4 Best Restaurants in Kalkan, The Turquoise Coast

A down-to-earth, traditional Turkish restaurant in often tourist-oriented Kalkan, Ata is (as the name suggests) known for its tender, flavorful kebabs, which come in medium- and large-portion sizes. The menu also includes pide (Turkish flatbread) cooked in a wood oven and the classic array of mezes, salads, and hot starters. The casual seating is on a patio overlooking the main road into town.

The adventurous menu at this harbor-front eatery includes excellent pasta, salmon en croûte, stuffed sea bass with bacon, extra-large steaks, and occasionally wild boar shot in the mountains. The restaurant caters predominantly to the well-heeled British ex-pat crowd (hence the rather ambitious prices), and offers a nightly happy hour and a legendary party on New Year's Eve. All the desserts are made on site.

It's worth calling ahead to reserve a table right by the water.

This relaxed restaurant by the harbor has a “back to basics” approach focusing on fresh fish, seafood, and a well-stocked counter of mostly vegetarian meze made daily. Service is solicitous and the atmosphere serene (if sometimes intruded on in the later hours when the nearby bars crank up the volume).

A casually stylish restaurant-bar in the old town area with a contemporary look and food to match, Kalamaki offers a well-prepared and presented menu of fusion and traditional Turkish dishes. Entrees range from sea bass with prawns in cream sauce to hot chili Mexican beef to sweet-and-sour chicken, but the kitchen manages to pull off this large selection with aplomb. Upstairs terrace seating (summer only) has a great view over the harbor, and there’s a lounge on the ground floor where you can stop in for a coffee or cocktail.