Eating in Alanya combines Mediterranean freshness with Turkish tradition. The coast supplies fish and seafood, the plain behind it grows bananas, citrus and avocados, and the mountains provide honey, olives, cheese and trout. You can eat very well here at almost every price, and some of the best meals are the simplest. This guide covers what to try and how to find good places.
Breakfast
A Turkish breakfast is a feast of white cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, honey, jam and fresh bread, served with endless glasses of tea. Many hotels include it, and cafés in town serve a larger version for a leisurely morning. Try menemen, a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers, and simit, the sesame bread ring sold by street vendors.
Fish and seafood
The harbour is lined with restaurants that serve grilled sea bream, sea bass and a selection of meze, with tables overlooking the boats and the Red Tower. Choose fish by weight and ask the price before you order. Evening is the best time, when the harbour lights come on. For a simpler meal, try fried calamari or a fish sandwich from a small stand.
Kebabs, pide and lahmacun
Turkish classics are everywhere. Pide, a boat-shaped bread with toppings of cheese, minced meat or egg, is cooked in a wood-fired oven and makes a filling lunch. Lahmacun is a thin, crisp flatbread with spiced minced meat, usually eaten rolled up with salad and lemon. Grilled meats, including shish kebab and adana, come with rice, bulgur and salad, and a dish of local tava, a tomato and lamb stew, is a good regional choice.
Trout by the river
On a trip to the Dim River or the mountain villages, you will find riverside restaurants serving fresh trout, grilled or fried, with salad and bread. The setting is half the pleasure, with tables over the water and shade from plane trees. Many day tours include lunch at such places, and independent visitors can choose a table and a fish on arrival.
Street snacks and sweets
Look for gozleme, a thin pastry filled with spinach or cheese and cooked on a griddle, corn on the cob and roasted chestnuts in cooler months. For something sweet, try baklava, Turkish delight and dondurma, the stretchy Turkish ice cream. Fresh fruit stalls sell bananas, oranges and strawberries according to the season, and Alanya's local bananas and avocados are a point of pride.
Drinks
Tea is the national drink, served in small tulip glasses, and Turkish coffee is strong and served with the grounds. Ayran, a salty yoghurt drink, is a refreshing partner for kebabs, and fresh orange and pomegranate juices are widely sold. Raki, the aniseed spirit, is the traditional drink with fish and meze, usually diluted with water, and Turkish beer and wine are easy to find. Some hotels and tours follow a halal or alcohol-free concept, so check when you book.
Eating well and sensibly
Look for restaurants busy with local families, avoid places with aggressive street touts and ask to see prices before you order. Menus in tourist areas can be pricey, so walk a street or two back from the front for better value. Tap water is not usually drunk, so choose bottled water. Tipping around ten percent is customary when service is not included.
Eating with children and special diets
Turkish cuisine is friendly to families, with plain grilled meats, rice, yoghurt and bread on most menus, and restaurants are generally relaxed about children. Vegetarians can eat well on meze, salads, gozleme and vegetable dishes, though meat stock is sometimes used, so ask. Travellers who avoid pork or alcohol will find the local food compatible, and halal-concept hotels serve meals accordingly. For allergies, learn the Turkish words for your allergen and show them to the waiter, since English is not universal in small places. When in doubt, point at what other diners are eating, ask for the dish of the day and order a few meze to share, which is the easiest way to taste widely without committing to a single plate.
Tours with food
Many excursions in Alanya include lunch, from boat days to river and canyon trips, and these meals are a reliable introduction to local cooking. If you want a deeper experience, join a village tour in the Taurus Mountains, where you can taste honey, cheese and fresh bread made by local families, or book a seafront dinner at sunset. A well-chosen meal can be as memorable as any sight.