4 Best Restaurants in Göreme, Cappadocia and Central Turkey

This cozy venue is the place to come for simple home cooking, in the form of a reasonably priced, four-course, set menu cooked nightly by the owner and his team. Dinners come with soup, meze plate or salad, and a choice of two or three main courses (generally beef, lamb, or chicken though there's also a somewhat basic vegetarian option), and a fruit/dessert plate.

Housed in a magnificent old mansion at the top of Göreme's hotel hill, Seten provides a classy setting in which to enjoy top-notch mezes and delicious mains. Standouts among the mezes include the imam bayıldı (braised stuffed eggplant) and Circassian-style chicken.

Few are the cave restaurants in Cappadocia, and even fewer are those that serve quality food. Topdeck offers exquisite entrees from a limited menu, which features a meze plate and only one main choice (beef, lamb, chicken, or vegetarian). The restaurant is small and traditionally decorated, so much so that about half of the tables are on the floor, and diners sit on kilims and pillows.

The menu at this well-established Göreme restaurant is extensive and diverse, with typical mezes and grilled kebabs in addition to a range of well-prepared steak and lamb options, chicken with spinach or a saffron sauce, and even pastas. But the best deal is the four-course set menu, with several choices of appetizers, mains, and desserts that provide excellent food at an unbeatable value. The lanterns hanging from the traditional wooden ceilings and the carved stone walls decorated with copper trays create an ambience that's attractive and cozy.