16 Best Restaurants in Cappadocia and Central Turkey, 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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Prokopi offers a local take on both regional and international cuisine. The setting is simple but elegant, with tables in a long rectangular stone room that has a fireplace or on an enclosed terrace with sweeping views of Ürgüp. The presentation may be somewhat elaborate, but it is not intended to make up for any shortcomings—the food is excellent.

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.

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.

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.

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.