Restaurants in Turkey
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A
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
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B
Çınarlar Pide & Pizza House
- Kaş, Turkey
- Restaurants › Pide
Perennially popular with Kaş' young bloods, who come for the affordable pide, pizza and and pop music, Çinarlar has a pleasant courtyard tucked away off the street.
reviewed
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C
Sempati
The homestyle cooking at this place behind the blue door on the corner of Slippery Street attracts a loyal and regular following. Try the delicious aubergine fritters.
reviewed
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D
Urfalı Hacı Mehmet
A welcome haven for family and female diners, kept clean and bright for maximum enjoyment of an extensive fast-food menu.
reviewed
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E
St John's Café
Despite, or perhaps because, it being Selçuk's most touristy cafe-shop, St John's has the town's widest coffee selection, various toasts and other international snacks. There's a play area for restless youngsters, too.
reviewed
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Star Restaurant
This Norwegian-Turkish-owned restaurant offers cosmopolitan surprises such as Hawaiian pizza and pasta carbonara alongside the gamut of steaks and lahmacun (Arabic-style pizza). The tables on the leafy cobbled square next to the church are perfect for whiling away an afternoon.
reviewed
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F
Sema Hanımın Yeri
In this rustic, wood-panelled restaurant, the welcoming Madame Sema serves home-cooked food such as içli köfte (meatballs stuffed with spices and nuts).
reviewed
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G
Sakız
With a wooden terrace and red-and-white tablecloths, Sakız is informal and fabulous. Its fresh meze includes recommended sardines, octopus and köz patlıcan (smoked aubergine with tomatoes and peppers), the unusual mains include sea bass with asparagus and stir-fried fish with artichoke. Live traditional guitar music sets the scene on weekends.
reviewed
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H
İskele Sofrası
Eschew the glitzier harbour restaurants and head for this intimate place just off İskele Caddesi. Run by the friendly Öz family, the menu includes more than 70 meze, including girit ezmesi, an unforgettable mash of feta, walnuts and olive oil. The terrace with harbour views is a delight, perfect with a cold beer and the shrimp güveç (seafood casserole).
reviewed
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I
Asitane
This elegant restaurant next to the Chora Church serves Ottoman dishes devised for the palace kitchens at Topkapı, Edirne and Dolmabahçe. Its chefs have been tracking down historic recipes for years, and the menu is full of versions that will tempt most modern palates. There's a comfortable indoor space and an outdoor courtyard for summer dining.
reviewed
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J
Sultanahmet Fish House
If you're the fishy type, traditionally there have been only three viable dining options in the Old City: heading down to Kumkapı, grabbing a fish sandwich on the dock at Emininönü or booking a table at the pricey Balıkçı Sabahattin. But now there's this casual restaurant in Cağaloğlu. What makes this joint distinctive are its prices, which are remarkably low for what's on offer. Wine is also well priced, and everything is squeaky clean. Wow.
reviewed
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K
SOS & Sultan Restaurant & Café
A cheapish option that offers belly fuel rather than gourmet meals.
reviewed
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Cercis Murat Konağı
The menu at Cercis Murat Konağı is simply spectacular, featuring dishes that are as delectable to taste as they are gorgeous to behold. Start with the meze tabağı, a sample platter of 12 meze dishes, or opt for individual plates including allucıye (a mixture of greengage, lamb, squash, chives and parsley; TL6), ıncasiye (lamb, chickpeas, plums and pomegranate molasses; TL6) or an extraordinary kibbe stuffed with pomegranate, pistachio and lamb (TL5). Mains include the decadent kaburga dolması (lamb rib stuffed with dolma and slow cooked; TL50 for two people) and desserts range from homemade dondurma (ice cream; TL5) to a platter of unusual crystallised walnut,…
reviewed
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L
Ottoman House
Inside a 100-year-old stone villa surrounded by lush gardens, Ottoman House is Alanya's most atmospheric eatery. The beğendili taş kebabı (TL32), a traditional Ottoman combination of sautéed lamb and aubergine purée, and grilled seafood dishes (TL24 to TL29) are all good. Visit on Thursday or Sunday night for all-you-can-eat barbecue (€15); on Tuesdays there's a meze buffet (€15) and Turkish dancing.
reviewed
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M
Zinhan Kebap House at Storks
Zinhan’s regal position next to the Galata Bridge means that every İstanbullu knows it. Unfortunately (for them, that is) most haven’t eaten here. If you buck this trend, you’ll enjoy an excellent meal on one of the most impressive roof terraces in the city – the views from here are simply sensational. Best is the fact that there are lots of tables in prime positions, meaning that you won’t have to book weeks ahead. You’ll sit on comfortable chairs at huge, well-spaced tables to enjoy tasty mezes such as hummus pastırmalı (hummus with pastırma ) and sophisticated kebap dishes such as ali nazik (spicy kebap on a bed of broiled eggplant salad with garlic…
reviewed
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N
Develi
Develi opened its first restaurant in Kuruluş in 1912, but its most popular outlet is located at Samatya, in the shadow of Theodosius’ Great Wall. The succulent kebaps here come in many guises and often reflect the season – the keme kebabi (truffle kebab) is only served for a few weeks each year, for instance. Prices here are extremely reasonable for the quality of food that is on offer and the service is exemplary – request a table on the roof terrace, which has great sea views. To get here from Sultanahmet, take a taxi.
reviewed
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O
Burç Ocakbaşı
We promised a shopkeeper friend that listing this unassuming ocakbaşı in the Grand Bazaar wouldn’t lead to it being overrun by tourists. Now we’re worried that we may have been overly optimistic. He was concerned that the usta (master cook) at his favourite lunch spot – a previously well-guarded secret – would end up being too busy to pay proper attention to the juicy cuts of Gaziantep-style meats and delicious dolmas that he serves to the locals (the southeastern region of Gazientep is considered one of Turkey’s culinary hotspots). We sincerely hope this won’t be the case. You can pull up a stool or ask for your kebap to be a durum (wrapped in bread) to go.
reviewed
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P
Çiya Sofrası
Known throughout the culinary world, Musa Dağdeviren's lokanta showcases dishes from the region surrounding the chef/owner's home city of Gaziantep. While standards in the kitchen seemed to have fallen in recent times, it's still a great place to try Turkish regional specialties. Its next-door kebapçı (kebaps TL15-35) sells a huge variety of tasty meat dishes. Neither sells alcohol.
reviewed
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Q
Mikla
Local celebrity chef Mehmet Gürs is a master of Mod Med, and the Turkish accents on the menu here make his food memorable. Extraordinary views, luxe surrounds and professional service complete the experience. Try the delicious Trakya Kıvırcık lamb dishes, consider a finale of the pistachio and helva ice cream and be sure to have a drink at the bar beforehand.
reviewed
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R
Sütçü Fevzi
- Van, Turkey
- Restaurants › Cafe
Sütçü Fevzi has a few tables set up outside. Sütçü Fevzi will give you a typical Van breakfast experience. Van is famed for its tasty kahvaltı (breakfast). Skip the usually bland breakfast that is served in your hotel and head straight to Eski Sümerbank Sokak, also called 'Kahvaltı Sokak' (Breakfast St), a pedestrianised side street running parallel to Cumhuriyet Caddesi.
Drool over otlu peynir (cheese mixed with a tangy herb, Van's speciality), beyaz peynir (a mild yellow cheese), honey from the highlands (mmm!), olives, kayma (clotted cream), butter, tomatoes, cucumbers and yumurta (eggs).
reviewed
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S
Sütçü Kenan
- Van, Turkey
- Restaurants › Cafe
Sütçü Kenan has a few tables set up outside. Sütçü Kenan will give you a typical Van breakfast experience. Van is famed for its tasty kahvaltı (breakfast). Skip the usually bland breakfast that is served in your hotel and head straight to Eski Sümerbank Sokak, also called 'Kahvaltı Sokak' (Breakfast St), a pedestrianised side street running parallel to Cumhuriyet Caddesi.
Drool over otlu peynir (cheese mixed with a tangy herb, Van's speciality), beyaz peynir (a mild yellow cheese), honey from the highlands (mmm!), olives, kayma (clotted cream), butter, tomatoes, cucumbers and yumurta (eggs).
reviewed
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Subaşı Lokantası
This place first opened its doors in 1959 and it’s been feeding a constant stream of the Grand Bazaar’s shopkeepers and customers ever since. Choose from the spread of good-quality hot food in the kitchen on the right as you enter and then grab a seat at a table on one of the two floors. Don’t let the waiters cajole you into ordering an expensive mixed plate (they have a tendency to do this to unsuspecting tourists, who then end up with hefty bills); instead check out the price list at the door and order by the portion (opt for one plus rice). You’ll find it north of the Nuruosmaniye gate.
reviewed
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T
Bab-İ Hayat
It took seven months for a team headed by one of the conservation architects from Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı) to restore and decorate this vaulted space over the eastern entrance to the Spice Bazaar. Hand-painted ceilings and tiled window frames provide an atmospheric setting in which to sample decent kebaps and adequate pides and hazır yemek dishes. The ultra-friendly service stands in stark contrast to that at neighbouring Pandeli (which we’ve elected not to review), and you can even get a beer if you ask discreetly. Enter through the Serhadoğlu fast-food shop.
reviewed
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U
Teras Restaurant
The terrace restaurant at this upmarket hotel offers good food, a killer view of the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and Sea of Marmara, an excellent (and affordable) wine list and very comfortable seating – a compelling combination indeed. Added extras come courtesy of a kids' menu (TL12–14) and decent coffee. We recommend starting with a meze tray to share (TL26–29).
reviewed
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V
Zübeyir Ocakbaşı
Every morning, the chefs at this popular ocakbaşı (grill house) prepare the fresh, top-quality meats to be grilled over their handsome copper-hooded barbecues that night: spicy chicken wings and Adana kebaps, flavoursome ribs, pungent liver kebaps and well-marinated lamb şış kebaps. Their offerings are famous throughout the city, so booking a table is essential.
reviewed