Restaurants in Alaçatı, Aegean Turkey

As a major destination for day-trip and weekend visitors from İzmir, Istanbul and beyond, Alaçatı has a surprisingly large number of good cafés and restaurants along its few main streets.

I’m indebted to my friend Ms Zeynep Öziş of the Taş Otel for guidance in exploring the restaurants of Alaçatı.

As with many vacation/holiday destinations with lots of visiting diners but a much smaller local clientele, chefs and management at local restaurants may change with the seasons. Nevertheless, here are some suggestions:

Asma Yaprağı

Certainly unique: you enter right into the kitchen where you’re greeted by the chef/owner, who shows you what’s cookin’ that day. Choose your dishes and settle into one of the cozy dining rooms or, when the meal is all prepared, sit right at the kitchen table. The cuisine is inventive Turkish, and is superb. Wine and beer are served, prices are moderate, and the restaurant is open all year. This is a favorite with locals and international visitors alike.

Café Agrilia

In the Bey Evi Hotel, is among the more accomplished places, with an internationally experienced chef and a pleasant, very Alaçatı, relaxed atmosphere.

Roka

At the eastern end of Kemalpaşa Caddesi, Roka is the place for upscale Turkish dining, but it’s open only in the warm months.

Tuval

Large dining rooms, some sidewalk tables on Kemalpaşa Caddesi, and a loyal clientele

İmren Helva & Tatlı Evi

Kemal Pasa Caddesi No. 67 (tel +90 (232) 716 8356) is perfect for a snack, pastry, ice cream, or Alaçatı‘s famous sakızlı muhallebi (bland white pudding flavored with sakız—mastic pine gum).

Yusuf Usta Ev Yemekleri

This esnaf lokantası (“workers’ eatery”) near the bus terminal does classic Turkish dishes well, at quite reasonable prices. Atatürk Caddesi, Zeytinci İş Merkezi No. 1, Alaçatı Futbol Sahası Yanı (tel +90 (232) 716 8823) is the place to go for traditional Turkish “home cooking:” soups, kebaps, ready-food (hazir yemek) dishes, rotisserie chicken, pide (Turkish pizza) at surprisingly good prices. It’s efficient, with indoor & shady outdoor seating, and no background music—a beautiful canary instead.

Avrasya

Another esnaf lokantasi near the Belediye (Municipality, Town Hall).

Alaçatı Herb Festival

Local herbs and spices (ot) are favored at Alaçatı‘s annual Herb Festival (Ot Festivali) on a weekend in early April, when local folks scour the budding hillsides for their favorite scents and spices. Local cooks, both amateur and professional, offer their wares for tasting and purchase in Alaçatı’s çarşı (marketplace).