Antalya sits between mountains, citrus groves and the Mediterranean, and the food reflects all three. Menus lean on fresh vegetables, olive oil, grilled meat and fish, and the local style is often lighter and more tangy than the heavier dishes of central Turkey. Here is how to eat well, whether you are in the old town or out on the coast.
Start with breakfast
A traditional Turkish breakfast, kahvaltı, is a spread rather than a single plate: white cheese, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, eggs cooked to order, honey, jam, bread and endless glasses of black tea. Many Kaleiçi hotels serve it in a courtyard or on a terrace, and it is a lovely start to a day of sightseeing. In the city you will also find simit, the sesame bread ring, sold from carts and bakeries for a quick snack.
Try Antalya piyaz
The signature local dish is piyaz, a salad of white beans dressed with tahini, garlic, lemon and sometimes boiled egg and onion. It is served cold as a starter or side dish, and Antalya's version, with its creamy tahini dressing, is different from other regions of Turkey. Pair it with grilled meatballs or lamb and bread. Another local favourite is hibeş, a spread of tahini, garlic and spices that works like a dip. Look for both in simple local restaurants rather than the busiest harbour terraces.
Meze and fish by the water
The old harbour is the place for a long evening meal, with small dishes of meze such as aubergine salad, stuffed vine leaves, ezme and grilled cheese, followed by a grilled sea bream or sea bass. Fish is usually priced by weight, so ask before you order. The view is the draw, and you pay for it, so many locals recommend walking a few lanes inland for similar food at fairer prices. Raki, the aniseed spirit, is the traditional drink with meze, mixed with water and ice, but Turkish beer and local wines are easy alternatives.
Grills, pide and street food
For a cheaper meal look for grill houses serving kebabs, köfte and chicken skewers, or pide shops that bake boat-shaped flatbreads with cheese, minced meat or egg. Lahmacun, the thin, spiced flatbread, makes a good light lunch. Gözleme, a hand-rolled flatbread filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a griddle, is often sold at roadside stalls near ancient sites, and it is a good way to refuel during a day trip.
Fruit, juice and sweets
Antalya is surrounded by orchards, so fresh orange and pomegranate juice stalls are everywhere, and the fruit is excellent in season. For dessert try baklava, künefe, a hot cheese pastry soaked in syrup and topped with pistachio, and Turkish ice cream, which is stretchy and chewy. Turkish delight and dried fruit make easy souvenirs.
Coffee and tea
Turkish coffee is served strong and small in a copper pot, with the grounds left in the cup. Tea comes in tulip glasses, usually without milk. In Kaleiçi, courtyard cafes are a good place to rest between sights.
Practical tips
Meal times lean late, with dinner after eight in summer. Many restaurants add a small cover charge for bread and meze, and tipping is customary, usually around ten per cent if service is not included. Vegetarians do well, because vegetable meze and salads are plentiful, but ask about meat stocks. During Ramadan, some daytime places shorten their hours, although the tourist areas stay open. If you have dietary needs, learn a few Turkish phrases or show a note.
Food on tours
Day trips usually include lunch, often a set menu at a restaurant near the sight, so mention dietary needs when you book. At Aspendos and Side, cafes at the entrance make it easy to grab a drink and a gözleme before or after the visit.
A sample food day
Begin with a long kahvaltı at your hotel, snack on simit or fruit juice while you sightsee, and have a light lunch of pide, lahmacun or a salad at a local restaurant. In the late afternoon stop for tea and baklava in a courtyard, then take your time over a meze dinner by the harbour as the lights come on. If you are heading out on a day trip, fill up at breakfast and carry a snack, because ancient sites have few places to eat.
Water and safety
Drink bottled or filtered water, wash fruit before eating it, and choose busy places with high turnover for street food. If you have allergies, ask staff to note nuts, sesame and tahini, which appear in many dishes, including the local piyaz and hibeş.