Goreme Restaurants

This is in a family run restaurant in a 475-year-old building. They make their own wine and serve it in cups that reminded me of what one would see in a Bible movie. The food comes in generous portions and was delicious.

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central location, indoor and outdoor dining, eager staff. i got there pretty late in the evening but they fired up the oven for me anyway.

Favorite Dish: they have the best tasting kebaps in goreme! servings are generous and the bread is served freshly baked and in large portions.

I don't know whether to put this under tourist trap or restaurants, but one thing is sure - my experience with this restaurant was not so pleasant. Not only were the portions small - a serving of beef sisli (barbecue) consists of six teeny-weeny bits with two spoons of rice pilaf on the side for about USD18!- but also the staff were too enthusiastic in please new guests at the expense of existing ones.

I was asked to move to a less desirable location in the middle of my meal when two guests came in - and it was clear there were enough seats for everybody! Just looked the waiter and smiled and went back to the beef morsels (yes, they were morsels!) on my plate dying to be gobbled up.

Not too happy with this restaurant - a complete rip off.

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Housed in a restored village house, Dibek is where you go for authentic village cooking. It is the only restaurant in Goreme that requires advance orders for very famous testi kebap (meat and vegetables in a sealed terracota claypot that is broken during serving) that requires three hours of slow cooking in an oven.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to try this local speciality. But what I had - kurufasulye (white beans with sundried lamb and tomato sauce) - was good. Their locally-produced house wine was surprisingly not bad, and the dessert, apricots cooked in syrup was a perfect ending to a wonderful meal.

Ambiance is homey, made comfortable by thick cushions around brass tables. Highly recommended.

A'laturca basks in glowing praises from the New York Times (from where I learned about this restaurant even before making plans to visit Goreme) and guidebooks, the former gloriously framed and displayed up front at the maitre d's podium Such was the popularity of the restaurant that reservations are necesary during major holidays and the peak summer season. I had to be politely refused the first time I went there - not their fault; the restaurant was packed.

So I made it to A'laturca two nights later. Was it worth the hype?

The food is superb in presentation and taste. For starters, I ordered grilled calamari and the presentation came as a pleasant surprise, expecting skewers neatly arranged on a dull white plate (see picture of calamari). Notwithstanding Goreme is located hundreds of miles inland, the calamari was fresh - and grilled to perfection, careful not to overcook the tender meat. For mains, I had grilled thin beef slices - which were tender and done as perfectly as the calamari, although the waiter was perhaps too eager to please that he served the beef only a few minutes after the calamari. By the time I had space for it, the beef was already cold, so I had to request them to reheat.

And the wine? I had local wine, which was not bad, although I'm not particularly fond of Turkish wine. The dessert, rice pudding, was scrumptious.

If you have one opportunity to splurge in Goreme, this is the place to do it.

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the silk road restaurant is a faily good local restaurant located near the meeting point.
i have eaten there twice and both times the food was fine.
it's a very cosy restaurant with comfy chairs and they have a good varied menu.

the only minus is the waiters who at time behave a bit too much like i would expect a bartender to do after midnight.
they could learn a little there from the meeting point cafe.

apart from that i ahve no complaints at all though.

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the meeting point cafe is one of my favorite places to eat in goreme even if the place does not serve any alcohol.
the food there is always tasty and the service is very polite.
these days i think that some waitiers are just a bit too much smart ass and it's nice to see a restaurant where formal politeness is still practised in it's best way.
the place has a little terrace where you can enjoy the food while looking at the street scene.

Favorite Dish: try their fresh fruit juices.
they are a real treat.

Very 'local' restaurant that you basicly sit on the floor and eat in very nomadic way.There are lovely cats all around and rest. provides local food only , like manti (boiled pastry in mince and topped garlic yoghurt)

Favorite Dish: mantiiiii