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This Mediterranean restaurant was around (in a different location) long before the rest of Alaçatı's trendy dining options came on the scene, and remains one of the best and most stylish in town. The deliciously inventive food and romantic garden courtyard atmosphere make Agrilia a local favorite. There's a good wine list and some creative cocktails on the menu.
Alaçati mahallesi 11016 sokak 5, Çesme, Izmir, 35930, Turkey
Known For
- Longtime favorite
- Creative cocktails
- Good wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekdays Nov.--June. No lunch summer, Reservations essential
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At this waterfront restaurant, you should begin your meal with a selection of meze, like stuffed zucchini flowers, roasted eggplant with tulum cheese, and octopus salad. Then you can let the owner, Cengiz Bey, help you select the best local fish for the grill. Whatever you choose, don't skip dessert: Gaziantep baklava or irmik helvası (traditional warm semolina halvah) served with ice cream.
Yalı Mevkii 54, Gümüslük, Mugla, 48400, Turkey
Known For
- Spectacular meze
- Aquarium special (shrimp and octopus cooked with garlic, butter, and flame-roasted peppers and eggplant)
- Delicious desserts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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Summer and winter, the dining room at the Kırkınca Houses Boutique Hotel is the best in town, overlooking the lovely landscape and serving delicious and authentic dishes prepared with oil produced from olives harvested in the garden. You can accompany your meal with wines produced in Şirince, and the sound of mellow live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Among the delicacies on the menu are creamy eggplant soup; şevketi bostanı, a root vegetable cooked with tender pieces of lamb; and delicious homemade pasta, erişte, served in a light cream and almond sauce.
Şirince Köyü, Sirince, Izmir, 35920, Turkey
Known For
- Lovely atmosphere
- Local wines
- Erişte (homemade pasta, served in a light cream and almond sauce)
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This outdoor terrace overlooking the waterfront is an ideal spot in Dalyanköy for a splurgy seafood dinner. After meze of kabak çiçeği dolması (stuffed zucchini flowers) and deniz börülcesi (samphire), and a main of tuzda balık (fish baked in salt), try to find room for sakızlı muhallebi, creamy traditional milk pudding flavored with gum mastic.
4226 Sok. 45/A, Çesme, Izmir, 35930, Turkey
Known For
- Unusual (and delicious) meze
- Tuzda balık (fish baked in salt)
- Gracious service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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This popular spot overlooking the Selçuk aqueduct is run by a friendly family team—husband, wife, and son—and offers a menu that includes such traditional vegetarian dishes as exemplary stuffed peppers and fried eggplant. It may sometimes take a while for the generous, juicy lamb and chicken kebabs to cook in the small hearth, but it's worth the wait.
Cengiz Topel Cad. 9/E, Selçuk, Izmir, 35920, Turkey
Known For
- Good veggie options
- Pirzola (lamb chops)
- Kuzu beyti (lamb rolls)
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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).
83 Sok. 9, Göltürkbükü, Mugla, 48400, Turkey
Known For
- Friendly vibe
- Grilled octopus
- Veal cheek
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Oct.–Apr., Reservations essential
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This lovely restaurant on the waterfront specializes not only in fresh fish, seafood, and meze but also serves an excellent summer brunch. Tables are only a few feet from the peaceful waters of the bay, with a truly romantic view of the ancient ruins of Rabbit Island, often with a soft breeze. The waitstaff are cheery and attentive, and though the kitchen has been refurbished almost beyond recognition, it retains a 300-year-old hearth from when it served as the bakery for the surrounding villages.
1120 Sok. 82, Gümüslük, Mugla, 48400, Turkey
Known For
- Atmospheric spot
- Levrek (sea bass) wrapped in vine leaves
- Stuffed zucchini flowers
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Nov.–Apr.
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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.
901 Sok. 38, Izmir, Turkey
Known For
- Lovely setting
- Dry-aged steaks
- Summer meals under the plane tree
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This large Turkish restaurant near the Ephesus Museum has an equally large menu, focusing on grilled meats, but also including pide, meze, salads, breakfast, and some specialty desserts. There are also some daily specials, such as roasted lamb on Fridays. Beer, wine, and rakı are available to accompany the well-prepared dishes.
Agora Çarşısı 2, Selçuk, Izmir, 35920, Turkey
Known For
- Varied menu
- Check the daily specials
- çökertme kebabı (meatballs on top of shoestring fries with yogurt and tomato sauce)
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Travelers craving a change from the usual Turkish fare will be happy to find this establishment right smack in the middle of Pammukale. Catering to the growing number of Asian tourists in the area, it turns out surprisingly authentic versions of mostly Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean specialties, including noodle dishes, soups, and stir-fries. Service can be slow and there’s not much in the way of decor. No alcohol.
Cumhuriyet Meydanı 14/A, Pamukkale, Denizli, 20190, Turkey
Known For
- Hot pot (winter only)
- Korean mixed-rice dish bibimbap
- Taiwanese beef noodle soup
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This small and romantic garden restaurant is a highlight of Alaçatı’s dining scene, with chef Ayşe Nur Mıhçı famed for her fresh renditions of Aegean cooking using seasonal, local produce, especially the region’s wealth of wild herbs and greens. There’s no menu, but the staff will help you select from the options on display in the kitchen. Good local wines are available to accompany your meal. Reservations highly recommended.
1005 Sok. 50, Alaçati, Izmir, 35930, Turkey
Known For
- Roasted pumpkin meze
- Slow-roasted lamb
- Good local wines
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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 speciality is gözleme: savory crepes stuffed with either potato, spinach, or cheese.
Kahramanlar Caddesi, Güllübahçe, Aydin, Turkey
Known For
- Charming outdoor setting
- Gözleme (savory crepes)
- Grilled meatballs and kebabs
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Hearty traditional Turkish soups, stews, and meat and vegetable dishes are arrayed buffet-style at this cheery lokanta, 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.
Uğur Mumcu Cad. 22, Alaçati, Izmir, Turkey
Known For
- Meatballs with pureed potato
- Mücver (zucchini fritters) with homemade yogurt
- Lamb and golden thistle stew
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The Ayasoluk Hotel’s restaurant offers meals in a pleasant dining room and romantic courtyard, both with a bucolic sunset view, and features local and organic ingredients for a light, fresh take on Turkish favorites. It's one of the more intimate and sophisticated dining options in town.
1051 Sokak 12, Selçuk, Izmir, 35920, Turkey
Known For
- Homemade soups
- Fish baked in parchment paper
- Good wine list
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Fresh, delicious food at reasonable prices in atmospheric surroundings—this is a real find tucked away inside a peaceful stone-walled courtyard amidst the chaotic energy of Kemeraltı bazaar. Make your own plate (cost is by weight) from the colorful variety of lovingly displayed salads, vegetarian dishes, savory pastries, and other home-cooked dishes for a bargain lunch. It closes early, at 7 pm, so it's not a practical dinner option unless you are bringing your food home.
1437. Sk. 11/A, Konak, Izmir, 35220, Turkey
Known For
- Assorted börek (savory pastries)
- Stuffed peppers
- Closes at 7 pm
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
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Tables are tucked into a lovely hidden garden in summer and in cooler weather service is in a quaint, Bodrum-style, one-story house. The Mediterranean cuisine includes some local favorites. Alcohol is served.
Pınarlı Cad. 59, Bitez, Mugla, 48400, Turkey
Known For
- çıtır mantı (crispy fried Turkish-style ravioli)
- Lokum pilav (rice prepared with local herbs and spices)
- Girit köfte (Crete-style meatballs)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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There are many popular seafood restaurants along the Kordon waterfront in Alsancak, but this one, with indoor and outdoor seating areas and a relaxed feel, is especially busy. It features a good selection of appetizers, including the decadent sütlü karides (shrimp sautéed in butter, then topped with béchamel and mozzarella), as well as the usual seasonal seafood choices.
Atatürk Cad. 186/A, Izmir, Izmir, 35220, Turkey
Known For
- Fried calamari
- Seafood pasta
- Look for the sign with a picture of a fish (balık), followed by "çı Hasan"
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A pleasantly old-fashioned place popular with locals, this cozy, casual restaurant a short walk back from the beachfront offers a range of Turkish-style grilled meats, plus a smaller selection of appetizers and meze. Portions are small, but quality high. Alcohol is served.
Şah Cad. 31, Bitez, Mugla, 48470, Turkey
Known For
- Köfte (meatballs)
- Pirzola (lamb chops)
- Ciğer (liver)
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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, generally on Wednesday and Friday nights.
Cumhuriyet Bul. 152, Izmir, Izmir, Turkey
Known For
- Risottos
- Seafood pizza
- Live music
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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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.
Milli Kütüphane Cad. 6/B, Izmir, Izmir, 35250, Turkey
Known For
- Ayran (a salted yogurt drink) to accompany the kebabs
- No alcohol
- Closes early (by 6:30 or sometimes sooner)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner