27 Best Restaurants in Turkey

Getting lost amongst the fields and vineyards becomes worth it when arriving at Hus to receive polite but interested, professional service, beautifully curated menus, detailed explanations, and suggestions for wine pairing. The modern building houses the busy kitchen led by three chefs, while the tables are set out indoors or around the lawns looking over the Hus vineyards. There are two rooms available for bed and breakfast accommodation upstairs. Cheese platters accompany afternoon tastings of five wines for 450 TL.

Revithia offers perhaps the most exceptional dining experience in Cappadocia, if not all of Turkey. Eight- and five-course tasting menus are served in an intimate 25-seat dining room. Revithia derives from the Greek word for chickpea, reflecting its homage to the region's Greek heritage. Drawing on "forgotten dishes" of the area, the chef reimagines traditional flavors, showcasing local fruits, cheeses, and, of course, lamb. Revithia is one of the few fine-dining options in Cappadocia—and Turkey—that offers a vegan tasting menu. 

With fine food and excellent service, stylish Seraser aspires to be the best restaurant in all of Turkey, and its inventive international menu certainly lifts it above other options in Antalya. This is considered a special-occasion restaurant, yet it's wonderfully relaxed and decent value compared to its American counterparts. Part of the opulent Tuvana Hotel, it's set in the leafy courtyard of a historic house, with indoor and outdoor dining areas and live jazz on weekends. The menu reflects international favorites with a Turkish twist, made with quality Turkish ingredients—most of which are organic. Starters include goat cheese and aubergine soufflé, mussels Provençal, and superb house-made pastas. Grouper and char-grilled steak are popular mains, but do save room for dessert: the Turkish coffee-infused crème brûlée is a showstopper. The wine list is impressive, with more than 300 options, though prices are steep.

A dazzling array of inventive seafood and vegetable mezes in the cold cabinet, for hot or cold consumption, makes for a hard choice but yields very tasty plates. The decor is of a beguiling old-school fish restaurant, photos of years of past clients and friends, raki bottles and fish posters which fit the view of fishing nets piled on the harbor path from the small fishing boats moored there. The single tempura prawn with chili sauce is superb. The mains are fried or grilled fresh fish, but check the fish in season, weight and price before ordering. Father and sons have built a respectful, popular following, amongst the many fish restaurants along the old port walkway.

Chef and owner Melih Teksen moved his deliciously inventive dishes and Mediterranean restaurant out to a superb setting and partnership at Buradan Vineyards in early 2024, after 25 years of Agrilia leading the trends in a la carte restaurants in Alaçatı's center. From April to September set menus of fresh seasonal foods are paired with the wines in a superb setting of sunset in the vineyards.

The peripatetic Turkish-Armenian maestro Garo heads the kitchen at this enduringly popular stone cottage-turned-waterfront restaurant in Türkbükü with a comfy Greek-taverna feel, friendly staff, and an outdoor terrace with blue-and-white checkered tablecloths. If you're not in the mood for seafood and meze, there are spicy Turkish meatballs or a Bodrum specialty, çökertme kebabı (beef strips over fried potatoes with yogurt sauce).

Long established in a beautiful old Bodrum house and courtyard, this restaurant serves tapas, paella, beef cheeks, scallops, and a variety of other Spanish and Mediterranean dishes, available for lunch and dinner. Chef-owner Neco regularly visits Spain for inspiration. Desserts include San Sebastian and Creme Catalan. An impressive wine room offers a range of Turkish and international labels. They also run an economical pizza cafe in the alley next door.

This cozy eatery, a gastronomic gem near İstiklal Caddesi, is the creation of German-Turkish chef Cem Eksi. The seasonal menu, which includes an extensive wine list, branches out beyond Turkish cuisine to explore dishes from the whole Mediterranean region.

Drawing on historic palace recipes, Matbah presents beautifully plated Ottoman cuisine. There is both an a la carte and a tasting menu that note the century each dish originated from, and the dining room is airy and elegant, evoking the palace setting that has inspired the food.

With sleek, contemporary decor and a stunning 360-degree view of Istanbul from the top floor of the 18-story Marmara Pera Hotel, Mikla is the dramatic setting for prestigious American-trained Turkish-Finnish chef Mehmet Gürs's modern Anatolian cuisine. Sophisticated dishes of domestically sourced ingredients offer unique flavor combinations rarely seen in traditional Turkish cuisine, such as grilled lamb with sour mulberries, charred endive, and apple molasses, or saffron ice cream served with sesame paste and pistachios.

The owners of Sevilen, one of Turkey’s best-known wine brands, have renovated and opened their family home to visitors as a fine-dining restaurant in a bucolic setting near İzmir airport. Grilled meats are the focus of the menu, which also includes tasty salads and starters—along with Sevilen wine pairings, of course. Summertime meals are served under a 300-year-old plane tree that provides cooling shade on a hot day.

At this Çanakkale institution established in 1940, take in views across the Dardanelles from the rooftop terrace as you enjoy such seafood mezes as grilled octopus in vinegar or sardines wrapped in vine leaves. Non-seafood mezes like fried eggplant with cheese are equally tasty. Fish prices are per kilogram and are not listed on the menu, so be sure to ask before ordering. The same goes for dishes that might show up on the table without you having asked for them. Service can be hit or miss.

Rising chef Civan Er puts a unique and contemporary twist on traditional Turkish dishes, using ingredients sourced from local producers in different regions of the country. The menu consists mainly of starters or small plates that offer innovative flavor combinations, like kofte tartare with sumac and chilli, or braised beetroot with walnuts, sour cherries, hazelnuts, and ezine cheese (a rich, white, cow's milk cheese).

Stylish Aheste (meaning "slowly" in Persian) offers a small but appealing menu consisting mainly of hot and cold meze with some Persian, Ottoman, and Middle Eastern influences with contemporary twists; the sea beans with smoked yogurt and rose petals and the wild rice with currants and herbs are particularly tasty. Prices are a bit high, but the friendly, laid-back service and hip-yet-cozy atmosphere make up for it.

Upgraded to a modern Türkbükü vibe in all white, but with a few fishnets on display, this second-generation laid-back fish restaurant on the waterfront delivers excellent seafood meals. Seating is either indoors or on the white tables filling the timber deck on the water under the signature string of lights. Start your meal with a selection of seafood or vegetable meze, then choose between the big splash on lobsters or King crab, or simply cooked sea bass. But save room for the house special dessert, helva sarma (phyllo-dough rolls filled with tahini paste, flavored with cinnamon, and served with ice cream and chocolate sauce).

The most popular and probably the most expensive of the waterfront restaurants on Cunda serves a selection of mezes and prepared seafood that is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. Many options are original creations based on Greek and Turkish cuisine—squid in saffron sauce, sole in yogurt, akuvadis in whiskey sauce, and cured fish pastırma are among the unusual specialties. There's no menu, so ask to see the mezes and fish before ordering, and inquire about prices—be prepared to pay a lot.

This tiny upscale restaurant run by German-Turkish owners blends European style, atmosphere, and creativity with local ingredients and flavors. The result is a refined, low-key environment, with well-made food that provides an interesting variation on typical Turkish cuisine like zucchini flowers stuffed with local fish instead of the usual rice.

Deniz means "sea" in Turkish, an appropriate name for this popular, pricey seafood eatery on the Kordon waterfront, whose tables spill out of the ground floor of the İzmir Palas Hotel. It's buzzing with local notables, travelers, and a swanky business crowd who come to splurge on exceptional fish and meze, including samphire with garlicky yogurt. And it can easily turn into a splurge in terms of price, depending on the number of courses chosen.

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.

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 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.

This restaurant on the Netsel marina has a lot more style and dignity than you would guess from the name, and it's a great escape from the mass tourism of Marmaris. The house specialty is tender, oven-cooked, Anatolian lamb; however, the chef also prepares octopus, pasta, pizza, steak, Turkish grills, and divine desserts.

The restaurant in the Argos in Cappadocia hotel features contemporary adaptations of Turkish dishes that bring together local ingredients and international cooking techniques. Creative appetizers include traditional Turkish pastırma (beef pastrami) with goat cheese and melon sauce, while meat-heavy mains range from lamb loin with eggplant and plum sauce to beef cheek with rosemary. A vast wine list has an extensive Turkish selection as well as some foreign vintages. Prices are a bit high for what's being served, but the excellent service and ambience—white tablecloths, candlelight, soft music—and splendid views nonetheless make this place a treat.

Tucked away on a quiet street in Balat, this sophisticated restaurant is best known for its creative take on local seafood, with impeccably plated dishes that draw on seasonal ingredients. The multi-floor building opens up to a rooftop with views over the neighborhood.

A cheerful busy staff serve this popular steakhouse, with an international style menu that includes slow-cooked lamb and beef dishes, pasta, chicken, fish, and a basic choice of mezes. There are no desserts on the menu, but it is opposite the upscale Yalikavak Marina, home to some good ice cream and dessert cafes. However, the live music and bar service in Sofi's can keep people lingering until past midnight, enjoying the breeze in summer, and cozy in winter with the enclosing windows.

Ankara may be landlocked, but Trilye serves such impressive fish and seafood dishes that you wouldn’t know it. Opened in 2002 by Turkish food writer Süreyya Üzmez, the stylish restaurant has an extensive menu of creative mezes—such as prawn in avocado sauce, or marinated artichoke hearts with sesame seeds—and well-prepared main courses. The hot appetizer of grilled octopus, brought to the table still smoking inside a glass, is a sight to behold—and taste. The rather expensive menu comes with prices of most seafood dishes listed by the kilo, so make sure you know what you’re ordering.

Fitting for a restaurant housed in the Çırağan Palace, dinner here is a refined, luxurious affair, with formal service, rich Ottoman and Turkish specialties, and one of the most high-end wine lists in Turkey (Chateau Pétrus, anyone?). The pricey menu features cold and hot meze, and entrées emphasize fish and meat dishes, such as in the signature külbastı, lamb escalope served with pureed eggplant.