Izmir & Aegean Food
Izmir and the Aegean coast are Turkey’s lighter, olive-oil table — zeytinyağlı vegetable dishes, fresh fish and seafood meze, herbs and greens, the street snacks boyoz and gevrek, and the whitewashed food towns of Alaçatı and Çeşme — with the ruins of Ephesus close by. This is our Izmir hub. Browse the experiences below and read our notes.
Top food experiences in Izmir and the Aegean
What to do: eat your way through the Kemeraltı bazaar, try Izmir’s own breakfast snacks (boyoz pastry and gevrek, the local simit), and take a day to Alaçatı and Çeşme for herb-forward Aegean cooking and sea urchin and seafood meze.
What to eat: zeytinyağlı (olive-oil vegetable dishes), fresh fish, kumru and söğüş sandwiches, and Aegean herbs like şevketi bostan.
Read next: What to Eat in Izmir.
The Aegean table
If Istanbul is rich and meaty, Izmir is bright and green. This is olive-oil country, and the Aegean kitchen is built on zeytinyağlılar — vegetables such as artichokes, green beans and stuffed vine leaves cooked slowly in good olive oil and eaten cool — alongside wild herbs and greens (ot), fresh fish and seafood meze. Start in the Kemeraltı bazaar, the old market at the heart of the city, and eat like a local: boyoz, a flaky pastry brought by Sephardic Jews, and gevrek, Izmir’s sesame ring, for breakfast; kumru and söğüş sandwiches for lunch.
Alaçatı, Çeşme and Ephesus
An hour west, the whitewashed town of Alaçatı and the resort of Çeşme are the Aegean’s food darlings — herb-forward cooking, sea-urchin and seafood meze, and long lunches by the water. To the south, the great Roman city of Ephesus makes the region an easy pairing of ruins and the table. It’s a lighter, sunnier side of Turkish food, and a natural add-on to an Aegean coast trip.
FAQ about Izmir & Aegean Food
Frequently asked questions
What food is Izmir known for?
The lighter Aegean table — olive-oil vegetable dishes (zeytinyağlılar), fresh fish and seafood meze, wild herbs and greens, and street snacks like boyoz pastry and gevrek (the local sesame ring).
What should I eat in the Kemeraltı bazaar?
Breakfast on boyoz and gevrek, grab a kumru or söğüş sandwich, and browse the olives, cheeses and spices of Izmir's historic market.
Is Alaçatı worth it for food?
Yes — Alaçatı and nearby Çeşme are the Aegean's food hotspots, known for herb-forward cooking, seafood meze and long waterside lunches, an easy day trip from Izmir.