Çeşme
Operated by a local women's cooperative, this humble spot a short stroll from Çeşme's busy main street specialises in homestyle cooking. The ever-changing…
Must-see restaurants in İzmir & the North Aegean
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Alaçatı
Bumba's table-covering breakfasts are packed with local and seasonal herbs, cheeses and fruit. Highlights of 15 small plates could include yoghurt with…
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İzmir
Serving Bosnian food that is remarkably similar to Turkish home cooking, this stylish lokanta (eatery with ready-made food) in the pretty Abacıoğlu Han…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
We love everything about this extremely chic eatery behind Taş Kahve at the liman (harbour). Owned by the Kürsat olive-oil mill, it offers a delicious…
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Alaçatı
A meal at the ‘Vine Leaf’ is an essential experience for gastronomes. Seating is in an atmospheric courtyard between April and November, and inside…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Owner and chef Emine was taught to cook Girit (Cretan) dishes by her grandmother, and the results are simply inspired. Expect her to emerge from the…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Owner/chef Erhan Şeker is rightly proud of his hybrid restaurant, hotel and cookery school overlooking the Bay of Edremit, and he loves to introduce…
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Çeşme
Relocated to a shaded garden location off Çeşme's pedestrian shopping street, this friendly balık pişiricisi (fish eatery) is Çeşme's foodie hot spot. It…
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İzmir
Serving tasty dishes harking from Diyarbakır in the country's southeast, this is a popular venue for celebratory and family dinners, and is also known for…
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İzmir
Şambali are made by baking almond-studded semolina, yoghurt and sugar, then dousing the cake with sweet syrup. This famous şambalicisi, which opened in…
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Ayvalık
Framed by an overflowing grape arbour, Taman Meyhane's slim laneway space is a perfect spot to while away a few hours enjoying the fixed menu of 15…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Very popular at the time of writing, it's definitely worth booking ahead for this spot specialising in seafood meze-style shared plates. Highlights are…
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Alaçatı
This stylish courtyard restaurant on the main eating and shopping strip offers unusual Aegean dishes including braised goat with chard and thistles, tire…
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İzmir
A Parisian-style divertissement in the heart of the city, this stylish cafe on Lozan Meydanı is wildly popular with Alsancak's ladies-who-lunch. Coffee is…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Its location in a pretty square near the Alaybey Mosque is only one of the attractions of this friendly cafe and bakery, which was established in 1959…
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İzmir
The blue-and-white checked tablecloths give this popular lokanta in the courtyard of the Mirkelam Han near the Hisar Mosque a Greek-island vibe, but the…
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Çeşme
Winning the prize for the biggest and best döner in town (order an İskender), this long-established and friendly lokanta is hugely popular with locals,…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Having a second breakfast for lunch is a perfectly valid dining choice, especially when it's the array of small plates on offer at this specialist…
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Alaçatı
Combining a retail store and a garden restaurant, Arven is an excellent spot to explore the best of Turkey's wine scene. There are more than 200 wines…
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İzmir
In İzmir, three ingredients make for the perfect meal: balık (fish), roca (rocket) and rakı (aniseed brandy). This friendly terrace restaurant on the…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Standing out from most other Bozcaada restaurants with its wider range of interesting mezes, Hasan Tefik is definitely worth seeking out. Menu highlights…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
A good value alternative to Bozcaada's more expensive cafes and restaurants, Boboz specialises in tasty gourmet sandwiches. Seafood, meat and vegetarian…
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Ayvalık
Tucked away in the middle of Ayvalık's Pazar Yeri, the shaded garden at this family-owned lokanta is a good place for seasonal meze and prepared dishes…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
One of a number of lokantas (eateries serving ready-made food) that can be found on the town's main drag, this friendly place next to the hamam has indoor…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Homestyle cooking combines with sunset views at the friendly 'Blue Door Cafe'. Tables on the upper terrace are very popular, but the downstairs garden is…
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Ayvalık
Named after its English-speaking owner Pinar (Pino to her friends), this friendly cafe in an old stone house opened in 2016 and is a good choice for a…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
This popular meyhane (tavern) and şarap evi (wine house) is hidden behind a stone wall in the old town, but the giveaway is the loud music and the clink…
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İzmir
In the Kestane Pazarı (Chestnut Market) section of Kemeraltı, this simple place has been serving tender and tasty Macedonian/Albanian–style köfte with…
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Ayvalık
With a great selection of traditional Turkish pastries and cakes, this friendly patisserie on the main street makes a terrific mid-morning or -afternoon…
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Alaçatı
This long-running alternative to traditional Turkish fare recently moved into new and very swish digs within the Alavya hotel compound. Chef-owner Melih…
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İzmir
This is the best spot in the city to try the local speciality of boyoz, a fried pastry made with flour, sunflower oil and a small amount of tahini…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Our favourite of the fish restaurants by the liman (harbour), blue-and-white Boruzan offers a wide range of mezes made with produce from the restaurant’s…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Decked out in blue and white, this friendly eatery with ocean views is a good option at the quieter eastern end of Cunda's harbourfront strip. Diligent…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Either dine inside the restaurant's heritage dining room or amid the leafy garden. There's no surprises to the menu, but the concise array of kebabs,…
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İzmir & the North Aegean
Ice cream and the seaside go together like Fred and Ginger or Posh and Becks, and this is the best place in Foça to order a cone. Nazmi Usta is an…
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Ayvalık
This eccentrically decorated and very popular cafe in the old town offers a nostalgic jazz soundtrack, extensive dessert menu (cakes, soufflés, tiramisu),…
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İzmir
Making authentic kumru sandwiches with aged kaşar cheese from Kars, sausage from Urfa and local tomato paste, this is one of the most popular fast-food…
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İzmir
This long-established fish restaurant on the kordon is attached to the İzmir Palas hotel and is widely acknowledged as one of the best eateries in the…
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Alaçatı
This is without doubt the best restaurant down on the Alaçatı marina. It serves all of the standards, and is known for the freshness of its mezes and the…
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İzmir
Kemeraltı's best-loved kebapçı (kebab eatery) is located near Konak Sq and serves an excellent İskender kebap (döner served on fresh pide and topped with…
