Must-Try Turkish Cuisine and the Top Restaurants to Visit in Turkey
Turkish cuisine is rich, fragrant, and varied. While many travellers are familiar with delicious kebabs, there is so much more to discover, from delicate desserts to nutritious, complex recipes that have been passed down through the generations.
Let Property Turkey, the experts in luxury Turkey villas and property for sale in Turkey, run through the best Turkish dishes everybody should try – with a summary of the top restaurants that should be on every foodie's bucket list.
Although Istanbul is typically the centre of the fine dining scene, regional restaurants can be fantastic places to eat with local delicacies and spices. If you'd like to sample real Turkish gastronomy, you can't go far wrong in Gaziantep City. We'd recommend the cauliflower tzatziki and fellah meatballs to get you started!
Fantastic Turkish Dishes Every Visitor Should Try
Turkish foods vary enormously from hearty, spicy street foods to more refined dishes served in restaurants. Here, we've summarised some of the cuisines that make Turkish dining stand apart, in addition to classics like Turkish delight (or lokum).
Iskender Kebap
If you’re a fan of the Turkish kebab, the Iskender (Alexander) variation from the northwest of Turkey is known as the king of kebabs, made from grilled lamb sliced in thin strips and flavoured with a hot, slightly spiced tomato sauce.
This mouthwatering kebab is served throughout Bursa but has become popular across Turkey and is normally served with slices of pita with yoghurt and melted sheep’s butter.
Baklava
You have yet to try baklava if you've only tasted imported versions available to buy in the UK!
The synonymous Turkish treat is made with a sweet folio dessert pastry with layers stacked with sweetness from honey or syrup and filled with chopped walnuts or other nuts. Traditional baklava recipes vary between regions, so you can savour all sorts of fillings and hundreds of potential garnishes.
Gözleme
Once a street food only available to purchase from roadside vendors, Gözleme used to be considered villagers food, made with a simple dough that is stuffed with ingredients such as meats, vegetables and cheeses.
The wrapped pastry is griddled, giving it a smoky, intense flavour – it’s one of the best savoury lunches you can buy and is also served as a takeaway food or breakfast dish.
Imam Bayildi
Turkey is well known for plump, juicy aubergines, and the veg is the star of the show in imam bayildi, made with a whole aubergine grilled with tomatoes, garlic and onion and simmered in olive oil.
You'll find this dish served as a side with meats, as part of a meze sharing table, or as a snack, and it's incredibly healthy and contains your five a day within one plate, as well as being deceptively flavorful.
Lahmacun
Lahmacun is the Turkish take on pizza, with a thin crust that is crispy and fresh. Toppings include minced meat, herbs, peppers and tomatoes, all blended or mixed into a fresh sauce.
While lahmacun is easiest to describe as a pizza, it does not contain cheese. Most people roll the thin dough into a burrito shape and eat their slice in one go.
Mememen
If you're looking for a breakfast dish to keep you going all day, mememen is a perfect solution; made from scrambled egg cooked with spices, pepper, tomatoes and oil, often served in the same metal pan it's cooked in, and with chunks of bread for dipping.
Mememen is one of the most eaten breakfasts in Turkey and is served everywhere in the country – once you try it, you’ll see why.
Yaprak Dolma
This meze and street food consists of rice cooked with garlic, tomato, onion, herbs and seasoning, wrapped in a vine leaf and bursting with flavour.
Leaves vary in colour and taste, and many Turkish vendors have their own special tree, adding extra touches such as a little cinnamon.
Borek
Borek is another dish made from a dough that is similar in texture to filo pastry but called yufka.
This dish is savoury rather than sweet like baklava and was first eaten by herders in the countryside, served with salt, olive oil, cheese or butter, depending on personal taste.
Dondurma
Our final dish is the perfect way to end a sumptuous meal and is a type of ice cream made with sahlep and mastic blended with milk.
Sahlep is a regional orchid flour which gives this dessert a creamy, smooth texture, combined with the natural mastic gum for a slight chewiness that is inevitably moreish.
Eating Out at the Best Turkish Restaurants
Now your tastebuds are whetted, let’s run through some of the best restaurants in Turkey, all of which are superb opportunities to truly local dishes, ask for the chef’s speciality, and sample a glass of Yeni Raki wine.
Nicole – The Best Turkish restaurant for Upscale Dining
Nicole Restaurant earned the first Michelin star in Turkey and is headed by Aylin Yazicioğlu, who decided to open her own restaurant, having studied medicine in the UK.
After training at the Parisian Cordon Bleu, she returned to Turkey to open a graceful eaterie blending French techniques with fresh Turkish ingredients. The seasonal menu includes a tasting menu with wine pairings from local vineyards, with beautiful views of Istanbul from the elegant dining space.
Borsa – Ideal for a Taste of Turkish Tradition
Borsa is another restaurant in Istanbul and has a long-standing heritage, having first opened its doors in 1927.
The dining room is sophisticated and well-designed and offers all of the treasured Turkish classics with superb skill, including stuffed vine leaves and roasted lamb shank, accompanied by a delectable aubergine puree.
Orfoz – The Top Place to Try Turkish Seafood
Turkish seafood is diverse and original, including mussels, clams, sea snails and smoked eel.
This wonderful restaurant specialises in a variety of seafood, with perfectly executed sauce accompaniments made with lemon and wine. Found in Bodrum, Orfoz is a go-to if you love seafood with a Turkish twist, and it is a charming restaurant set out like a taverna, with classic paper place settings that feel relaxed and unhurried.
About Property Turkey: With 20+ years experience in the Turkish real estate market, team Property Turkey are your experienced, friendly and independent overseas real estate consultants. Our head office is located in London, UK with regional operational offices in: Bodrum, Fethiye & Kalkan, Antalya and Istanbul.
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