15 Best Restaurants in The Black Sea Coast and Lake Van, Turkey

This little shop inside a spice bazaar is considered by many Turks nationwide to have the best baklava in the country. Run by a fifth-generation baklava maker, this humble store turns out a delicious version of the classic dessert, as well as other phyllo-and-nut-based sweets.

This busy, counter-serve spot is the place for pide (stone-baked dough with savory toppings). The kavurmalı version, topped with slow-cooked chunks of lamb is especially recommended or, if you can't decide go for the üçlü option, which has three toppings.

An old Urfa stone house looks out over the city's citadel and the fish-pool complex. Sit on the terrace or in one of the several çardaks, small private rooms where you can recline on pillows. The food, the usual mix of kebabs and pides, is unexciting, but the location makes up for it and they have live local traditional music most nights.

You have to pass through a small door off one of Diybarbakır's narrow old city lanes to get to this simple restaurant in a restored historic stone home with a shaded courtyard—there's a sign but you may need to ask for directions. The small menu includes delicious sac tava, chunks of beef sautéed in a woklike pan with tomatoes and green peppers; it's served in the pan, with a mound of flatbread to soak up the tasty juices. This is also a pleasant spot to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.

This basic steam-table restaurant serves the usual menu of stews and casseroles but the owners have tried to add some class by hanging white lace curtains and putting pots of plastic yellow flowers on the walls—your call if it's classy or tacky. Either way, the food is tasty, the staff is friendly, and the location, down the street from the Mor Barsaumo church, makes this one of the few decent options near Midyat's old town.

This restaurant does exactly what its name suggests: serves up tasty döner kebabs, pide topped with the usual range of meat and cheese, and crispy lahmacun (baked dough topped with ground meat, fresh parsley, and a squeeze of lemon). Try a mercimek (lentil) soup to start (ask for az porsiyon to get a small bowl).

One of Kars's better restaurants is set in an old Russian building, where old tiles blend with modern decor, and an open kitchen fills one end. The menu features a decent mix of Western, Turkish, and local dishes. It's a good option for travelers who fancy a change from Turkish cuisine, since you can opt for Italian or Russian instead. Their dumplings in garlic yogurt and roast goose dishes are particularly recommended. It can get pretty busy, so it's best to reserve ahead of time, especially on weekends.

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.

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.

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.

This beautifully restored han served as an inn for traveling traders for centuries. Today you can eat outside by a fountain in the large courtyard or in one of the small private dining rooms, where you sit on rugs and eat from low tables, reclining on pillows when you're done. The kebabs and other grilled meats are tasty and served with a tangy chopped tomato salad and a refreshing cold yogurt soup that has wheat berries in it. If you call a day in advance, they can prepare the Syrıac speciality, dobo (lamb stuffed with rice and pistachios).

Perched on the corner of a bridge overlooking the thundering Fırtına River, this smart restaurant is a great lunch stop before heading farther into the mountains. It serves local specialties with delicious desserts including laz böreği (thin pastry layers filled with custard) and a type of helva, which is a semolina-based dessert.  

Head here for a break from kebabs and to get a taste of classic Gaziantep home cooking. A local woman who returned to Gaziantep after living in Europe for several years rotates her menu on a regular basis, but the food is consistently good. Dishes to try include kapamala firik pilavı (roasted cracked wheat topped with tender lamb) and çacıklı arap köfte (balls of fried bulgur wheat served on a yogurt and purslane base). For dessert try the local specialty zerde sutlaç (rice pudding with a saffron topping). The restaurant is bit difficult to find— but it's one block east of Fevzi Çakmak Caddesi, which runs north from the Gaziantep Museum.