Antalya is a sprawling resort destination withhundreds of restaurants of all types.
During the four decades that I've been visiting, it has also been a city in which the restaurant scene changes rapidly, and not always for the better.
Perhaps this is to be expected. In a seaside resort, visitors arrive in droves along with the summer sun and fill the beaches, hotels and restaurants. They later leave in droves when the clouds and showers of autumn presage the damp, chilly winter.
MARCO Terras in Kaleici
Antalya Restaurant Notes
Breakfast is included in the price of most hotel rooms in Turkey, except for those in large, modern luxury hotels.
Lunch is often a picnic at the beach, or at one of the many ancient archeological sites that can easily be visited using Antalya as a base.
That leaves dinner, and when you're on vacation you want it to be good, an entirely pleasant and delicious experience, preferably in a shady garden setting or with a view of the sea.
If you are staying in a boutique hotel or inn in Kaleiçi, your hotel probably has a dining room serving table d'hôte or a la carte meals, and this is a good bet for good quality at reasonable prices.
In fact, dinner may be included in your room price (half-board). If it's not, try shopping around among the good boutique hotels for one with a restaurant that looks to be to your taste. Many welcome patrons from outside the hotel.
Some restaurants that happily served hundreds of guests each evening in summer may have to close in winter, losing experienced staff. My favorites, below, are the exceptions, with good food and service all year round:
Seraser Fine Dining Restaurant
Seraser Fine Dining Restaurant is the gourmet restaurant associated with the Tuvana Hotel in Kaleiçi. Because it is managed by the owners of a longstanding hotel and patronized both by hotel guests and the general public, it maintains its high standard of quality. More...
Pio Gastro Bistro&Bar
Pio gastro Bistro&Bar, the newest Tuvana restaurant is less formal than Seraser, but just as fine for food and service, with Latin and Mediterranean cuisine.
Il Vicino Pizzeria
Next door to Seraser is Il Vicino Pizzeria, a less formal trattoria-style restaurant serving pizzas and Italian cuisine that's well above a normal pizzeria in quality and service. More...
Argentina Pizza
A wonderful restaurant where you can order pizza by the slice! With a beautiful shady garden and comfortable inside seating, Argentina Pizza is an ideal spot for families or bigger groups. Incredible food, and friendly servers. Gluten free and vegan options!
7 Mehmet Restaurant
For a lavish traditional Turkish feast, the longtime favorite is the large 7 Mehmet Restaurant (that's Yedi Mehmet) in a hilltop location overlooking Konyaalti Beach and the Bay of Antalya from near the Hillside Su Hotel.
Parlak Restaurant
For a less elaborate, inexpensive Turkish kebap feed, try one of my longtime Antalya favorites, the grill called Parlak Restaurant, which specializes in grilled chicken and traditional Turkish grilled meats in an informal atmosphere. From Kalekapisi, walk north (behind the Attalus statue) along Kâzim Özalp/Şarampol Caddesi for a few steps and look for Parlak on the left.
—by Tom Brosnahan