Meşhur Tavacı Recep Usta

One of the best restaurants in İzmir. Top-​notch location, ambiance, food, and service.
All main courses come with a procession of sides: appetizers like their içli köfte (little wrapped meatballs), warm poofy bread, better salad than anywhere else in town, ice-​cream-​and-​pie dessert, and of course çay (tea) or coffee (often including the option of a regional coffee). The two-​person lamb-​and-​rice dinner is particularly well-​executed.
The seaside location can’t be beat in İzmir. After-​dinner strolls down the waterfront Kordon are lovely. The restaurant is beautiful inside, too: hanging lanterns, soft light (so rare in this town), with the outside a garden and the inside a (rare-​for-​İzmir) old house. No intrusive music.

This was our last meal in Turkey and I have to say it was our best Turkish meal on our 10 day trip. Everything we ordered was good and the services was top notch. The food came out a little too quickly, felt the need to eat really fast. Other then that the restaurant is well design with a lovely ambiance. Highly recommend anyone visiting Izmir to check it out. The meal was also very affordable.

Right on Alsancak’s waterfront. Dinner came with complementary spinach salad, poofy bread, stuffed eggplant, and at the end of our meal, complimentary Turkish desserts. The main course was very good — the lamb had been recommended to us by a friend. It was perfectly tender and flavorful. We ate outdoors where the atmosphere was warm and inviting, strung with lanterns. A glass of wine was 15 tl, most entrees were about 30 — 80 TL. Reservations recommended. Worth the visit, even for yabancilar (foreigners) like us.