Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Kalkan Discussion => Restaurants, Bars, Nightlife & Shopping => Topic started by: KalkanJules on May 05, 2007, 10:40:23 PM
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Hi all
I have visited Kalkan on two occasions and have really enjoyed eating at numerous restuarants. However with so many to choose from I never know which ones are the best and I would like advice on the ones that are the best value for money. I find that eating out every night can cost a small fortune ! ::)Thanks in advance.
Julie ;)
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I can prefer you Omar Kitchen in Kalkan it is really good. You can find it on the way from centrum to the petrol station when you passed the Kartın Supermarket , it locates on the opposite of Nur Patisserie And I heard that Trio restaurant is also good but I also can prefer you the IBO Terrace Restaurant
Emre GOKTEPE
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I can recommend Sofra. We were in Kalkan in April and it had a lovely atmosphere with a log fire in the evening. The food was to die for and I can highly recommend the homemade chocolate cake ! It's not the cheapest but I still thought it was great value for money.
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Having visited Kalkan too many times to mention, I now have my faviourites, yet always try to find something new on each visit. Some of my favourites are:
Daphnes [great view of the bay and the mosque]
Sofra [fantastic romantic ambience, great classical guitarist]
Kosk [some of the best steak dishes]
Korsan [great fish]
Aubergine [in the harbour]
Doy Doy [just good food]
Just a few and there are lots more. Enjoy
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Dear Jofoss
If you are looking for new ones then try Trio and Omar's Kitchen
Regards
Emre GOKTEPE
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With so many to choose from I find new favourites everytime I go. We have started to try the ones that are not on the "main tourist drag" and have been very impressed. The Alterntif at the start of the Kalamar Road is excellent. The owners and staff are very welcoming and the food and service is good. The Ottoman chicken is very good. They serve lighter meals during the day and also offer help and advice on Kalkan. Ozcan and Ercan speak good english and often help to translate if anyone has a problem with the language. We also made several visits to the new restaurant on the roof of the Nur Hotel, it's called Barbarosa's. It is well worth the climb up the stairs. The decor and music is relaxing, the food is delicious. The view gives a different prospective of Kalkan, play spot your villa on the mountainsides! The Kaya is always dependable and a drink at the bar is a good way to catch up with local news.
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Have to second Monkey - I am a fan of Sofra - the chicken mango noodles are to die for!
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Having visited Kalkan for the last 10 years I have to say that I have yet to be disappointed with any meal. Love the Alternitif at the start of Kalamar Road, The Kosk is also consistently excellent and can't beat The Olive Garden for excellent service and traditional Turkish cuisine. The Foto (pancake) restaurant is absolutely wonderful for eating on a budget and the wonderful friendly service and spectacular views make it excellent for more relaxed informal dining. Wherever you choose you won't be disappointed. The Merkez cafe is probably best for just simply sitting watching the world go by while enjoying a snack and a drink.
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I agree I had lovely meals at both Ibo's and Sofra. The Gironda is fantastic for a drink on the terrace. We had a really great meal at The Ozalp last October too. If you just fancy coffee and cake then Cafe Del Mar is very relaxing and friendly - lovely setting. Having said that I've never really had a bad meal in Kalkan.
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We are in Kalkan this week and had a great meal at the Marina restaurant, infront of the Pirat hotel. I am told they have the chef from Gironda. It was one of the best meals we have had in all our years here. We have also heard that the Doy Doy is excellent, hope to go during the rest of our time here. we also found a nice small place in the back streets, Iso's, along the quiet street past Sofra. Simple Turkish food at reasonable prices.
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I'm sure there will be a very positive response to this topic for a great number of restaurants. For what it's worth I would recommend Atlantis on the Kalamar Road (the brothers are huge footie fans - but this does not mean big screen TV's!!), Coast, Kosk and Zeki's. Saying that I have not had a bad meal anywhere in town. Just wondered if anyone could recommend any of the restaurants in Islamlar as I would like to try one when next in Kalkan (five weeks and counting!!).
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I will try and find some more info on this for you. I know that there is someplace in Kalkan that can arrange a booking and a taxi service to one of the restaurants there. I love fish and keep saying we must go up there to try the trout. I will get back to you.
PS I recommended the Alternif on the Kalamar Road, it is actually the Atlantis, apologies.
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Hi Jules etc
We too haven't really had a bad meal in 4 trips. Don't really have a favourite (usually it's the last one I went too that gets the vote!). All I can say is that down toward the harbour is generally more expensive, so we normally stick higher up - Ozalp, Arena, Havana (changed hands this year I believe), Odak, Kaya, etc. etc. etc. Then every 2-3 days we go to one of the soup kitchens - Alis or Tomato generally - both very good value. Then there's always the early evening barbeque at our apartment, followed by a long stay at the Moonlight.....!
The trout restaurant at Islamlar is Mahmouds and it's lovely. Very simple and quite cheap. Have only eaten there at lunchtime when you can escape the heat of Kalkan in August and play backgammon whilst waiting for your grilled trout and fresh fresh rocket salad! Getting there isn't difficult - its about 5km up the mountain (turn off at Akbel) and any of the taxi drivers will take you although I'm not sure how much they are charging this year, or you can go by dolmus.
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Again we had this on the TA thread...and what one person likes - another person doesn't like...but my FAVOURITE restaurant (so far!) has to be the IBO and the toilets are the best in the world...!
Other favs include, Kosk, Sofra, Kaya, Meldi Hotel (for their steaks!). Aubergine is nice but expensive.
As has already been posted - the trout farm Mahmouds at Islamar is the place to go - great views and great food and nice and cool in the summer!!
Afiyet Olsun!
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Having been visiting Kalkan for last 12-14yrs there have been as you can imagine so many changes, our best way of enjoying Turkish food is to try the smaller family establishments, because thats where all the others started from and we know, some of the otherlarger places are becoming perhaps a bit too upmarket. By the way for those of you who know and enjoy Adams he has moved up to his home now on the Kas Road, he opened a week ago, does a free transport service to and from, just ring and be collected - then returned, he is going for Turkish food, we wish him well.
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I'm with DRBD on this - Adem's new restaurant about 3km out of Kalkan on the road to Kas is brilliant. Excellent home-made traditional Turkish food and the view is just stunning looking out at the unspoilt Mediterranean and Kastellorizo! He provides free pick-up service or take-away service and his phone no. (from Turkey) is 0 242 844 32 32 or mobile 05334145028
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hi i am brand new to this my soon to be wife and i are going to kalkan in the beginning of july for our honeymoon and are wondering where in relation to everything to do in kalkan is the hotel elixir?
have we got a hotel thats miles from anywhere?
any help would be fab ;)
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Tommo
The Elixir is along the Kalamar Road. I'm told it is 5-10 minutes further out than the Asfiya which is only a 10-12 minute walk to town. You may want to get a taxi back though (cheap and plentiful!).
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Ive created a new thread for Tommo in the accomodation section :) No matter where you stay in Kalkan im sure you will love it :)
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re restaurants in islamlar, for me the best by far in the last year has been bodamya tepe, the first one you pass on the way up on a sharp bend. they have the old cook from the akin restaurant in kalkan and the mezes are the best you will get. the location is also wonderful, set in green gardens with ducks, chickens etc, with the view down the vallet to kalkan bay. dont miss it.
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Tommo, I think you will be really pleased with the Elixir. Our apartment is near here and is perfect for strolling into Kalkan on an evening. You also have a few quiet garden bars to pass on the way back! You will also find Kalkan very romantic - perfect for you honeymoon! Aubergine on the harbour is our favourite and when we were there in April, we ate there 5 out of 10 nights. No more expensive than most, especially the wine, and the service and food is fantastiv.
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best restuarants in kalkan atlantis tomato sofra depending on your mood Bora has opened a new place down by the harbour 2 up from gem at genuine fakes. i now think kalkan has more restaurants than the centre of paris. food is normally high standard but also should be as charging full wack.
andrew
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Omars Kitchen(Mommas cooking here) always good quality at very reasonable prices,a great host too.
Not sure where he is now.Used to be were Kaya is now and last year turned up by the harbour.I read he is now by the Nur hotel, is this correct?
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Yes Teke beside the Nur. I was talking to his father when we were there at Easter and he was hoping to open the following week.
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Have to agree with jofoss:
Daphnes [great view of the bay and the mosque]
Sofra [fantastic romantic ambience, great classical guitarist]
Kosk [some of the best steak dishes]
Korsan [great fish]
Aubergine [in the harbour]
Doy Doy [just good food]
+ Zeytinlik (the Olive Garden) above the Merkez cafe
+ Ramazan's trout restaurant in Islamlar
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Islamlar restaurants - we always found Mahmoud's to be much more expensive than the others, and no better.
The DeÄŸirmen is good; they do excellent yaprak dolmasi, stuffed vine leaves, picked from their own vines & stuffed by the chap's wife, quite unlike the dismal canned things the Kalkan restaurants tend to dish up.
The Pınar is also good.
Kalkan's very expensive compared to other towns on the coast, but neither the food nor the service is any better.
Ali Baba is where the locals eat, because it's reasonably priced; and, because they have a high turnover, the food is fresh.
Ibo's we like, good selection of interesting starters; clean; and pleasant staff.
Zeki's is bearable but not great; we found the food a bit bland and uninteresting, pleasant staff though, and it's clean.
Aubergine & Daphne we disliked, the food was dry and overpriced, and we were very dubious about the provenance of the wild boar.
Atlantis okay if you like steak.
Personal opinion of course.
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We returned from Kalkan about a week ago :(
There may be 150 + restraurants in Kalkan but there are not 150 good cooks.
Vicksen, I would agree with you about Zeki's. A very bland meal.
Doy Doy was recommended to us & I had one of the worst meals I've ever had in Kalkan there - borek that were soggy & a chicken dish that was tough.
We've always loved the Odak - but they seemed to have no cooks & Ferdy was doing the cooking himself as well as waiting at the tables & it was disappointing.
Kosk was excellent as was the Korsan Marina & we loved the Korsan Kebap - especially the lhamajun (sp).
Had some lovely lunches at Kalamar beach club & I see that they do evening meals there but didn't try it in the evening.
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has any one seen zeyno?somebody said the restaurant was closed a while ago...there was talk she was thinking of a break..i do hope not..pureley for selfish reasons...good food..wicked pavlova!!we have tried to phone her(mobile)...but the line is dead......i do hope they are o.k...any news would be gratefully recieved...ta muchly
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Have to mention the Marina Restaurant down by the harbour. Its located at the bottom of the old Pirat Hotel. have been going there on a regular basis for about the last 18 months and its just keeps getting better.
They recently employed a new chef and revamped the menu - food is absolutely excellent and George and Mario can't do enough for you.
Open all year round and a favourite with the locals too.
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What is the restraunt called ??? If you walk past the moonlight and take the top road to the end then turn down its up a back street long flight of steps up to it very old but had 2 years ago good food, you always got free starters ,sometimes free fruit if you didnt order a desert, and always a shot with turkish delight at the end free it good views. Guess if you were at Begums kitchen you would walk up. What does anyone think of Begums Kitchen now, when we went the food was just ok, drinks shocking price, but I loved sitting on the coushions watching the stars on the roof. Also what is the restraunt called down past moonlight next to the jewlery shop and the main waiter is called Norman looks like Norman wisdom, been to loads and loads but cant remember any names.
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Holidayfever - do you mean the IBO - with the MOST AMAZING toilets and one of my personal favs - note the word personal coz what one person likes - can be another persons poison..!!
I know you get free desert and turkish brandy etc if you visit there..not sure it that is the place you mean - but it is well known by its toilets...LOL!
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The restaurant with Norman (just past Infinity jewellers) is Arena. It is owned by the Samira Deluxe apart/hotel (the one that sits on the hillside) not the Samira in town.
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Hi Blue Lizard,
I am afraid Zeyno is now back in her home town and won't be opening back in Kalkan. We have been friends for over 10 years and she knew that 2006 was likely to be her last year and told us she wasn't going to come back. When we went out at Easter, the restaurant was closed and had been taken over by someone selling motor cycles! (probably just temporarily). We heard some stories about her business partner, which would be unappropriate of me to post here, but I guess it is true to say that Zeynos won't be around any more. I have been in touch with Zeyno by text regularly and she is well and spending time between her family in Mersin and in Istanbul. We are planning on visiting her in Istanbul this winter if all goes well. She will be a big miss for us in Kalkan. We became good friends and spent many times with her celebrating birthdays, anniversaries etc and always felt like home to us. Very sad.
Kim
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thanks for the update kim..we will miss her and her loveley grub..but we are glad she is o.k...at least we have a choice of other eateries to choose from...
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No no it wasnt the Ibo but thanks for the try felicity, wow arent the IBO toilets fab everyone must stop there to go to the loo. I said I wanted a job giving toilets a score, most kalkan ones would score high but how would you score Ibo 100/10. And yes that other one was right it is called the Arena, just so I know when you are all talking about them. Cheers.
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Just sitting with a cold Efes looking forward to our holidays next week whe we got to talking about what we miss, like you do.
My husband misses everything about his country, and just wants to smell the air, see nature, talk his language, see his family,
We then got talking about foood, and what we miss most, he cooks Turkish food at home most of the time anyway, but we both agreed we miss the chicken shish / lahmacun and pide at Oz Adana Restaurant. For those who haven't been it's near Sevil market on the other side of the road, typical Turkish lokanta, fresher food you can't find. They were only in Yesilkoy until last year.
It's more of a day time place, not a candles of the table roof terrace, but we love it. We order over the phone and they bring the food to our pool on the moped too!
That will be my lunch next Friday.
Happy Holidays everybody,
Regards
Linda
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I agree Linda, we only found it near the end of our holiday in October,but will definitely be having meals there. The food is fresh, plentiful and very reasonably priced. Not the greatest spot but you can't have everything.
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I would recommend people pay Ilyada a visit this summer. I ate there a few times during my recent holiday in Kalkan. It's in the harbour area next door to the Yacht Point bar. Bora (ex Meldi, Tekinberk, Kulube hotels) is now running it and he and the rest of the staff make you very welcome. The food which is italian influenced and the service were both excellent. The bar there is also really nice, the mojitos are well worth trying!
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And the sweets are exceptional - tried the tiramisu and cheesecake
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I agree Sue, the sweets at Ilyada are delicious.
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we have been coming to kalkan for 3 years now and dined in many restaurants but trio is easiley the best....
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have to agree with New Brand Media post - we thought Trio was great as well, If you are in Kalkan it is well worth a visit. Lovely menu - (the Mediterranean Lamb was gorgeous), nice view of harbour and fab bar - the cocktails were good as well. :)
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8)
I always on arrival from Dalaman hit Tomato in the main street to recover from flight.Next night Atlantis on Kalamar road for a steak! Also Sofra/Alternatif
Korsan fish . Then trout farms for lunch! So thats 4 days taken care of!
Lord Andrew ;D :)
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There really are so many restaurants to choose from but I too would endorse the Atlantis for food and friendly service, (my favourite dish is the stuffed aubergine)they have live Turkish music some nights too. I also love the Old Trading House, daphnes, Sofra (someone has already mentioned their fabulous chocolate cake) Coast, and Ibo''s. The sun terrace is also a favourite and they do lovely steaks. For cheaper options, Ali Baba does a good cheap menu and we sometimes end up here in the early hours of the morning after an efes or two for a bowl of steaming hot lentil soup and mountains of crusty bread.
P.S we went to mahmouds for lunch last september and whilst the food was fantastic we were plagued by wasps, were we just unlucky?
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Wasps? I hope you were unlucky, I am allergic to them (in my mind) so how about if someone puts that mind of mine at rest by telling me that in June there are no wasps about.
Over here, we don''t really see them until late summer and its September were they are irritable and more likely to sting. Ouch!! ;)
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re Wasps - swarms of them appeared as soon as our food arrived when we we went to one of the Islamar trout restaurants last year (July). We had to go inside to eat as one son has had severe reactions previously. The waiter was OK about it but obviously thought we were making a fuss about nothing. He said that Islamar is a natural place so you have to accept the wildlife. Apparently if you leave it until later in the evening they are less of a nuisance.
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we have seen wasps in kalkan...mostly they seem to drink from the edge of the swimming pools..they seem pretty laid back /half dead perhaps it''s the heat..if you see me dance you would think i was a man surrounded by wasps with jam on his head :D :D
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Hi Babadag,
yes the wasps appeared as soon as our food arrived. The waiter lit this smokey thing (sorry I don''t know what it was) but it did little to deter them. I too have a bad reaction to wasp stings so it made me quite nervous. My companions weren''t fazed though, they just kept swatting the wasps away, but I have to say it did affect my enjoyment of what was a superb lunch. Perhaps I am just a southern softie!
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Hey blue lizard, now that I have got to see!
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Prices at Barbaros Restaurant are lower this year and more ın keeping with those in town. Only used the Cafe part so far but the food is excellent.
Les
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Prices at Barbaros Restaurant are lower this year and more ın keeping with those in town. Only used the Cafe part so far but the food is excellent.
Les
excellent!!
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Hello! Just returned from my second holiday in Kalkan and I have to recommend the chicken dishes in Alternatif (all of them ;) ) and also Jasmine has excellent food!
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Our favourites year after year are The Olive Garden - Zetinlik on top of the Merkez cafe and Sofra. We try the others but end up always going back to these two. In winter sometimes Aubergine for their cozy fire.
Wasps in Islamlar, yes sometimes in the summer in the afternoon. Rare to get them around at night. We also go there frequently at night, must say I haven''t been bothered by wasps at all this year.
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Bearing in mind we look for restaurants at the lower end of the price scale, as i''ve said in the recommended restaurants discussion, Rami''s proved to be our best meal of the fortnight but only just !!!! All the other restaurants we used were certainly snapping at their heels. Les
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Why, when spending serious money on flights and accommodation go to restaurants "at the lower end of the price scale?!" - go to Zeki''s, Aubergine, Old Trading House, Aubergine, Sofra, Ibo, Kosk, then try somewhere new- Coast, Ivy, Trio, or old favourites - Ilban, Odak and be suspicious of those which might be "planting " reviews -Turkuaz?, Al Fresco?,and then try the wildcards - Kaptan''s, Adems....
Oh, I''m salivating ! night, night.
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Hi Alfaman, Firstly, Zeki''s is no more and Adems has moved 3kms out of town due to the high rent, he is now located next to his home, we have a card if you want details. Adem will send a car to fetch you and return you to your residence/hotel. On the,"lower price scale topic", all the restaurants do much the same meals and so we don''t see the point in paying top dollar for it when you can get it for much less, the meal is just as enjoyable. The other factor for us is that we have been looking at property to buy and so have tended to look more at restaurants that Turkish people would use and therefore we would too, were we resident !! It is a case of horses for courses, some people have a holiday spend budget, which is us, while others don''t, it is a case of each to their own. Les
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another point of view is if like us you rent a place with the facilities to cook etc why not do it!we do eat out but are just as happy to cook chicken/steak or prepare salad /fruit /cheeses etc...i too like to eat like the locals do.Ali Baba dos excellent guvec..plain no frills good wholesome food....we have done the rooftop thing for many years and still do when the mood takes us...we always take money to do as we like when we like but it dosn''t mean you have to go chucking it away when you aren''t particularly hungry...sometimes it''s just too hot to eat....little and often !! ;)
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cruisecontroller
and for those of you in a state of mild panic, zekis restaurant is certainly still in existence.
i often find that there is not much in the price between going to the lower end of the market and the upper end, alot of the time the price difference results as to what you drink and how much.
in terms of where the locals eat, most of them eat at home as the general prices around town have become so high its more a treat to eat out these days.
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Hi kalkankiki, I take it that Zeki has relocated, this being the case then I stand corrected. If I am not mistaken, Zeki was opposite Turquaz, and was all shut up whilst we were there, this being during the past two weeks. With Jon(Enjoykalkan) being out there at the moment, he could perhaps confirm this. What the Turkish do is much the same as what we do here and we would continue to do so should we move out to Turkey on a permanent basis. Les
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les..i think that was zeynos opposite turquaz...she has gone back to mersin, ;) her pavlova is mourned by my other half it was one of our old haunts when we do eat out..we missed her this year
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Kalkankiki, your restaurant price comment is spot on and delicately phrased. It is indeed unfortunate that many Kalkaners can no longer afford to live comfortably in their own village.
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Zeki is opposite the mosque and certainly was there last week when we were there. (Another lovely restaurant to be recommended)
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Hope Zeki''s is still there with Metin and Paula - opposite the mosque and Alternatif. As blue lizard says, it was Zeyno''s that was opposite Turkuaz on the cross street just up from Zeki''s. Would miss sticky toffee pudding if we ever reach a third course.
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Zeki''s definitely still there. Had dinner there a couple of weeks ago and saw Metin. Paula was in Fetiyhe, so we didn''t see her. Had a lovely meal and the best tarte au citron ever!
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You can get the best steak (and lamb chops) at AK Deniz. It''s only outside dining - with lovely views as the suns settles in the sky. Head down the stairs at the taxi rank to the two fruit and veg stalls and then just walk round the corner - it''s at the end. Warm and welcoming and very good prices, given the generally high cost of dining out in Kalkan. Far better quality and price than anything you''ll get in the UK. I''m told that even in the ex-pat community it''s totally rated. Enjoy!
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Thanks Trevor, we have been going to Kalkan for years and I didn''t know anything about this restaurant. Will give it a try next time we are there. Roll on June!
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Keep passimg by and saying we''ll try but haven''t yet. on list for 08
:laugh:
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Hi all..
This is ''''Orlando'''' from Ozalp resaurant. I wish everone a happy, successfull and healthy new year.
Unfortunately, i have lost all my contacts of friends, clients on my pc and i want to reach to everyone again who knows me. For those who want to get in touch, my e-mail is mecitcosar55@yahoo.com.
Regards
Orlando
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Hi Orlando, good to hear from you, hope you''re well. I heard that you weren''t going to be working this year at Ozalp, is that true? and if not were will you be?
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Hello and a happy new year to you too, Orlando!
Mr B and i were hoping to come to Ozalp again this summer to shake your hand and see your happy face welcome us...so let us know where you move to (if you do move) so we can find you again!!
Mr & Mrs B
a.k.a Su & Bill
(the very tall couple who usually holiday in Kalkan in June!!)
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Hi everyone, this is my list of best (favorite) restaurants.................
1. Doy Doy....excellent food, service and views.
2. Aubergine .....agin excellent food service and location.
3. Coast food very trendy, good service nice roof top location.
4. The trading house great location, good food and fab. music
5. Sofra fab. food, roof top location.
6. The Ivy, good food, excellent service great location.
7. Kaptain, good food excellent service views to die for.
8. Korsan kebab, excellent for breakfast & lunch, excellent service views agin to die for.
9. Ibo, roof location good food and service.
10. Deli Deli great for lunch & breakfast.
11. Ottomans great food, good service roof location you can chill downstairs after dinner.
Can''t wait to go back 20th March first night always go to Doy Doy.......best wishes to all.
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LOL...if you are going for a fortnight..that leaves you 3 nights spare? :D :D
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Would you believe I''m only going for a week at Easter......what''s a girl to do LOL. X
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Lunch and dinner and then diet when you come home..!! ;D ;D
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Lolly,
When in Kalkan last week Doy Doy was having a complete refurbishment and will apparently have an outside bar this season. This is following the trend of the other restaurants of course. I am slightly troubled to hear they are going to increase the number of tables outside too, I thought the terrace a little crowded already.
Perhaps that''s the price of success!
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We took the advice of a couple of members when we were enjoying the sun at Easter. We drove out to Adems with our new neighbours and had the most wonderful Sunday lunch. What a wonderful view from his new place it was so peaceful and his hospitality was fantastic. He showed his veg plots and gave us some of his growing herbs just wonderful. Our friend had some Sea bream which adems brother had caught out in the bay. His wife had just had a baby aswell so we had to have a drink to celebrate
So thanks for the advice,will let him pick us up in May so we can all have a drinky or two.
Bevjam
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Adems is definitely on my list for June. The other restaurants we haven''t tried which we intend to are:
Maya, Doy Doy, Ak Deniz and the Marina. Does anyone have any thoughts on these? We always go to the following:
Alternatif Atlantis - good food and great hospitality.
Ibo - Love the Albanian liver and deep fried carrots. (oh and the toilets!)
The Old Trading House - fab food, great setting.
The Merkez - mainly for lunch, lovely Turkish pan ommelette.
Lykia - extensive menu, beautiful linen and cutlery etc.
Daphnes - used to be my favourite but I feel the menu needs updating and it has gone a bit "tacky" Haven''t been for a while so I may be wrong.
Coast - Excellent Thai curry and gorgeous salads.
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Korsan marina is my favourite - the mezze are to die for!
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:-X
Sorry to say, however, the best food I''''''''ve tasted in Kalkan (and I''''''''ve tried most) is cooked on the barbecue at the villa, especially when we have the maestro (Tekin-Yali bar) and his wife as guests, lending a hand.
Until the "so called chefs" of which there are probably 150 by now realise they are serving badly cooked and badly presented "European Food" and go back to the real Turkish Cuisine we are not going to be delighted with any of the restaurants in Kalkan, especially at the price they are now asking. It seems that a failing restaurant increases the prices to compensate for the lack of customers. When will the indigenous Kalkanites learn that the way to be successfull is not to open another restaurant? Simply by improving their offerring and serving good food at a reasonable price will help towards their success. I blame ourselves (as English tourists) for accepting the low standards and yet still willing to pay the high prices demanded. For those of who both live and visit Kalkan regularly isn''''''''t it about time we were truthfull with ourselves and accept for the most part the food is at best average at a "Turkish Michellin Star Price"
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Hi Kensarrived
I totally agree why can Kalkan not have restaurants like Bahçe which is situated in Kas wonderful Turkish food. Karlan''''''''''''''''s restaurants are of average quality and over priced ran by chefs with over inflated ego''''''''''''''''s.
We do not go for the food, as I have stated before, we love the Turkish people and the way of life we have been going for 20 years and will continue going, however, not for the food currently being dished up in Kalkan
EnjoyKalkan - Post Moderation
Reason: Reply to self
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Well said Kas and Datca are far superior for food.
We love Kalkan not for the food but for the hospitality of the the Turkish people and the way of life.
I have said this before the food is not wonderful it is mediocre.
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Im sorry, but ,I cant believe the last post totally shooting down the eating places in kalkan,why put down the chefs (150 ?) saying they have inflated egos,dont forget ,they dont claim to be the gordon ramsays of kalkan,they are trying to make a living as are the people they work for,I have eaten at most places in kalkan, from cheap to (for turkey )exspensive,I have never had a bad meal in kalkan,the service,attention,and the meals have been very good.If you were to eat in the uk in those settings with that service you would pay a fortune !!!!!! dont forget its kalkan ,not london .
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I agree Fidimax I too have eaten at many restaurants In Kalkan and have never had a bad meal and the service is always with a smile which is more than I can say for the UK at times!!
Perhaps I haven''t eaten at the same places that Kensarrived has eaten but Kalkan can certainly give my local restaurants a run for their money and its usually cheaper than here.
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Come and eat in Durham Newcastle or Yarm The restaurants in your words "need shooting down" they are over estimated and over priced!
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The pump house isnt bad,If its good enough for bobby robson its good enough for me ;D
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Maybe I''m missing something, but why is kensarrived replying to kensarrived? ???
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Apologies John. my wife unfortunately added comment whilst I was logged on. It would have been a pretty stupid attempt to try and back up my own comment as noticed by Jinfizz, since each has it''s own signature.
I certainly seem to have whipped up a storm of protest. Let me try to frame my comments better. We have been coming to Kalkan for some time now (20+ years to Turkey), during this period we have seen numbers of visitors decline and local businesses suffer through lack of custom, including the many restaurants trying to establish themselves in Kalkan. There are too many restaurants and too few customers for everyone to make a successful business. I have witnessed many empty restaurants and their attempts to attract customers. It stands to reason that a restaurant that does not have a continuous flow of customers cannot provide fresh, quality food at a reasonable price. The list of restaurants that is reccommended by subscribers to this forum is quite small, understandably so. Kalkan cannot support the number of restaurants currently open. They are all fighting for a shrinking number of visitors and are contributing to their own downfall. While this is extremely sad, it is a reality that they can''t ignore. We can protest as much as we like on this forum, however it will not change the fortunes of the many failing restaurants and no doubt the many that will open to replace those that have been forced to close because of lack of custom.
As a final comment, my blackened barbecue chicken has become a delicacy much enjoyed by the local dogs we feed on a regular basis.
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I do not understand why Kensarrived posts are under moderation. Are we not allowed to criticise anything about Kalkan? Whilst I love Kalkan I do realise that it is not Utopia.
Whilst I have eaten some wonderful meals in Kalkan that would rival anything I have eaten world wide I have also had some very, very mediocre meals. I don''t want to name them as I feel it is not fair to the places concerned as they may well have a different/better chef this coming season.
The good meals that I have had have also been extraordinarily good value - apart from the price of wine in the restaurants. Turkish wine is OK but not worth the mark up they place upon it.
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Sally I agree with you. The wine certainly bumps any bill up in the restaurants and isn''t that great. We''ve noticed the difference in price when we don''t have wine with ameal. I have to sat Kenasarrived that we had some lovely food at Easter. Adems was great with fresh Sea Bream, I had wonderful Swordfish in Trio and great lamb in Aubergine, plus the service is a lot better than in msot UK cities. .
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Bev, the service is second to none.
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That really is some claim that all 150 chefs in Kalkan serve badly cooked and badly presented food. Have to say that in about 11 years of visiting Kalkan I must just always be lucky not to have come across all of them ::) It is maybe not gourmet heaven everywhere but simply cannot agree that they are all bad.
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I''m really shocked that the quality of the food served in Kalkan restaurants has been critisised in some of these posts. In fact most of the visitors that stay in our apartment rave about the food and it is often the reason they return each year. To say it is mediocre is harsh in the exreme.
Personally, whilst I love traditional Turkish food, I would get bored of eating it night after night and really enjoy the variety the menus in the restaurants on offer in Kalkan. I agree there are too many for the number of visitors and yes they have become pricier over the years but nothing like what is charged at many of the other european resorts, especially those offering the same sort of views/ambience and quality of service.
I was lucky enough to eat at Gordon Ramsey''s restaurant at Claridges a few weeks ago and I have to say, whilst it was a lovely experience, the food was certainly no better than many of the meals I have enjoyed in Kalkan and at a price that would make you choke on your Efes!
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Well Ken, we certainly know you''ve arrived!!! :)
I don''t know if you meant to be quite as harsh as your post suggests but you are perfectly entitled to your opinion. A lot of EK forum members love eating out in Kalkan, enjoy the food, don''t mind paying a bit more than other Turkish resorts because we enjoy the whole experience that is Kalkan''s restaurant scene. I personally don''t think every single chef in Kalkan has an inflated ego and serves mediocre food and making such sweeping statements is offensive - not only to the many hardworking excellent chefs who ply their trade there, but to the many forum members who rate them highly.....IMHO, of course.
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When on holiday you should eat at all the best places as you do not go on holiday to save money, though obviously if you have children this may be different. For those of us that live here it is more a treat, well for me it is. If you want to eat traditional you can try kokoreç, for those not familiar with this delicacy it is sheep''s/goats inners roasted and served on bread with salad chillies and water cost 2 lira and up. You can accompany this with ayran and çay. The finest place to eat is Akbel, though a bit of Turkish is recommended it is not compulsory as at least one person somewhere up there speaks English and a little Turlish. In Kalkan the little burger bar is ace cheap quick and friendly as is the Istanbul pide and the one that has appeared under the butchers you can also buy beer from the shop at 2 lira and drink it next door at Ilka''s shop for free. For more advice on eating and drinking please feel free to ask.
Affiette olsun
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I.M.H.O I feel the food in Kalkan is super and the choice is great, however I think it is so much more than the food, it is the service, the little extra''s, the table ware, the ambience, the views, Ok so it is a little more expensive than some resorts but not by a huge amount and I feel it is of better quality, I am sure whilst we are in the other resorts in Turkey this year my husband will be saying lovely but not as good as Kalkan.
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Feds..i think if wild cougars did drag you in there..you might possibly be on the menu... ;D
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I would also add that in addition to the food, service and ambience in general we''ve ended up chatting on many occassions to the people on the table(s) next to us and picked up their tips for places to eat, visit, stay etc and their reasons for visiting Kalkan.
I would suggest that most of us do not choose Kalkan as a "cheap" place to eat although it can cater for all tastes and budgets. I consider that I get value for money, good, sometimes excellent food and service second to none and if I look up I get the stars for free!!
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The burger bar has a döner kebap machine that they serve in half size loaves with any thing you want so please don''t knock what you may not have tried. Do you eat the Muşmallah or first worts as they are known here they are perfect now not to ripe and free.
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Hoca,
You''ve brought back a vivid memory from last Spring when we were looking round for a home and we came across a lovely old man who was picking the fruit. He gave us one to try and they were so delicious he ended up giving us handfuls, you''re right some things are a revelation.I was trying to remember what they were called and you''ve just broken the spell
BJ
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Hi Hoca
Can you tell me where the burger bar and the Istanbul pide etc are located.?
Although I loved the food in nearly all the restaurants we visited last year, we often wanted something quick, easy and cheap(er) -We felt that Kalkan didn''t offer this (or at least hide it well).
A Doner or even a burger made of wild cougars and feds is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks
BF
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The burger place is on the roundabout near the taxi rank.
We had a chicken doner when we were over in February and it was delish.
I agree with you about sometimes wanting something lighter or snackier when you''re away - sometimes you don''t want a 3 course meal.
I know not everyone likes burgers (myself included), but the kebabs were very tasty, fresh and cheap!
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I think Omars Kitchen are doing kebabs now.
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Is this Burger bar new? I know it has been said it''s on the round about near the taxi rank but I just can''t visualise it.
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i think it''s in the parade of shops opposite the butchers and in between the garden center corner..i seem to recall little chairs outside last year....
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Nor me either
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Yes I remember the stall last year it was popular with the locals. I am out this week so might try it and report back
Cheers Doug
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Yes the burger bar is indeed on the roundabout by the taxi rank - and so is the Istanbul Pide - the burger bar is sort of where the old Ipragaz shop used to be - that whole little parade now has a new lovely butcher and the burger bar and then the Sunny rent a car and the Istanbul pide!!
Cheers!
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Thanks Felicity, now I know where it is.
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I''m surprised no one has mentioned the Öz Adana Restaurant. Its situated up the side street by Tesko supermarket. It serves traditional turkish pide and kebabs at VERY reasonable prices. The decor leaves a lot to be desired but the locals eat there regularly. They also do a home delivery service.
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Are there any bridge players in kalkan for a friendly game - i''m on my own so would need to partner someone Have been playing for years but just looking for a friendly game - not too high a level.
Pauline
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There is a nice kebap house opening next to the now shut coast, the chief is a fine doner maker, have sat many a night in another place watching him make them up.
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Hi Christine, Oz Adana was mentioned in another thread about kebabs...I was looking for Fred''s Place as we couldn''t find it anywhere last year when my BH was looking for a kebab....he had to wait till we got to Fethiye for a nice cheap authentic kebab...looks like this year he won''t have to travel so far.
Hoca has Coast closed for good?? We loved that restaurant :(
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Agree with TurkeyFan - we went to FastBurger on the roundabout a few times the chicken kebab was delish and 5 lira for 2 !! a great snack!
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Hi,
Thought I would lock this thread as it could grow out of control and make it difficult for people to follow. Perhaps we could start a new thread per restaurant name just to make things easier to find
Thanks
Jon :D