reviewed
