The Dishes You Have To Try In Izmir Turkey

Turkey’s ‘Pearl of the Aegean’ has plenty to offer apart from very fresh and delicious sea food. From amazing desserts to Aegean and Turkish classics, here are some dishes you can savor while in Izmir.

Meze

Meze (appetizers) are a classic in Turkish cities bordering the sea and are best enjoyed with rakı and friends. Yengeç is one of the best places to try meze because their menu has a vast amount of options from honey calamarı to grilled eggplant and so much more.

Sea food

Apart from fresh fish, the Aegean also has a lot of amazing sea food on offer, and Akının Yeri is one of Izmir’s most popular sea food restaurants. The calamari is amazing and comes highly recommended.

Gözleme

Gözleme is the ultimate comfort food and is composed of slightly grilled sheets of dough with various fillings. Izmir’s Gözlemecim has more than 700 kinds of delicious gözleme and is, therefore, quite popular.

Grilled fish

No trip to the Aegean would be complete without some fresh fish, and Deniz restaurant is one of the best places to get the catch of the day grilled to perfection.

Katmer

Urla is about a half an hour drive from Izmir city and is famous for both its wine and katmer. The puffy and buttery pastry is filled with cheese and parsley or minced meat, and visitors should definitely try it at Ege’nin Lale Katmercisi.

Grilled octopus

Mavra restaurant is one of Izmir’s most frequented sea food restaurants serving classic meze and fish. However, the house specialty is the grilled octopus, which has become a favorite among regulars.

Şambalı

Şambalı is made from baked semolina, yogurt, and sugar and topped with sugar and almonds. Izmir’s Meşhur Hisarönü Şambalıcısı has been making this dessert since 1942 and serves it with a side of clotted cream. It’s heavenly.

Profiteroles

A delightful dessert, profiteroles are composed of crispy pastry balls filled with cream and topped with a thick chocolate sauce. In Izmir, Reyhan Pastanesi is the best place to get a taste of this amazing saccharine wonder.

Lor Tatlısı

Izmir has a lot of excellent bakeries and patisseries, and Şortan Pastanesi is known for its amazing Lor Tatlısı. These sweet pastries, made with lor cheese, are moist due to a sweet sherbet.

Grilled meat

If all that sea food has you yearning for some meat, then Tavacı Recep Usta is the best place to go in Izmir. You’ll find plenty of kebab varieties as well as grilled lamb chops or liver shish.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.