Restaurants in Alanya

Why not eat the Turkish way - try a meze or kebab platter, and down a chilled Efes beer. Or experience the pleasure of lazily sipping coffee in the open area of a Turkish café, watching the town go about its way.

Our Alanya restaurant guide below will tell you everything about the food and cuisine in Alanya. Enjoying the culinary delights of Alanya are a perfect way to end the day after a long day of shopping. We have also provided more general information and suggestions on enjoying a meal in Turkey.

Food & Cuisine in Alanya

Alanya has plenty of wonderful places to eat in and the cuisine is pretty interesting too. Make sure you try the wide range of traditional Turkish specialties - one of these is the Ottoman stew. Indulge in these typically Turkish dishes; you will definitely savour the experience. The list below will help you gain some idea of the kind of food you can expect to be tempted by while here.

A recommended restaurant: One restaurant you must go to is Memo's. A sizable part of its clientele consists of Turks, which is a good indicator of the authenticity of the food they offer. The restaurant also hosts live entertainment nights every Friday. To reach this restaurant take the left fork from Ataturk statue facing the castle that goes towards the harbour and beach. On the right you will see Memo's, located opposite Elite.

Turkish pizza: Though pizza as we know it is easily available in Alanya, do try the Turkish version too. With a size ranging from very small to bigger than a plate, the Turkish pizza is adorned with toppings generally made of tomato purée, onion, parsley and beef (the selection of toppings does vary), all of which are mixed and spread over the bread dough. The prepared pizza is served with a piece of lemon that can be squeezed on top.

Osmanish pan: With a name derived from the Ottoman period in Turkish history, the Osmanish pan is a stew of a number of vegetables and spices and can be had with chicken, lamb or beef. This dish is indeed very special and it keeps changing in its preparation style and ingredients with a change of region and time of year.

Dessert: You are in luck if you possess a sweet tooth, for the Turkish people have it too. They love their pastries, often soaked in honey, and their chocolate and Vanilla mousse. Also popular here are fresh fruits like grapes, berries and melons, and these can be easily seen gracing the dessert section of tables! In fact, many places even offer free fruits as desserts after a meal.

Soup: This is a country where people love their soup, so much that you will see soup restaurants open almost all night catering to a flow of local customers. In Alanya there is even a street named "soup-street" extending all the way from the Atatürk statue that stands on the main street right up to the 25 metre street, lined with lots of soup restaurants. The night soup restaurants are quite popular among the locals returning home from town. While there are locally popular varieties available like sheep's brain soup or one made with sheep's eyes, if experimentation is not high on your priority list you can settle for a predictable but equally tasty chicken or tomato soup.

Bread: Do try the white Turkish bread - it is easily available in any grocery shop and is quite inexpensive too. Do eat it promptly for the bread dries up quite quickly.

Another kind of bread generally cheap and sold in small carts is the simit - this is quite similar to a bagel embedded with sesame seeds.

Meze: Meze is a spread of hot and cold Turkish appetizers traditionally served in small dishes that are placed in the table centre for all to pick and eat. There is no rule or limit to the kind of ingredients or flavours one uses for Meze; it's more like a test of the chef's culinary imagination!

Kebabs: Kebab, simply put, is marinated meat. While you think you may know your kebab, chances are they may be very different from the traditional Turkish kebabs. Kebabs are well loved by the Turkish people and they have them as a main meal or as a snack.

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