Things to do in Ürgüp
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Temenni Wishing Hill
Head up Ahmet Refik Caddesi and turn right to the Temenni Wishing Hill, home to a saint's tomb, a café and 360-degree views over the town. Back on Ahmet Refik Caddesi, you may want to explore the town's unofficial and underwhelming 'underground city'. If you do so, you'll probably need to tip one of the guides who hang around here.
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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.
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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.
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Turasan Winery
The abundant sunshine and fertile volcanic soil of Cappadocia produce delicious sweet grapes, and several wineries carry on the Ottoman Greek winemaking tradition. You can sample some of the local produce at Turasan Winery.
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Café Naturel
There are a number of cafés and patisseries on the main square where you can grab an outdoor table, order a drink and watch the world go by. If you're after coffee or alcohol, try Café Naturel.
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Tarihi Şehir Hamamı
Right by the main square is the Tarihi Şehir Hamamı, the hamam. Partly housed in what was once a small church, it offers mixed but respectable bathing.
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Peerless Travel Services
Ürgüp's representative for Onur Air, Sun Express, Atlasjet and Pegasus Airlines.
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Argeus Tours
Offers three- to nine-day packages, including an eight-day mountain-biking option, as well as day tours and flights, and is Ürgüp's Turkish Airlines representative.
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Duyurgan Şarap Evi
Try Duyurgan Şarap Evi, a wine house where you can sample a glass of Cappadocian wine (or three!) while listening to live music in the evening.
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Micro Café & Restaurant
It's not the plaza's most popular restaurant, but Micro's diverse menu, ranging across Ottoman chicken, spinach crepes and peppered T-bone steak, attracts some tourists and locals. Its outside seating has unlimited people-watching potential. The semolina with chocolate sauce and ice cream is recommended, but the spoon salad is not.
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Dedikodulu Bar
Dedikodulu Bar, next to Kaya Bar, is one of the most popular bars in town.
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Museum
The museum features some 10-million-year-old teeth from a forerunner of the elephant, unearthed at Mustafapaşa, but the overall collection is uninspiring.
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Ziggy's
This tribute to the adored pet dog (and a camp David Bowie) of charismatic hosts Selim and Nuray, who is often decked in her beautiful handmade jewellery available downstairs, is a luscious success. With the finest meze menu in Cappadocia, and a two-tiered terrace that fills day and night with humming tunes, strong cocktails and a hip clientele, Ziggy's backs up its glowing reputation with professional service and an innovative, award-worthy menu.
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Ürgüp Pide Salonu
Beside the otogar but worthy of more than hungry commuters, this Turkish pizza joint is one of the best in the region. Better still, it will deliver to your hotel room free of charge.
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Teras Cafe
New owners and a decent renovation have given this pleasant indoor/outdoor cafe the physical profile its prime position at the foot of the hill deserves. The kerbside outdoor area includes a big-screen TV and comfy couches under giant, colourful umbrellas. The small restaurant inside and upstairs dishes up dirt-cheap Turkish staples, including kebaps and spicy soups. There's free wi-fi for customers with laptops; some terminals are available on the 3rd floor (TL1 per hr).
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Mahzen Sarap Evi
Often the traditional Turkish wine houses are musty affairs filled with shamefaced drinkers sitting on piles of sour grapes. This trendy number happily breaks the mould, thanks to the sprightly female owner who palms coffee, booze and sandwiches from late afternoon to late at night to shared booths from her little kitchenette facing the street. The beauty shop crowd across the road sets the tone after dark, swaying at tables to Turkish indie and downbeat Kurdish electronica.
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Horseriding Kapadokya
Horseriding Kapadokya is a highly recommended horse-riding company operating between Ürgüp and Ortahisar that leads excursions for all levels lasting from one day to one week.
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