261 Best Restaurants in Turkey

Drawing on Istanbul’s cosmopolitan past, this cozy spot offers meze and mains made from Armenian recipes, along with Greek, Ottoman, and Circassian dishes. With its white tablecloths and bookshelves in a low-ceiling space that opens out onto the street, Jash makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into someone’s home kitchen to taste all of Istanbul’s history.

This popular, cozy hangout, named after famous Turkish photographer Ara Güler, whose black-and-white photographs of Istanbul line the walls, is a nice place for a light meal or cup of coffee. The menu includes several Turkish meat dishes along with more international fare, such as grilled entrecôte (sirloin) steak with fries or tagliatelle with salmon.

This casual yet stylish bar-restaurant in the old town offers a well-prepared and presented menu of traditional Turkish hot and cold meze, combined with international crowd-pleasers like burgers, fried chicken, and pasta. It's a disjointed approach, but the kitchen manages to pull off this large selection with aplomb. The upstairs terrace has great views over the harbor (sometimes closed off-season), and there’s a lounge on the ground floor where you can stop in for a coffee or cocktail.

Down a quiet, pretty alley just a two-minute stroll from the waterfront, the white, candlelit tables at this seafood restaurant quickly fill with hungry locals. Accompany a heaping plate of fried local calamari (probably the most generous in town) with a tasting plate of up to four vegetable meze with toasted bread, and, if you're still hungry, order grilled fish and (more) rakı.

From its position inside and atop one of Sinop's ancient guard towers, this café and bar benefits from one of the best views in town. Calm during the day with friendly chats over tea and coffee, the bar spirit comes out in the evening with cold beer and live Turkish folk music. Outside seating on the rooftop is definitely romantic, but strong sea breezes can chill the air significantly.

A few minutes' walk from the Acropolis, this casual eatery with stone tables and colorful flowerpots is a welcome stop, especially on a hot day, on the way back from seeing the ruins. The ayran (a salty yogurt drink) is thirst quenching and a great restorative. Try the mantı (Turkish ravioli in garlicky yogurt sauce), the tavuk şiş (chicken kebab), or the gözleme, thin Turkish pastry filled with minced meat, mashed potato, or cheese and cooked on a flat griddle.

Situated in the heart of Kaleiçi, this meyhane that bears the same name as its neighborhood serves 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.

By day, this sleek, airy restaurant with a large outdoor dining area offers a changing menu of reasonably priced Turkish vegetable and meat dishes. At night, it becomes a classy meyhane, serving an excellent variety of meze.

With a prime spot right on the beach, Karakuş is a beautiful spot to enjoy any time of day—and if you spend 500 TL on food, you'll get sunbed and umbrella use for free. The mezes, grilled fish, and oven-fresh flatbreads are delightful, and the beachfront scene is serene.

Tables spill out of the small courtyard into the cobblestone alley at this fish and meze restaurant in central Alaçatı. Innovative house specialties include delicious dishes of octopus cooked with mushrooms, onions, and soy sauce; creamy potatoes and shrimps; and for dessert, a delicious apple baklava. The cozy fireplace lures diners indoors in the cooler seasons.

The mix of kebabs is fairly standard, though they are well prepared. The nice setting includes a terrace with a good view out of the town and the Tigris, and there's ice cream for dessert.

Köfte (Turkish-style meatballs) are the mainstay of this popular, no-frills eatery, and you can enjoy them as a sandwich or with a side of piyaz (navy bean salad, with or without onions), homemade bread, and ayran (salted yogurt drink). The only other dish on the menu is çöp şiş, small pieces of skewered grilled lamb. No alcohol is served, and they close early in the evening. 

This cheery traveler favorite just off Pamukkale’s main square serves up better-than-average grilled meats, güveç (casseroles), and other traditional Turkish dishes (plus international staples like omelets and pasta) on an outdoor patio under a thick canopy of grapevines. Portions are on the small side but nicely presented. The full Irish Bar side has sports TV and games.

This modern dining room on lively pedestrian Uzun Sokak is a busy local favorite. It offers all the standard kebabs and pides, plus a few rarer dishes such as talaş kebabı (lamb wrapped in pastry) and orman kebabı (stewed lamb with vegetables).

This simple outdoor eatery in the heart of town is where locals come for tasty kebabs and frothy village ayran, a salted yogurt drink you can find bottled around the country but here is drunk the traditional way: with a ladle from metal bowls. The kebabs are served with fresh flatbread, so you can make your own wrap.

Eager patrons line up outside this little white-and-blue house near the bazaar to enjoy heaping servings of meat, dished up by a grandson of Mehmet İskenderoğlu, who invented the İskender kebap back in 1867 (he's pictured on the wall, opposite Atatürk). The kebab is tender, the portions filling, and the photograph-lined dining rooms quaint. The kitchen closes by 6:30 during the week and 8 on weekends, so go early.

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.

This popular spot just opposite the Ayasofya serves soups, beans with sliced Turkish pastrami and rice, and typical home-style dishes. The işkembe (tripe soup) is probably best only for those who are into experimenting—you'll either hate it or love it. The atmosphere is a notch above most eateries of this type. The place opens early, at 5 am, but don't plan on a late dinner—it closes at 8 pm.

In business since 1950, Kervan draws hummus lovers 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 is the equally delicious fındık lahmacun—miniature flatbreads topped with ground meat cooked in tomatoes and spices.

Hidden up some unassuming stairs on the west side of Cumhuriyet Cadessi, this popular kebab spot has a more refined atmosphere than the competition around town and has excellent food as well. There's a broad range of typical kebabs, plus a few more unusual choices here, such as the kaşarlı sarmabeyti, ground meat and cheese in a tomato sauce–covered wrap. 

An oasis of well-brewed third wave coffee in the middle of traditional Sultanahmet, Khaldi is trendy without being ostentatious. There is a selection of pastries and both indoor and outdoor seating.

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.

Turkish grilled meatballs and home-style cuisine with or without meat, served at just a few tables in a no-frills setting, have been a hit for more than half a century. Their soups are a great way to start or end the day. Dishes are accompanied with homemade plain yogurt and rice. Alcohol is not served. 

Turks love their köfte (meatballs), and almost every city in the country makes a claim to fame based on its own way of preparing them, including İznik. Locals fill the large, canteen-type tables of this casual bilevel eatery with both indoor and deck seating at almost all times of the day to enjoy İzmir köfte, served with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and a mildly spicy red pepper sauce. Other grilled meats are also available, with yogurt and salads as optional sides. This is not a place for vegetarians.

A popular neighborhood spot to sip lattes, this hip café offers an extensive coffee menu and light pastries to refuel.

A favorite with locals and cruise ship visitors alike, this spot doesn't look much from the busy roadside but once seated the views over the port are winners, as are the highlights of the seafood menu: tandoori octopus, seafood salad, stuffed mussels, and an array of mezes.

Ilıca is known for kumru—Turkish-style panini prepared with special sesame-seed rolls and stuffed with salami, sucuk (beef spicy sausage), cheese, tomatoes, and pickles—and this place serves the best in town. Pair your sandwich with a glass of ayran, a refreshing yogurt drink. There are multiple locations in Ilıca and branches of this popular local chain in Alaçatı and Çeşme as well. It's open 24 hours.

An Ölüdeniz institution, this casual restaurant set 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 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.