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Dining out along the Aegean coast is a pleasure, especially if you enjoy seafood and fresh produce. There are countless seafood restaurants at all price ranges. A typical meal includes an assortment of hot and cold meze (appetizers), a mixed salad, and the catch of the day, capped off with a Turkish dessert. To make it authentic, accompany your meal with rak? (a spirit similar in taste to oúzo). Some of the more common fish you'll find along the Aegean coast are levrek (sea bass), çipura (sea bream), barbunya (red mullet), and lahos (grouper), as well as tasty smaller fish like sardalya (sardines). Note that most fish restaurants charge per kilogram for whole fish, and the prices often aren't listed; ask before ordering to avoid receiving an unexpectedly large bill at the end of an otherwise pleasant meal. Of course, there are plenty of meat and kebab restaurants around, too, if that’s what you’re craving.
For dessert, try local dondurma (Turkish ice cream, often thickened with orchid root or mastic resin), as well as milk puddings and baklava. It’s often better to avoid hotel restaurants at lunch and dinner—you can frequently find better and less expensive food a short walk away—but luxury and boutique hotels might be an exception as they are often firm favorites on the local restaurant scene. And don’t forget street snacks! In season, you can grab fat local Smyrna figs; a cup of icy, dark berry ?erbet (think of it as Ottoman Gatorade); or a sesame-studded feta-and-tomato sandwich, each for less than a dollar in central ?zmir. Simit, the classic Turkish bagel-like street snack, is called gevrek in the ?zmir region, and often purchased along with a piece of tulum peyniri (goat's milk cheese) and a hard-boiled egg, following an old Sephardic culinary custom.
Excellent coffees, detox juices, herbal teas, croissants or healthy sour-bread breakfasts, vegan dishes, German-style baked cakes, cookies, and desserts are served in this bright yellow corner cafe on the traffic road leading away from the Bodrum Marina. A breakfast Bellini is possible, as it is licensed for alcohol service. The team also creates the Munchbox takeout or delivery boxes of savory or sweet platter nibbles.
This very popular bakery in hip Alsancak serves up probably the broadest selection you’ll find of boyoz, a round flaky pastry with Sephardic roots that’s these days almost unique to İzmir. Get yours savory or sweet, or perhaps with a hard-boiled egg on the side in traditional style. Go early for the best selection, and you might even get a gevriği, the İzmir version of the Turkish circular simit.
This charming outdoor café and restaurant is just a five-minute walk from the Priene ruins and features a shaded, leafy atmosphere with gazebos and picnic tables. The menu consists of classic Turkish staples and the specialty is gözleme: savory crepes stuffed with either potato, spinach, or cheese.
Hearty traditional Turkish soups, stews, and meat and vegetable dishes are arrayed buffet-style at this cheery lokanta (a casual home-style eatery), which is always bustling at lunchtime. At the top of Alaçatı village near the minibus stop, it offers a reasonably priced and reliable alternative to the increasingly expensive fare found farther into town.
Not far from the clock tower at the entrance of Kemeraltı, this small local favorite has served traditional İskender kebabı (and only İskender kebabı) from the city of Bursa since 1981. The spit-roasted meat is sliced thin and topped with melted butter and tomato sauce. A glass of homemade ayran (salted yogurt drink) is the traditional accompaniment to the meal. Alcohol is not served. Come for lunch or a very early dinner, as they're only open until the meat runs out, usually around 6:30 pm.
Stopping here for pide (Turkish-style pizza or calzones, piled with a variety of ingredients that can include cheese, spinach, meat, or egg) is a highlight of a trip to Ilıca and a great choice for a quick lunch, or even breakfast, though on the pricey side compared to similar fare elsewhere. The menu also includes kebabs, soup, pizza, and traditional Turkish desserts.
The specialty of the house at this simple eatery on the boardwalk in Türkbükü is large, rather greasy portions of çiğ böreği, a Crimean dish brought to Turkey that consists of flat, fried pastry stuffed with ground beef, onion, and spices. One of the few unpretentious (and relatively inexpensive) places left on the Türkbükü shoreline, this place has a beach-hut vibe, its own little patch of sand, and a family clientele.
Attached to a pansiyon of the same name near the entrance to town, this casual restaurant offers an assortment of grilled meats and home-cooked dishes as well as meze and gözleme (Turkish-style crepes). Meals are served in a pleasantly tree-shaded, plant-filled courtyard decorated with brightly colored hanging lamps, some made out of dried gourds. The entrance and wall are so colorful it is a popular spot for posing for photos by day-trippers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Since 1945, the Rumeli bakery has been the place in Çeşme for treats like sakızlı dondurma (thick, chewy Turkish-style mastic ice cream) in flavors such as karadut (black mulberry) and tarçın (cinnamon), as well as jams, sweet mastic paste, and other traditional goodies, such as Kazandibi pudding. It's on the main shopping street, not far from Ayios Haralambos church.
Blissfully lacking the touts trying to lure tourists into the restaurants around Cengiz Topel Caddesi, this tiny, friendly pide shop is conveniently located near the Selçuk Museum. In addition to the crisp, tasty pide offerings, there is also a selection of güveç (casserole) dishes on the menu.
This popular bakery on Bodrum's main pedestrian shopping street is known for classic puddings, cheesecakes, pastries, luxurious fruit-and-cream parfaits, and more sweets than you can name. Tea and coffee are also available, which you can drink at the side bench. It's open long hours, making it ideal for night revelers or early starters from 6:30 am to 3:00 am
This no-frills spot is a good place to grab a quick bite en route to the travertines and it attracts more of a Turkish clientele than most Pamukkale eateries. Wind chimes, strands of dried peppers, and a couple of chatty pet birds liven up the simple patio seating.
This attractive garden café is a relaxing place to take an afternoon break over a cappuccino and dessert, or to nibble on a sandwich or other light fare, accompanied by a glass of Lamin Cabernet Sauvignon, Üzüm's own house wine. It's a bit on the pricey side, but very pleasant.
On a hot, hectic day in the Kemeraltı bazaar, you’ll be happy to stumble on this little şerbet (sherbet) stall that’s been selling ice-cold and very delicious fruit juices and nectars since 1971. They sell jars of their own fruit jams, too.
On a small side street in Kuşadası's main bazaar area, "My Nest/Home" truly lives up to its name, offering the kind of food you'd find in a Turkish home. It's open only at lunch, and items can sell out quickly, so get there early to enjoy daily specials such as meatballs in sour sauce, baked chicken with rice, or bamya (okra) in a tomato-olive oil sauce. Alcohol is not served.
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