14 Best Restaurants in The Turquoise Coast, Turkey

What was once the house of a prosperous Greek merchant is now a fine restaurant specializing in steak and ultra-tender lamb kleftiko (lamb shank marinated in red wine and slow-cooked in a 400-year-old oven). The wine cellar has more than 10,000 bottles, including a good selection of Turkish wines. The Turkish breakfast, served until 2 pm, is also popular. On hot summer days, you can take refuge in the cool basement; at night, the restaurant lights the abandoned buildings all around, creating an atmosphere that is romantic or spooky, depending on your take. Free transportation is available to and from hotels in the Fethiye–Ölüdeniz area.

Located next to a 19th-century Ottoman house at the edge of the harbor, Smiley's has been an open secret among Turquoise Coast yachters since 1987. Relax in the fresh air beneath vines, flags, and fishing nets, and enjoy a reasonably priced and generously portioned meal of some of the best kebabs and seafood in Kaş, as well as some of its friendliest service. Try the Greek-style grilled calamari and brightly flavorful mezes (the reasonably priced mixed-meze plate is a good deal; make sure the roasted eggplant in garlicky yogurt is included). Head downstairs to see the restored Lycian cistern.

This busy harborside fish restaurant is popular with Göcek natives and visitors alike and is considered a town institution. In summer, the seating extends out toward the waterfront, under tropical trees and with romantic views of the water. Main dishes (kebabs, steak, seafood) are typical, but the pride of the menu is its selection of 30 meze (starters). The homemade bread is delicious, and wild mountain mushrooms are served as a side dish in spring and fall.

Owned by a local butcher, this sophisticated waterfront spot serves up the high-quality, perfectly cooked steaks and chops that you’d expect, along with burgers, kebabs, and lighter options like mezes and salads, though the selection of non-meat mains is slim. There’s a full bar and a great view, especially at sunset.

Even if you don't stay at the Kocaev–Mehmet Ali Ağa Konağı, consider soaking up the ambience for an evening at its restaurant. The seating is right beside the hotel (effectively the mansion's courtyard), and, as you'd expect in such a stellar location, the food is a gourmet's delight, the service five-star, and the prices enthusiastically high. The menu changes regularly, with a focus on Mediterranean and Ottoman dishes that make good use of the area's wild herbs. The mezes are excellent, and the mixed platter recommended. There is also a fine wine cellar.

A few blocks north of the fray, Flash attracts more locals than tourists and survives on word of mouth. It’s known for soups, steaks, kebabs, and meat stews cooked in a clay pot (kiremit); it also makes nice, oven-fired pide and lahmacun (wafer-thin spiced-meat flatbread). Come ravenously hungry, and you may have room for a dessert of künefe, a rich confection of cheese, strands of dough and sugar syrup sprinkled with pistachio.

Tour groups often fill this restaurant at dinner for good reason: the food is both delicious and inexpensive, a combination that also makes it popular with locals at lunch. The restaurant also offers a nice, traditional Turkish breakfast. Expect all the usual Turkish dishes, plus local specialties including soups, stews, and börek pastries.

Part of the Gunay's Garden villa complex, this tranquil spot in the far corner of Kaya village blends the best of Turkish and European cuisine, using homegrown ingredients as much as possible. There is a good range of largely organic starters; try the mixed meze plate for a taste of everything. Mains include excellent fish, steak, pizzas, and a lovely oven-cooked lamb. As befits the hotel's family-friendly ethos, there's also a kids' menu.

With a prime spot right on the beach, Karakuş is one of the best places for dinner and drinks in the entire Olympos-Çıralı area. The mezes and oven-fresh flatbread are delightful, and the beachfront scene is serene.

A tranquil, stylish break from options in the sometimes tacky hustle and bustle of Fethiye’s bazaar area, Kukina serves up a distinctive (and delicious) international menu of dishes like falafel tacos, fried chicken burgers, and popcorn shrimp. Standbys like burgers and pizza are available, as are plenty of vegetarian options. The greenhouse-like courtyard and cheery, plant-filled interior are both comfortable places to linger over an afternoon coffee or a glass of wine.

This excellent, straightforward Turkish restaurant is on the western edge of the bazaar and favored by locals for its kebabs, pide (Turkish pizza), and traditional casseroles. It's open all day, morphing from a breakfast joint in the morning to a family restaurant in the afternoon to the perfect place for a late-night snack at 3 am. The same owners also operate the somewhat more upscale Meğri Restaurant in the center of the bazaar.

At the eastern end of the harbor, the Mermerli has decent prices and a broad menu that includes fish, steak, pastas, burgers, Turkish grills, and all-day breakfasts. But the location is its best asset: a spacious, breezy terrace offers excellent views of the sea and the otherworldly looking mountains. It's a good place to eat if you want to relax on Mermerli Beach—the bathing spot is just down the steps, and the restaurant controls access.

Forget the printed menu and order from the meze case, where the wide range of tempting starters includes unusual mushrooms from the mountains out back, fresh seaweed dishes, and squid in garlic, oil, and lemon. Özcan's mains are predominantly seafood but there are also excellent kebabs and local lamb dishes. It's set on the wide esplanade that makes up Göcek's main public harbor.

This restaurant on the Netsel marina has a lot more style and dignity than you would guess from the name, and it's a great escape from the mass tourism of Marmaris. The house specialty is tender, oven-cooked, Anatolian lamb; however, the chef also prepares octopus, pasta, pizza, steak, Turkish grills, and divine desserts.