15 Best Restaurants in Cappadocia and Central Turkey, Turkey

Seten Restaurant

$$$$ Fodor's choice

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.

Ziggy Cafe

$$ Fodor's choice

This Ürgüp favorite is very inviting, with attractive table arrangements, richly upholstered armchairs, wrought-iron lamps, and three open-air terraces that have sofalike seats and stone-topped tables. The contemporary, Mediterranean-inspired menu, moreover, is a refreshing change from the heavy, meat-based fare typical of Central Anatolia. The mezes, such as chargrilled eggplant or cubed feta cheese and olives, are where Ziggy really shines. To sample a variety, try the reasonably priced tasting menu, which includes nine cold mezes, a hot starter, a main dish, and dessert.

Areni

$$$

Rather small and with a sophisticated design, Areni serves a variety of dishes, with simple and delicious twists, from Anatolia and beyond. Topik, a local favorite, is almost like a stuffed vegetarian meatball: a mixture of caramelized onions and spices inside a ball of chickpea paste. The friendly, knowledge staff are happy to recommend one of Areni’s impressive selection of local wines.  

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Bizim Ev

$

This restored old stone house makes a pleasant setting for Bizim Ev (“Our House”), which attracts many tour groups with reliable food at reasonable prices. The menu includes a standard array of mezes, grilled meats, and local trout, and portions are good. Seating is in rustically decorated dining rooms on several levels and, in summer, on a colorful outdoor terrace.

Baklacı Sok. 1, Avanos, Nevsehir, Turkey
384-511–5225
Known For
  • local wine selection
  • view of Cappadocia and the Kızılırmak River
  • Bostan Kebap

Centre Restaurant

$$

It's far from fancy, but this unpretentious local favorite tucked away just behind the town square is one of Uçhisar's best places for reliably good food at fairly reasonable prices. Though limited, the menu does not disappoint, with chef Hüseyin Örlü preparing staples like çoban salatası (shepherd's salad) that are well above average. Centre serves a few hot starters and salads, along with simple mains—mostly grilled meats and variations on spaghetti. In warm weather, diners can sit on the small front patio over flowing with plants. It's a small operation, so service can be on the slow side.

Üçhisar, Nevsehir, 50240, Turkey
384-219–3117
Known For
  • generous portions
  • local crowds
  • relaxed, unrushed feel

Devrez

$ | Çankaya

Devrez serves reliably good Turkish fare in a no-frills environment. Kebabs are the star of the menu, alongside Turkish classics such as köfte and pide. Open 24 hours a day, Deveraz attracts patrons from every milieu. In the afternoon, it’s filled with families and those on their lunch break, and in the early hours of the morning, groups of the city’s Western crowd flock in for a classic Turkish way to end a night of drinking: with a bowl of soup.

Ege Restaurant

$$ | Kavaklidere

This charming spot just off fashionable Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi specializes in nicely prepared Aegean-style mezes and seafood dishes (Ege is the Turkish name for the Aegean Sea), such as Cretan-style cubed cheese with herbs or octopus with thyme. The design—painted wooden chairs, blue-and-white walls with seashore motifs, and maps of the region painted on the ceiling—transports you straight to the Aegean Islands. In summer, it's good to sit out on the vine-covered patio.

Büklüm Sok. 54/B, Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
312-428–2717
Known For
  • Aegean design
  • sea bass fillet cooked in various styles
  • perfect spot for rakı
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential

Halk Etli Ekmek

$

Etli ekmek, literally "bread with meat," is the dish most associated with Konya, and those served at Halk Etliekmek are nearly three feet long. Despite its intimidating length, etli ekmek is paper thin: a delicate mixture of minced meat and spices spread over an almost wafer-like piece of pide (flatbread) and topped with butter. To eat it like a local, fold it lengthwise, and use your hands. Be sure to wash it down with a glass of açık ayran, the Turkish yogurt drink.

Old Greek House

$$$

In the sleepy village of Mustafapaşa, about 5 km (3 miles) from Ürgüp, the charming Old Greek House serves delicious home-cooked specialties and decadent desserts. Portions are generous, and the set menus are a genuine feast. Seating is on floor cushions around low, round tables or at regular-height ones in the atmospheric, vine-covered central courtyard. The 250-year-old building—still with original frescoes on the stone walls and original paint on the wooden ceilings—doubles as a simple but comfortable inn.

Orient Restaurant

$$$

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.

Safranhan Brasserie

$$$ | Ulus

Sitting just beneath Ankara Castle and with an incredible panorama of Ankara, this Turkish-style brasserie couples excellent food with first-rate service. An open kitchen gives way to an elegantly furnished dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the views continue on the restaurant’s large outdoor patio, where guests sit before white tablecloths and underneath oversized umbrellas. The menu offers a blend of Turkish and contemporary cuisine, with local specialty Ankara tava, slowly cooked lamb over a bed of bed of seasoned rice, alongside starters like shrimp casserole with porcini mushrooms.

Seki Restaurant

$$$$

The restaurant in Argos in Cappadocia hotel features contemporary adaptations of Turkish dishes that bring together local ingredients and international cooking techniques. Creative appetizers include traditional Turkish pastırma (beef pastrami) with goat cheese and melon sauce, while meat-heavy mains range from lamb loin with eggplant and plum sauce to beef cheek with rosemary. A vast wine list has an extensive Turkish selection as well as some foreign vintages. Prices are a bit high for what's being served, but the excellent service and ambience—white tablecloths, candlelight, soft music—and splendid views nonetheless make this place a treat.

Aşağı Mah. Kayabaşı Sok. 23, Üçhisar, Nevsehir, Turkey
384-219–3130
Known For
  • views of Pigeon Valley
  • best wine selection in Cappadocia
  • excellent service
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential

Somatçı Fihi Ma Fih Restaurant

$

By far the most unique restaurant in Konya, Somatçı is the project of a passionate local chef who spent several years recreating dervish cuisine from Rumi’s time through historical and ethnographic research and a bit of improvisation. The menu features combinations not typically seen in modern Turkish cuisine; some dishes are downright unusual, but all are worth trying. The interior is decorated with stylized illustrations of Sufi symbols, and, in summer, there is additional seating in an enclosed back patio.

Celel Sk. 9, Konya, Konya, Turkey
332-351–6696
Known For
  • badem helvası, a thick, melt-in-your mouth almond paste accented with rose oil
  • rose water
  • excellent service
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential

Tiritci Mithat

$

Situated in winding back alley of the old bazaar, Tiritci Mithat is the place to try Konya’s lesser-known specialty: tirit. Consisting of tender, thinly sliced meat and spices atop a bed of diced bread and yogurt and covered in melted butter, tirit is similar to Iskender kebab, though, if possible, even richer. It's best to visit Tiritci Mithat for lunch—tirit is the only one thing on the menu, and the restaurant closes when they’re out, usually around 4 or 5 pm.

Yusufağa Sk. No:21/A, Konya, Konya, Turkey
332-350–7298
Known For
  • best tirit in Konya
  • reasonable prices
  • sidestreet seating

Trilye Restaurant

$$$$ | Kavaklidere

Ankara may be landlocked, but Trilye serves such impressive fish and seafood dishes that you wouldn’t know it. Opened more than a dozen years ago by Turkish food writer Süreyya Üzmez, the stylish restaurant has an extensive menu of creative mezes—such as prawn in avocado sauce, or marinated artichoke hearts with sesame seeds—and well-prepared main courses. The hot appetizer of grilled octopus, brought to the table still smoking inside a glass, is a sight to behold—and taste. The rather expensive menu comes with prices of most seafood dishes listed by the kilo, so make sure you know what you’re ordering.

Hafta Sok. 11/A-B, Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
312-447–1200
Known For
  • Adana fish kebab
  • outstanding and knowledgable service
  • elegant decor
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential