4 Best Restaurants in Kuşadası, The Central and Southern Aegean Coast

This unpretentiously upscale waterfront seafood restaurant is a favorite with locals, who spill out from the stone walls and onto the terrace with its lovely view. The menu features excellent meze, including grated zucchini with yogurt and toasted walnuts and grilled eggplant with a punchy white sauce, and fish either simply grilled or cooked with béchamel or tomatoes. Ask when ordering about prices to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

This cheery, casual bistro-style restaurant on the ground floor of the Hotel Ilayda is popular with visitors for its broad international menu, ranging from pasta dishes to fajitas to traditional Turkish grills. Prices are reasonable, portions hearty, and alcohol served. 

On a small side street in Kuşadası's main bazaar area, "My Nest/Home" truly lives up to its name, offering the kind of food you'd find in a Turkish home. It's open only at lunch, and items can sell out quickly, so get there early to enjoy daily specials such as meatballs in sour sauce, baked chicken with rice, or bamya (okra) in a tomato-olive oil sauce. Alcohol is not served.