Eating in Antalya: A Guide to the Food You Should Not Miss

If you only ever eat at your hotel's buffet, you will miss one of the best parts of the trip. Antalya and its coast have a wonderful food culture, from lavish breakfasts to seafront fish dinners, and a few local specialities you will not find at home. Here is a guide to the dishes worth seeking out and how to make the most of eating your way around the region.

A proper Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) is a feast, not a plate. Expect a whole table covered in small dishes: several cheeses, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, honey and clotted cream (kaymak), jams, eggs, bread, and endless glasses of tea. It is meant to be lingered over, and it is one of the great pleasures of the region. Finding a dedicated breakfast spot, ideally with a view, is a lovely way to start a day.

Turkish dining often centres on mezes — a spread of small cold and hot starters meant for sharing. Think smoky aubergine, yoghurt dips, stuffed vine leaves, sea-fresh salads and much more, laid out across the table to graze on. On the coast, a table of mezes by the water, followed by grilled fish, is the classic evening — unhurried, sociable and delicious.

Forget any preconceptions: a kebab here means expertly grilled meat, and the variety is huge — from şiş (skewers) to the rich, layered dishes of the wider region. Eaten fresh off the grill with bread, salad and perhaps a yoghurt drink (ayran), it is a world away from a takeaway. Seek out a busy, well-regarded ocakbaşı (grill house) and you will understand why Turkish grilling is famous.

A couple of dishes are particularly associated with Antalya. Piyaz here is a local white-bean salad dressed with tahini — a regional version distinct from elsewhere in Turkey and genuinely worth trying. And for dessert, do not leave without künefe: shredded pastry layered with mild cheese, baked crisp, soaked in syrup and served hot, often with a scoop of ice cream. Warm, sweet and stringy, it is unforgettable.

The best places to eat are often not next to your hotel — a renowned fish restaurant along the coast, a breakfast spot with a view, a grill house locals rave about in the old town. A private transfer lets you seek out the good places without worrying about parking, driving back after a relaxed dinner with a glass of wine, or being tied to the hotel restaurant. It turns dining into part of exploring the region.

• Come hungry to breakfast — it is bigger than you expect.
• Order mezes to share and take your time over them.
• Try the local piyaz and finish with künefe for the true regional flavours.
• Ask locals or your driver where they eat — the best spots are often not the touristy ones.
• Let a transfer handle the trip so you can enjoy a glass with dinner and be driven home.

Antalya eats wonderfully well, and the food is a real part of the experience: a table-filling breakfast, mezes by the sea, proper kebabs, the local tahini piyaz and hot künefe to finish. Venture beyond the hotel buffet, seek out the places locals love, and let a private transfer make getting there and back easy — and you will remember the meals as much as the sights.