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A homey little spot offering home-style fare, this is a good place to have a satisfying and inexpensive meal before or after embarking on excursions from the nearby minibus stop and riverside docks. Choose from a daily selection of meze behind the counter or a heartier traditional dish like panfried meat with peppers and onions. In the evening, there’s more of a mini-meyhane vibe, with beer and rakı available, at its handful of tables, mostly outside.
Eski Pazaryeri 3, Dalyan, Mugla, Turkey
Known For
- Mixed meze plate
- Panfried liver
- Stuffed calamari
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Even if you don't stay at the Kocaev–Mehmet Ali Ağa Konağı, consider soaking up the ambience for an evening at its restaurant. The seating is right beside the hotel (effectively the mansion's courtyard), and, as you'd expect in such a stellar location, the food is a gourmet's delight, the service five-star, and the prices enthusiastically high. The menu changes regularly, with a focus on Mediterranean and Ottoman dishes that make good use of the area's wild herbs. The mezes are excellent, and the mixed platter recommended. There is also a fine wine cellar.
Kavak Meydanı, No. 1, Datça, Mugla, 48900, Turkey
Known For
- Lamb chops
- Octopus carpaccio
- Cold almond soup
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No trip to Antakya is complete without eating künefe, a rich dessert with thinly soft cheese in between layers of pastry, baked in an oven and topped with sugar syrup. A row of shops selling the local sweet line the road in between the bridge into the old town and the beginning of the Uzun Çarşı. Ferah, in business since 1948, is a deservedly popular favorite.
Uzun Çarşı Cad. No: 10, Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
Known For
- Künefe
- Well established
- Local favorite
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Those who are tempted by Turkey's fish markets but have nowhere to cook for themselves can head to Fethiye's lively local market area. For a small charge, several casual restaurants will cook your purchase, adding mezes and salads. Non-fish eaters can buy steak instead on the same system. Everyone has their favorite spot: Hilmi and Öztoklu are both reliable choices.
Fethiye, Mugla, 48303, Turkey
Known For
- Grilled octopus
- Red snapper
- Meze
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A few blocks north of the fray, Flash attracts more locals than tourists and survives on word of mouth. It’s known for soups, steaks, kebabs, and meat stews cooked in a clay pot (kiremit); it also makes nice, oven-fired pide and lahmacun (wafer-thin spiced-meat flatbread). Come ravenously hungry, and you may have room for a dessert of künefe, a rich confection of cheese, strands of dough and sugar syrup sprinkled with pistachio.
Hacet Cad. 32/A, Alanya, Antalya, 07400, Turkey
Known For
- Adana kebab
- Lamb shish kebab
- Meat stew in clay pot
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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This long-standing favorite has a panoramic view of the harbor and excellent traditional Turkish fare that's focused on fresh seafood, though meat, chicken, and pasta dishes are also on the menu. If you're lucky, it will have grida (grouper) as a daily special; if not, try the fried squid with tarator sauce—a mixture of yogurt, garlic, lemon, walnuts, olive oil, and bread.
İskele Cad. 70, Alanya, Antalya, 07400, Turkey
Known For
- Grouper
- Grilled octopus
- Fried calamari
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Tour groups often fill this restaurant at dinner for good reason: the food is both delicious and inexpensive, a combination that also makes it popular with locals at lunch. The restaurant also offers a nice, traditional Turkish breakfast. Expect all the usual Turkish dishes, plus local specialties including soups, stews, and börek pastries.
İstiklal Cad. No. 20, Antakya, Hatay, 31001, Turkey
Known For
- Chard leaves stuffed with meat
- Tepsi kebab (spiced minced lamb cooked in a tray)
- Aşur (wheat and beef stew)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Little-consumed most other places in Turkey, hummus is a mainstay of the Antakya diet, and the old town is full of tiny, no-frills shops serving up little else, often as a filling breakfast. Jolly İbrahim, a hummus “usta” (master), who learned his trade in Lebanon, makes everything from scratch—even grinding the sesame seeds for his own tahini. Orders come with pillowy bread and an array of spicy peppers and pickles.
Saray Cad. Sakarya İşhanı No: 13, Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
Known For
- Hummus
- Cevizli biber (pepper paste with walnuts)
- Bakla (broad bean dip)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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One of the best of the traditional Turkish lokantas around the church of St. Nicholas, Ipek doesn't look like much, and the waiters can be surly, but excellent meat dishes make this the restaurant of choice for many.
Kolcular Sok., Demre, Antalya, 07570, Turkey
Known For
- Köfte (grilled meatballs)
- Moussaka
- Chicken soup
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Part of the Gunay's Garden villa complex, this tranquil spot in the far corner of Kaya village blends the best of Turkish and European cuisine, using homegrown ingredients as much as possible. There is a good range of largely organic starters; try the mixed meze plate for a taste of everything. Mains include excellent fish, steak, pizzas, and a lovely oven-cooked lamb. As befits the hotel's family-friendly ethos, there's also a kids' menu.
Gumruk Sokak, Kaya, Mugla, 48300, Turkey
Known For
- Salmon in saffron sauce
- Baked aubergine
- Steak
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Nov.–Mar.
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A casually stylish restaurant-bar in the old town area with a contemporary look and food to match, Kalamaki offers a well-prepared and presented menu of fusion and traditional Turkish dishes. Entrees range from sea bass with prawns in cream sauce to hot chili Mexican beef to sweet-and-sour chicken, but the kitchen manages to pull off this large selection with aplomb. Upstairs terrace seating (summer only) has a great view over the harbor, and there’s a lounge on the ground floor where you can stop in for a coffee or cocktail.
Hasan Altan Cad. No: 47, Kalkan, Antalya, Turkey
Known For
- Sultan’s chicken with apple-and-onion brandy sauce
- Bonfile sauté
- Lamb chops with mint sauce
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Thurs. in winter
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Situated in the heart of Kaleiçi, this meyhane that bears the same name as its neighborhood serves up the best mezes in Antalya, as well as an array of hot appetizers and the freshest seafood. Expect great service in a spacious outdoor atmosphere.
Balıkpazarı Sok. No 14, Antalya, Antalya, 07023, Turkey
Known For
- Great mezes
- Hot village cheese with herbs
- Jumbo shrimp
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Though the sweeping sea view is the star attraction of this meyhane above the harbor, the service and the food hold their own. Fresh fish, seafood, and meze are the traditional pairings with the rakı and Turkish wines on offer, but the menu include steaks, fajitas, and chicken curry as well.
İskele Cad. No: 80, Alanya, Antalya, Turkey
Known For
- Pan-fried shrimp with spicy garlic cream sauce
- Shrimp casserole
- Thin-sliced veal liver with caramelized onions
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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With a prime spot right on the beach, Karakuş is one of the best places for dinner and drinks in the entire Olympos-Çıralı area. The mezes and oven-fresh flatbread are delightful, and the beachfront scene is serene.
Çıralı Sok. No: 546, Çirali, Antalya, Turkey
Known For
- Great mezes
- Grilled sea bass
- Seafood pasta
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The waves practically lap over your feet at Kekik’s tables on the sand, lending a romantic air to this laid-back restaurant on Datça’s waterfront. Fish, seafood, and mezes are the specialties, including dishes incorporating the famous local almonds as well as wild herbs. Indoor dining is also atmospheric, in a traditional stone house.
Kumluk Yolu No: 3, Datça, Mugla, Turkey
Known For
- Braised wild herbs
- Chard leaves stuffed with sea bass
- Shredded zucchini with yogurt and almonds
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In business since 1950, Kervan draws hummus lovers from as far away as Mersin city center to eat its house specialty, served warm with a choice of toppings, including chickpeas and butter, köfte (meatballs), chicken, or cheese–all with spicy peppers and pickles on the side. The only thing on the menu other than hummus at this simple eatery by the çarşı (market) area is the equally delicious fındık lahmacun—miniature flatbreads topped with ground meat cooked in tomatoes and spices.
Abdi İpekçi Cad., 801. Sok., Abacı İşhanı No: 18, Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey
Known For
- Hummus with chickpeas and butter
- Hummus with pastırma (cured beef)
- Fındık lahmacun (tiny flatbreads)
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This homey lokanta is a good-value place to grab a quick bite after visiting the nearby castle. Choose from the daily array of traditional Turkish stewed or sautéed meat and vegetable dishes displayed at the counter, or order a grilled kebab or spit-roasted döner. It’s in the maze of streets below the citadel on the inland side, next to Eski İbrahim Ağa Cami.
36. Sok., No: 69, Marmaris, Mugla, 48700, Turkey
Known For
- Döner kebab
- Moussaka
- Kuru fasulye (stewed white beans in tomato sauce)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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A tranquil, stylish break from options in the sometimes tacky hustle and bustle of Fethiye’s bazaar area, Kukina serves up a distinctive (and delicious) international menu of dishes like falafel tacos, fried chicken burgers, and popcorn shrimp. Standbys like burgers and pizza are available, as are plenty of vegetarian options. The greenhouse-like courtyard and cheery, plant-filled interior are both comfortable places to linger over an afternoon coffee or a glass of wine.
95. Sok., No. 17, Fethiye, Mugla, Turkey
Known For
- Pastas
- Homemade brownies
- Smoothie bowls
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An Ölüdeniz institution, this casual restaurant set just back from the seafront at the eastern edge of town serves up hearty fare at reasonable prices. In addition to its crisp, thin-crust pide (flatbread) with a wide variety of toppings—including vegetarian options such as spinach or mushrooms—Kumsal’s large menu encompasses kebabs, pizza, fish, and international dishes. The service is friendly, and there’s an open-air terrace upstairs, away from the heat of the pide oven.
957. Sok. No: 13, Ölüdeniz, Mugla, Turkey
Known For
- Assorted pide (flatbread)
- Chicken casserole
- Grilled sea bass
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This excellent, straightforward Turkish restaurant is on the western edge of the bazaar and favored by locals for its kebabs, pide (Turkish pizza), and traditional casseroles. It's open all day, morphing from a breakfast joint in the morning to a family restaurant in the afternoon to the perfect place for a late-night snack at 3 am. The same owners also operate the somewhat more upscale Meğri Restaurant in the center of the bazaar.
Çarşı Cad., No. 30, Fethiye, Mugla, 48300, Turkey
Known For
- İskender kebab
- Pide
- Döner kebab
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. in winter
