What to Eat in Turkey: The Best Food I Tried From Istanbul to Cappadocia

I went to Turkey expecting to love the food.

I did not expect some of my favorite meals to happen completely by accident.

Of course, there were things I already knew I wanted to try: Turkish breakfast, pide, Adana kebab, Turkish coffee and of course Turkish tea.

But after traveling through Cappadocia, road-tripping from Cappadocia toward Antalya then İzmir and eventually ending up in Istanbul, I realized some of my favorite meals weren’t necessarily the places I’d researched beforehand.

They were the roadside restaurants we stumbled across, tables covered in different dips and mezzes, pide ordered to share, and the places where we weren’t entirely sure what everything was called but knew it was delicious.

There was also Turkish ravioli overlooking Göreme, an absurdly good chocolate dessert in Istanbul, pottery kebab cooked inside a clay pot and more Turkish breakfasts than I can count.

So this isn’t meant to be a definitive list of every food you need to eat in Turkey.

These are the things I actually ate, the restaurants that stood out and what I’d order again.

What to Eat in Turkey: My Favorites at a Glance

If I had to narrow the trip down to the foods you absolutely shouldn’t miss, I’d start with:

• Turkish breakfast — especially if you love a long, leisurely breakfast
• Pide — we ate a lot of it
• Lahmacun — thin, crispy and perfect for sharing
• Adana kebab — easily one of my favorite Turkish dishes
• Mezze — order several and cover the table
• Mantı — Turkish ravioli
• Testi kebabı — Cappadocia’s famous pottery kebab
• Turkish tea — plus pistachio coffee if you find it
• San Sebastian cheesecake

And then there are the restaurants.

Where I Ate in Istanbul

Istanbul was our first real introduction to Turkish breakfast in Turkey, and we packed a surprising amount of it into only a couple of days.

Some meals were specifically planned. Others were places we came across while exploring.

Galata Süheyla — One of My Favorite Turkish Breakfasts

One thing you should absolutely make time for in Turkey is a proper Turkish breakfast.

This isn’t a grab-a-croissant-and-run situation.

Breakfast can cover an entire table with breads, cheeses, eggs, vegetables, jams, honey, olives and several other little dishes meant to be shared.

We had breakfast at Galata Süheyla, and I loved it.

This was one of those meals where breakfast itself becomes part of your itinerary. Instead of rushing off to the next attraction, give yourself time to sit down, order tea and slowly work your way through everything on the table.

If you’re someone who usually skips breakfast when traveling, Turkey may change your mind.

What I’d do again: Order a full Turkish breakfast and take my time.

Seven Hills — Breakfast With a View

We also had breakfast at Seven Hills, near where we stayed in Sultanahmet.

The big draw here is obviously the setting. You’re right in the historic center of Istanbul, surrounded by some of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

I wouldn’t say you need to eat an enormous Turkish breakfast every morning of your trip, but I absolutely think you should experience it at least once.

And if breakfast comes with a rooftop view of Istanbul, even better.

Something I found unique was the rooftop attraction, nestled into one area of the rooftop you can find several people feeding the many large birds circling above. You’re surrounded by dozens of people holding their forks in the air with small bites of food for the bird.

I’m personally a little afraid of large birds so I didn’t partake but it was definitely an experience.

Pera Antakya — Order Mezze for the Table

Another meal that really represents the way I loved eating in Turkey was Pera Antakya.

We ordered several mezzes for the table and shared everything.

This became one of my favorite ways to eat throughout the trip.

Instead of everyone ordering one individual entrée, we’d order breads, dips, vegetables, meats and different small dishes and essentially cover the table.

If you’re traveling with someone who likes sharing food, Turkey is perfect for this.

And my advice is simple:

Order more mezze than you think you need.

Coffee No. 4 — Turkish Coffee & Pistachio Coffee

I couldn’t go to Turkey without having Turkish coffee.

At Coffee No. 4, we tried traditional Turkish coffee as well as pistachio coffee, which obviously caught my attention immediately.

Turkish coffee is much stronger and more concentrated than the coffee I normally drink, and the preparation and presentation make it feel like an experience rather than simply a caffeine stop.

The pistachio version was especially fun to try and even more fun to watch being made in a large vat of hot sand. The coffee and water are combined in a metal cup then rubbed across the sand until it’s close to boiling over. It’s so cool and very delicious.

If you’re already planning to stop for coffee during a day of sightseeing, I’d choose somewhere that lets you try something distinctly Turkish rather than automatically ordering your usual cappuccino.

Pide & Adana Kebab

Two things I ate repeatedly in Turkey?

Pide and Adana kebab.

Pide is sometimes described as Turkish pizza, although I don’t think that description entirely does it justice. It’s an elongated, boat-shaped flatbread that can come with different meat, cheese and vegetable toppings.

We ate different versions throughout the trip.

And then there was Adana kebab.

If I had to make a shortlist of the Turkish foods I’d order immediately on another trip, Adana kebab would be near the top.

It’s seasoned minced meat traditionally cooked on a long skewer and grilled, and I loved it.

Hafız Mustafa — The Dessert I Still Think About

And then we need to talk about dessert.

We went to Hafız Mustafa, where we ordered Turkish tea along with a couple of desserts.

One was pistachio-based.

But the one I still remember?

The Dubai chocolate pudding.

It was to die for.

I’m usually someone who wants to try something different everywhere I go, but this is one of those desserts I’d happily order again without even looking at the rest of the menu.

If you have a sweet tooth, make room for dessert in Istanbul.

Even if you’re full.

Especially if pistachios are involved.

Viyana Kahvesi — San Sebastian Cheesecake

Another dessert that deserves its own stop is San Sebastian cheesecake.

We tried it at Viyana Kahvesi.

It’s a burnt Basque-style cheesecake with that deeply caramelized exterior and incredibly creamy center, and it has become particularly popular in Istanbul.

Pair it with coffee and call it an afternoon activity.

I certainly would.

What I Ate in Cappadocia

Cappadocia gave us a completely different food experience.

Between Göreme’s rooftop terraces, regional wines and dishes like mantı and pottery kebab, this was where I started experiencing foods that felt particularly tied to the region.

Seten — My Favorite Dinner in Cappadocia

One restaurant I would absolutely recommend in Göreme is Seten Restaurant.

Seten sits above Göreme with a terrace overlooking the town and surrounding valleys, so the setting alone makes it worth putting on your list.

We had Turkish ravioli, meatloaf and wine, and it was one of my favorite meals in Cappadocia.

The ravioli is mantı, a Turkish dumpling dish that I’d describe as Turkey’s answer to ravioli.

And Cappadocia is also a wine-producing region, so having local wine with dinner felt particularly appropriate.

Seten actually has its own wine cellar in a historic cave space and focuses heavily on Cappadocian wines.

The restaurant has since been recognized by the 2026 Michelin Guide, which makes me particularly happy to see because this was already somewhere I really enjoyed based on my own visit.

One current planning note: Seten says it doesn’t take reservations and recommends arriving before sunset. Even earlier if you want outdoor seating for the view.

What I’d order again: Mantı + local wine
Best for: A nicer dinner in Göreme
Would I return? Absolutely.

Rooftop Beers & a Cheese Platter in Göreme

Another core food memory from Cappadocia wasn’t even really about the food.

We found a rooftop terrace, as a matter of fact it was called Terrace Rooftop Bar, and ordered drinks and a cheese platter, and hung out overlooking Göreme just people watching.

Absolutely do it.

You spend so much time in Cappadocia trying to see everything—the balloons, valleys, underground cities and viewpoints—that it’s worth leaving some room in your itinerary to just sit somewhere with a view.

Find a rooftop, order something to drink and stay awhile.

Testi Kebab — The Clay-Pot Meal You Have to Try

Another Cappadocia food experience I wanted to try was testi kebabı, or pottery kebab.

We found a restaurant in the center of Göreme—I unfortunately don’t remember its name—where I ordered a meat dish cooked inside a clay pot. I wasn’t sure what I was ordering but the delicious scent alone is what drew me in to the restaurant.

The ingredients are cooked inside a sealed pottery vessel before the pot is broken open for serving.

Is it slightly theatrical?

Yes.

Did I still want to do it?

Also yes.

And I would recommend trying it at least once while you’re in Cappadocia.

Even Seten highlights clay-pot testi kebab as part of Cappadocia’s traditional culinary heritage.

The Unexpected Road-Trip Meals

Some of my favorite food experiences happened after Cappadocia.

We had a rental car and were driving south toward Antalya, which meant stopping in places I probably wouldn’t have visited on a typical first trip to Turkey.

And this is where the food became really fun.

Konya Kebap Evi — One of Our Best Road-Trip Finds

Stopping in Konya gave us one of those travel meals that you remember specifically because you weren’t expecting it.

We came across Konya Kebap Evi and it was amazing. Better than amazing.

We ordered meat and lahmucen, and all of the pictured salad and mixed dips were just brought for the table. It was insane and delicious.

Konya has its own strong food traditions, and the restaurant specializes in regional dishes including etli ekmek, bıçak arası and oven-roasted kebab.

This is also why I love road trips.

Had we flown directly between destinations, we probably never would have eaten here.

Instead, one of the restaurants I remember most from Turkey came from stopping in a city along the way.

What we ate: Pide + dips + mixed meats
Would I go back? 100% Yes.

Çavdır — Lahmacun, Pide & Another Roadside Feast

Another road-trip stop brought us to Çavdır, where we stopped for another very Turkish spread.

This time we had lahmacun, pide, grilled tomatoes and onion and tomato based dip.

If you’ve never had lahmacun, it’s a very thin flatbread topped with a seasoned minced-meat mixture.

You’ll sometimes hear it called “Turkish pizza,” but it’s noticeably different from pide.

Pide is thicker and usually boat-shaped.

Lahmacun is much thinner and crispier.

I like both, so obviously ordering both for the table was the correct solution.

This wasn’t some restaurant we’d spent weeks researching.

We were road-tripping through Turkey, we stopped to eat, ordered a table full of food and continued on our way with extremely happy stomachs.

Eating in İzmir

Mustafa Usta — Another Table Full of Turkish Food

By İzmir, we apparently had our Turkish ordering strategy perfected.

At Mustafa Usta, we again went for a mix of meat, dips/mezzes and dishes to share.

And honestly, this is one of the biggest things I’d recommend doing when eating in Turkey.

Don’t feel like every person needs to choose one entrée.

Order several things.

Get bread.

Get dips.

Add meat.

Pass everything around.

Mustafa Usta continues to serve traditional Turkish dishes, with its current menu rotating through soups, döner, köfte, kebabs, vegetables, pilaf and Turkish desserts.

It’s not necessarily about finding one perfect dish.

It’s about the table.

The Turkish Foods I’d Order Again Immediately

After eating our way through several parts of Turkey, these are the foods I’d put at the top of my list on another trip.

Adana Kebab

Probably one of my favorite discoveries of the entire trip.

Spiced, grilled, flavorful and something I’d order again without hesitation.

Pide

We ate this everywhere.

And that’s part of what I liked about it. You can find different versions, share a few and make it part of a larger meal.

Lahmacun

Thinner and crispier than pide and another easy thing to order for the table.

Mezze

This may actually be my favorite way to eat in Turkey.

Give me bread and a table covered in different dips, vegetables and little dishes and I’m happy.

Mantı

If you’re going to Cappadocia, try Turkish ravioli.

My mantı and wine dinner at Seten is one I’d happily repeat.

Testi Kebab

Part food, part Cappadocia experience.

I wouldn’t necessarily say you need to order it repeatedly, but I think you should try the clay-pot experience once.

Turkish Breakfast

Do not rush this.

Order tea, get the full spread and give yourself enough time to actually enjoy it.

Turkish Coffee

At least once.

And if you see pistachio coffee, apparently I’m going to tell you to order that too.

Some of the Best Food in Turkey Wasn’t Planned

Looking back, I think this is what I loved most about eating in Turkey.

Yes, we went to restaurants I’d specifically wanted to visit.

But some of the meals I remember most happened because we were hungry and driving through a city.

We’d stop somewhere, order several things for the table and figure it out as we went.

There was the amazing meal in Konya.

Lahmacun and pide during another road-trip stop.

A rooftop cheese platter in Cappadocia.

Turkish ravioli and wine overlooking Göreme.

An absurdly good chocolate pudding in Istanbul.

And so much mezze.

If you’re planning your own trip to Turkey, absolutely save restaurants you want to visit.

But don’t plan every meal.

Leave some room to walk into somewhere because it smells good, ask what they recommend, order too many things for the table and discover something you didn’t know you were looking for.

Those might end up being the meals you remember most.

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Planning Your Own Turkey Trip?

If you’re heading to Turkey, you can also read my 2 Days in Istanbul, Istanbul Travel Guide, Terra Cave Hotel and Derinkuyu Underground City guides.

Planning a trip to Turkey?
Compare hotels and places to stay in Istanbul, Cappadocia and the other stops on your itinerary.

Xx Sylvia