Turkish Meze and Grill Guide: What to Order

A Turkish menu can look long and unfamiliar on a first visit, but the logic behind it is simple. Small plates come first and are shared, the grill follows, and the evening moves at an easy pace in between. This Turkish meze guide explains what you are likely to see, what to order at a Turkish restaurant, and how to enjoy the meal the way locals do.

What meze are

Meze are small dishes served at the start of a meal, placed in the center of the table for everyone to share. They are not quite starters in the Western sense. At many Turkish tables, meze are a stage of the evening in their own right, eaten slowly with bread, conversation and often a drink.

They fall broadly into two groups:

• Cold meze, which are prepared in advance and often built around yogurt, olive oil, vegetables and herbs.
• Warm starters, known in Turkish as ara sıcak, which come out of the kitchen hot, usually between the cold meze and the main course.

Menus vary a great deal from one restaurant to the next, and many kitchens bring their own ideas to the tradition. The dishes below are general examples of what you might find at Turkish tables, not a description of any single menu.

Cold meze to look for

The list of cold dishes could fill pages, but a handful of classics are worth knowing by name.

• Haydari. Thick strained yogurt mixed with garlic and herbs such as dill or mint. Creamy and cooling, it pairs well with spicier dishes.
• Cacık. A looser yogurt dish with cucumber and garlic, often finished with herbs and a little olive oil.
• Ezme. A finely chopped, gently spicy mix of tomato, pepper, onion and parsley, often sharpened with pomegranate molasses.
• Smoked eggplant. Eggplant charred over a flame, then mashed or chopped and dressed, sometimes with yogurt, sometimes with olive oil and lemon.
• Olive oil dishes. Known as zeytinyağlı, these are vegetables such as green beans or artichokes slowly cooked in olive oil and served cool.
• Stuffed vine leaves. Vine leaves rolled around seasoned rice, served cold with a squeeze of lemon.
• Charred peppers with yogurt. Peppers blistered over heat and served with yogurt, a simple pairing of smoke and freshness.

A good cold spread usually balances these flavors: something creamy, something sharp, something smoky and something fresh.

Warm starters

Once the cold plates are on the table, warm dishes often follow. They tend to be richer and are best ordered in small numbers so they arrive hot and are eaten quickly.

• Sigara böreği. Thin pastry rolled around white cheese and fried until crisp. The name refers to its cigar-like shape.
• İçli köfte. A shell of bulgur wheat filled with spiced minced meat and nuts, then fried.
• Seafood dishes. Depending on the kitchen, you may see options such as fried calamari or shrimp baked in a small clay dish.

Warm starters are the point in the meal where it is easy to over-order. Two or three for a table is often plenty before the grill.

The grill: Adana kebab and other classics

Grilled meat is at the heart of many Turkish dinners, and a few dishes appear again and again.

Adana kebab

Adana kebab takes its name from the city of Adana in southern Turkey. Minced lamb is mixed with fat and red pepper, pressed by hand onto a wide, flat metal skewer and cooked over charcoal. The result is juicy, smoky and usually spicy. It is typically served with flatbread, grilled tomatoes and peppers, and an onion salad seasoned with sumac and parsley.

If you prefer less heat, many restaurants that serve Adana kebab also offer Urfa kebab, a similar preparation that is milder.

Other grill favorites

• Şiş kebab. Cubes of marinated meat threaded onto skewers and grilled. Chicken versions are called tavuk şiş.
• Köfte. Grilled meatballs or patties, seasoned with onion and spices.
• Lamb chops. Known as pirzola, usually grilled simply and served with lemon.

A useful approach for a group is to order a couple of different grills and share them, the same way you shared the meze.

How to share and pace the evening

Knowing what to order at a Turkish restaurant is only half the picture. The other half is pacing.

1. Start small. Order a few cold meze for the table. You can always add more.
2. Add warm dishes later. Let the cold plates settle before the hot ones arrive.
3. Watch the bread. It is tempting with dips, but too much will leave little room for the grill.
4. Share the mains. Grilled dishes are often placed in the middle, with everyone helping themselves.
5. Leave space for the end. Many meals finish with Turkish tea or Turkish coffee, which signals that the evening is winding down.
6. Ask your server. If you are unsure how much to order for your group, a server can usually suggest a sensible number of plates.

Above all, do not rush. A Turkish dinner is meant to last, and the table often stays full of conversation long after the last plate.

For more about the customs around the table, from asking for the bill to tipping, see our guide to dinner with a view for first-time visitors.

Drinks with meze and grills

Several drinks are traditionally paired with this kind of meal.

• Rakı. An anise-flavored spirit, usually mixed with cold water, which turns it milky white. It is the classic companion to a long meze table.
• Ayran. A salted yogurt drink, cool and slightly tangy. It is a favorite alongside kebab, especially spicy ones.
• Şalgam. A deep purple, fermented drink made with black carrot, often served with Adana kebab. It can be ordered mild or spicy, and it is an acquired taste for many visitors.
• Wine and cocktails. Many restaurants also offer wine and cocktails, which can work well with the bright, herby flavors of meze.

If you are exploring the area for dinner and drinks, our guide to where to eat in Etiler and Ulus looks at the neighborhood by the kind of evening you want.

At 7 Hills

7 Hills, inside Ulus Park, describes itself as a 360° panoramic restaurant in Istanbul, with a menu that draws on world cuisine. Among its dishes are meze, charred peppers with yogurt and Adana kebab, served in a floor-to-ceiling glass dining room that looks over the Bosphorus and the 15 July Martyrs Bridge. Afterward, the cocktail bar is there for the rest of the evening. You can see the current menu before you visit.

To book a table, call +90 533 373 91 34 or send a message on WhatsApp.