Must-see restaurants in Turkey

  • Ahmet Bey Yöresel Ev Yemekleri

    Southeastern Anatolia

    This modest restaurant, run by a charming older couple, dishes up Malatya's foodie specialities, a true taste of Anatolian flavours. You'll have to be…

  • Yöruk Restaurant

    Turquoise Coast

    Just after the bridge into Çıralı, this is the best place for Turkish food: behind a counter heaving with mezes and seafood, the open kitchen turns out…

  • Traditional Cappadocian dish called Gozleme

    Cappadocia Home Cooking

    Cappadocia

    Tolga and his family have swung open the doors to their home – surrounded by their organic garden and overlooking Ayvalı's deep gorge – to offer a taste…

  • Kilye Suvla Lokanta

    Thrace & Marmara

    Suvla's 60 hectares of certified organic vineyards are located near Kabatepe on the opposite side of the peninsula, but its winery, complete with an ultra…

  • Dibek

    Göreme

    Diners sprawl on cushions and take a taste-bud tour of village food at this family restaurant. Take our advice and order the tadım (tasting) menu plus a…

  • Kebapçı İskender

    Bursa

    If you eat one meal in Bursa, have it here. This refuge for serious carnivores is famous nationwide – it is one of two Bursa restaurants claiming to be…

  • Karaköy Güllüoğlu

    Beyoğlu

    This much-loved baklavacı (baklava shop) opened in 1949 and was the first İstanbul branch of a business established in Gaziantep in the 1820s. There are…

  • Rain Garden Restaurant

    Eastern Mediterranean

    This much-welcome new addition to Kızkalesi's beachfront is in an attractive old building in the shade of an enormous 50-year-old rubber tree. The rainbow…

  • Kayadibi Saklıbahçe

    Sumela

    This 'Hidden Garden', around two thirds of the way to Sumela from Trabzon, serves some of the best Black Sea dishes in the region. Ideally order a mixture…

  • Aşiyan Ev Yemekleri

    Van

    This is where you come to feast on a set menu that traverses the flavours of southeastern Turkey, including Van's own speciality dishes perde pilavi (a…

  • Limon

    Bodrum Peninsula

    A rustic escape in the hills above Gümüşlük, Limon sprawls across garden terraces and a whitewashed farmhouse, with stunning views over a ruined Roman…

  • İzela Restaurant

    Turquoise Coast

    This lovely restaurant is located in the lush grounds of Günay's Garden, with its poolside bar for aperitifs. It specialises in Mediterranean cuisine,…

  • Erzurum Evleri

    Erzurum

    More enticing than many a museum, this trio of closely clustered 18th-century houses has been forged into a warren of stone-walled rooms and alcoves so…

  • No 10 Restaurant

    Cappadocia

    Upmarket, contemporary dining, with modern tweaks to Turkish classics and a fun approach to dish presentation, is the name of the game here. Order the…

  • Balıkçı Sabahattin

    Sultanahmet

    Balıkçı Sabahattin is an enduring favourite with discerning Turks from near and far, who enjoy the limited but delicious menu of mezes and seafood. This…

  • Evvel Zaman

    Black Sea Coast

    This lovingly restored Ottoman house is like a joyously jumbled museum, displaying such an endless selection of ancient copperware, swords, old rugs etc…

  • Fatih Damak Pide

    Istanbul

    It's worth making the trek to this pideci overlooking the Fatih İtfaiye Park near the Aqueduct of Valens. Its reputation for making the best Karadeniz …

  • Okyanus Balık Evi

    Black Sea Coast

    Above the co-owned family fishmonger, the 'Ocean Fish House' is quite possibly the best fish restaurant on the Black Sea coast (for flavour not for decor)…

  • Garag'e

    Black Sea Coast

    With half a car chassis over the door, this spacious, contemporary bistro overlooks the Hopa waterfront and has a wide-ranging iPad menu of cafe food…

  • Ziggy Cafe

    Ürgüp

    Ziggy's has nailed the essence of casual-yet-classy dining. The pastırmalı börek (pastry filled with preserved beef) and lush yaprak ciğer (lamb liver…

  • Neolokal

    Beyoğlu

    Chef Maksut Aşkar has been wowing diners with his exciting rifts on traditional Turkish food since 2014, gaining an entry on the San Pellegrino World's…

  • Mürver

    Beyoğlu

    A notable recent addition to the local restaurant scene, this rooftop restaurant at the Novotel is sustaining its initial hype. The menu is dominated by…

  • Hatay Haskral Sofrası

    Istanbul

    In 'Little Syria', this barn-like eatery offers a marvellously varied range of mezes, salads and kebaps. Specialities include tuzda kuzu kol and tuzda…

  • Kaplan Dağ Restoran

    South Aegean

    'Tiger Mountain' offers superbly prepared local dishes with lashings of olive oil and wild herbs. Seasonal mezes like fish in soya oil and stuffed…

  • White House

    Pamukkale

    Bucking the trend of Pamukkale's ho-hum food, White House packs its dishes with flavour. The sigara boreğı (deep-fried cigar-shaped pastries, often…

  • Çiya Sofrası

    Kadıköy

    Known throughout the culinary world, Musa Dağdeviren's lokanta (eatery serving ready-made food) showcases dishes from regional Turkey and is an essential…

  • Küff

    Kadıköy

    Ticking all of the hipster boxes (third-wave coffee, vegan food, tattooed baristas, indoor plants), this hugely popular cafe spreads over spaces on both…

  • Metanet Lokantası

    Gaziantep

    Your lips will tingle and your eyes will tear up as you spoon this oily broth into your mouth. Beyran is a mutton and rice soup made viciously red by the…

  • Cemilusta

    Trabzon

    Enthusiastic locals don't believe you've really been to Trabzon till you've eaten Akçaabat köfte (local meat patties) on Cemilusta's jam-packed meydan…

  • Apartıman

    The Bosphorus Suburbs

    Reinventing herself as a chef, former industrial designer Burçak Kazdal brings a pronounced designer approach to the decor and menu of her upmarket…

  • Somatçi

    Konya

    Rekindling old recipes from the Seljuk and Ottoman age, this restaurant uses the finest ingredients and cooks everything with panache. Dig into more…

  • Hayvore

    Beyoğlu

    Notable lokantas (traditional eateries serving ready-made dishes) are rare in modern-day Beyoğlu, so the existence of this bustling place next to the…

  • Cafe Privato

    Beyoğlu

    Located in an enclave off Galipdede Caddesi in Galata, this friendly, slightly ramshackle cafe is much loved for its exceptionally delicious and huge köy…

  • Kalamaki Restaurant

    Kalkan

    A modern venue with a very stylish minimalist pub on the terrace and a restaurant upstairs, serving superb Turkish dishes with a European twist. Try the…

  • Bumba Breakfast Club

    Alaçatı

    Bumba's table-covering breakfasts are packed with local and seasonal herbs, cheeses and fruit. Highlights of 15 small plates could include yoghurt with…

  • Çeşka Anne Mutfağı

    Çeşme

    Operated by a local women's cooperative, this humble spot a short stroll from Çeşme's busy main street specialises in homestyle cooking. The ever-changing…

  • Salloura Oğlu

    Istanbul

    Transplanted from Aleppo to İstanbul in 2014, this 150-year-old institution is known for speciality sweet cheese desserts such as kadayıf and peynirli…

  • Zübeyir Ocakbaşı

    Beyoğlu

    Every morning the chefs at this popular ocakbaşı (grill house) prepare fresh, top-quality meat – spicy chicken wings and Adana kebaps, flavoursome ribs,…

  • Ayşa

    İzmir

    Serving Bosnian food that is remarkably similar to Turkish home cooking, this stylish lokanta (eatery with ready-made food) in the pretty Abacıoğlu Han…

  • Bitlisli

    Sultanahmet

    Those keen on robust flavours and the liberal application of chilli in their food will be instantly enamoured of the dishes served at this bustling eatery…

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