7 Best Restaurants in The Turquoise Coast, Turkey

A casual but stylish courtyard restaurant serving delightful Turkish dishes in a quiet garden setting, Bahçe is just opposite the 4th-century-BC Lycian sarcophagus known as the King's Tomb. The starters are very famous—especially tasty options are grated carrot with yogurt, mashed walnut, cold spinach, fish balls, and arnavut ciğeri (fried liver prepared with chopped nuts). The same family runs a restaurant opposite (Demeti by Bahçe Balık) that has lots of fresh seafood on offer.

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.

This long-standing favorite has a panoramic view of the harbor and excellent traditional Turkish fare that's focused on fresh seafood, though meat, chicken, and pasta dishes are also on the menu. If you're lucky, it will have grida (grouper) as a daily special; if not, try the fried squid with tarator sauce—a mixture of yogurt, garlic, lemon, walnuts, olive oil, and bread.

The waves practically lap over your feet at Kekik’s tables on the sand, lending a romantic air to this laid-back restaurant on Datça’s waterfront. Fish, seafood, and mezes are the specialties, including dishes incorporating the famous local almonds as well as wild herbs. Indoor dining is also atmospheric, in a traditional stone house.

Müpptela means "addicted," and, after one visit to this excellent ocakbaşı (grillhouse), you'll understand why the name fits. The mezes are excellent, and there is a wide variety of hot appetizers and grilled meat and kebab dishes. Friendly, warm service in a sultry outdoor setting on the edge of old Kaş is a final (and big) plus.

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.