261 Best Restaurants in Turkey

This cafe serves delicious, sourdough gluten-free toasts, breakfasts, omelettes, focaccia, vegan breakfast, cold homemade limonata, and reyhanli (purple basil syrup) limonata. Its modern decor stands out amongst the traditional tea houses and döner shops in the small square under the ancient plane tree. Their good choice of coffee rounds off a start for the day, after a good breakfast or brunch.

Hidden away on a side street off busy Cumhuriyet Bulvarı, this peaceful garden oasis attached to the French Cultural Center offers a range of well-prepared Mediterranean dishes, including fresh, flavorful salads, pastas, and grilled meats. There's a winter garden for cold-weather days and regular live jazz or Latin music, generally on Wednesday and Friday nights.

Newer and shinier options on the peninsula have failed to tempt the loyal clientele away from this decades-old favorite, where large windows and a small covered patio draped in vines overlook a small park next to the sea. The fare includes a wide variety of mezes, along with fish and grilled meat dishes; all are fresh and tasty. The casserole of tiny shrimp is especially good. Reservations are essential during war anniversaries.

Settle into a lovely, flower-scented garden about 1 km (½ mile) from the seafront, above the town, overlooking olive and citrus trees, the Myndos harbor, and the fields concealing the ancient city of Myndos, and enjoy a meal in these rustic surroundings. Dinner should begin with the excellent mezes, and then fried calamari and other dishes, with vegetarians well catered for. Note the mantı (Turkish-style ravioli) is homemade. The crowds come for cocktails at sunset.

A well-chosen selection of high-quality coffees, pleasant baristas, and cool jazz on the stereo make up for this little spot’s odd location in a small shopping mall. It's one of the rare places in town making a wide range of proper espresso drinks. Dal doesn’t stay open late (only till 8 pm), but it’s a mellow alternative to the often noisy tourist hang-outs lining Maraş Cad.

This cheery, casual bistro-style restaurant on the ground floor of the Hotel Ilayda is popular with visitors for its broad international menu, ranging from pasta dishes to fajitas to traditional Turkish grills. Prices are reasonable, portions hearty, and alcohol served.

This waterfront spot in pleasant Şevket Sabancı Park, just on the outer Turgutreis city center, has grand views of the sea along with a nice selection of Turkish and international dishes (though, perhaps surprisingly given the location, no fish). Alcohol is served and reservations advisable in high season.

The location is its best asset, and a fantastic one it is at the eastern end of the harbor. Mermerli is a spacious, breezy terrace that offers phenomenal views of the sea and the otherworldly mountains in the distance. A stalwart Antalya harborside dining scene, the Mermerli restaurant opts for a crowd-pleasingly broad menu that includes fish, steak, pastas, burgers, Turkish grills, and all-day breakfasts—but the prices reflect the location and the cooking won't blow you away. It's a good place to eat if you want to relax on Mermerli Beach, too—the private bathing spot (costing 250 TL to enter) is just down the steps, and the restaurant controls access.

Simple, hearty, traditional dishes are what’s on offer at this casual restaurant in the middle of Turgutreis’s bazaar, usually known as Osman's Place. Choose from traditional Turkish favorites starting with the traditional soups in the early morning, to hot vegetable and meat casseroles on display from cabinet at any time of the day. A good selection of baklava and desserts round off the offerings. No alcohol is served. It's a favored place for the working and the local residents, so it's busy at meal times, and on Saturday, market day.

This excellent, straightforward Turkish restaurant is on the western edge of the bazaar and favored by locals for its kebabs, pide, 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.

With long lines snaking out the door in the summertime, Ali Usta Dondurma is Kadıköy’s most popular ice cream spot, with flavors that draw on local tastes like chestnut, pistachio, and Turkish coffee.

Wonderfully prepared seafood is served with polish at this pleasant spot, as are the meat and pasta dishes. After midnight, there are often DJs at the garden bar. In wintertime, regulars cluster indoors around a cozy fireplace. Book in advance on weekends and in high season.

This brasserie-in-a-bookstore is a cozy place to enjoy a coffee surrounded by an extensive collection of Turkish and English-language books. The menu has a wide range of breakfast and lunch options.

A homey, pretention-free spot on the busy main stretch in Balat, Mitis Mantı only serves homemade mantı, small Turkish dumplings in garlic yogurt sauce. Unlike most other mantı places in town, Mitis Mantı has a vegetarian option on its menu.

Located just a short walk from the Bomontiada culture complex, Montag Bomonti pays attention to the details, with beans roasted in-house and impeccably pulled espresso.

This restored late-19th-century house with small, sun-dappled dining rooms, cozy furniture, and creaky wooden floors is a delightful refuge in the midst of the busy Sultanahmet neighborhood. The vast menu features a variety of kebabs and other Turkish specialties, as well as salads, pasta dishes, steaks, schnitzel, and other international fare.

Müpptela means "addicted," and, after one visit to this excellent ocakbaşı (grillhouse), you'll understand why the name fits. The mezes are excellent, and there is a wide variety of hot appetizers, grilled meat, and kebab dishes. Friendly, warm service in a sultry outdoor setting on the edge of old Kaş is a final (and big) plus.

Despite the rustic name (there's a small campground on the premises), this large space with an outdoor terrace on a hillside just below the İshak Paşa Sarayı, is Doğubeyazıt's only option for a big night out. You'll find the usual selection of mezes and kebabs, as well as live Turkish music on weekends along with wine, beer, and rakı. There are also a few very basic rooms that can be rented.

Seasonal Turkish cuisine is served here with a contemporary twist, from cacık with smoked yogurt, charred garlic, and pickles to tender octopus slow-cooked for hours to fresh fish—all artfully plated. It is not surprising that Mehmet Gürs, the famous chef behind Mikla, is a consultant to the restaurant. Eat in the warm, spacious interior or on the large, all-season patio that affords sweeping Bosphorus views.

This always-hopping waterfront bistro draws a local and tourist crowd with its broad Turkish-international menu of pastas, salads, bar snacks, and grilled meats. Some good local wines are available, too. It's open for breakfast onwards. 

In business for three decades on Ortaköy's waterfront square, unpretentious Çınaraltı ("under the sycamore") has a massive sycamore tree growing up through its center and shading its upstairs terrace. The balık böreği (a spring roll-esque fish pastry) is a highlight of the wide though fairly standard meze selection, and the fish is mainly served grilled or fried (make sure the price quoted is per fish or serving, not per kilo).

This lively local favorite just outside the Netsel marina has been in business for more than three decades, and stays open year-round. It’s known for its fresh mezes and seafood including the house specialty, grilled sübye (cuttlefish). A reservation is advised if you want to sit at one of the long outdoor tables on the seafront promenade.

Bright aqua sailcloth shades one of the long-established spots along the Bitez seafront where breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner are served to guests who may be there for a swim, all-day sunbathing, or dinner and drinks. A full Turkish breakfast on the sunny Bitez beach is a delight, particularly in the low seasons. It's not the cheapest but an extensive international and Turkish menu meets most tastes of families and diners, all year around. 

This lakeside restaurant has an outdoor area shaded by an impressive grape arbor where you can eat trout or kebab while looking at the water. It's a nicer spot to unwind after a visit to Nemrut than the busier offerings on Kahta's main street.

One of the many fish restaurants along the water, Nissi stands out with its nautical decor and straw ceiling that makes the place feel like a fancy beach hut. The meze is the usual fare with a few surprising options mixed in.

After paying your respects to St. Nick, retire to this bakery-café, the local branch of a popular Turkish chain, to enjoy icy air-conditioning and a cold drink or tea accompanied by fresh baklava. Until early afternoon, Nur also serves su böreği, a salty pastry flavored with crumbly cheese.

Set in a tree-shaded garden just back from the harbor, Oburus Momus specializes in vegetarian and vegan dishes—think international favorites from across Asia like nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), pad thai (Thai noodles), and falafel bowls. It’s a chilled-out place not just for dinner but for cocktails or refreshing ice teas during the day.

The kebabs here are simple and tasty, and embroidered curtains, rust-color tablecloths, and waiters in shiny vests add a bit of atmosphere to the cave-like space. Try the ali nazik kebab (grilled meat served on a cheesy eggplant puree) or the ejder kebab, pieces of grilled meat, cheese, parsley, sesame, and egg yolk in a calzone-like wrapping.