Eat in Bursa

The question isn’t so much about where to eat in Bursa since there’s a café on every corner serving its variation of the local fare.  More so, the question is what to eat in Bursa.  So, with that in mind, here’s a list of local eats you’ll want to try when you’re in town…

• Īskender. Īskender kebab is Bursa’s signature dish.  Tender slices of lamb roast on a bed of flat bread, topped with tomatoes and peppers, drizzled with butter, and served with a side of sour yogurt.  Probably the most famous place for Īskender is the restaurant on Ünlü Caddesi.
  

  A typical Turkish breakfast

• Kebab. Adana kebab meat is spicy; Urfa kebab is not.  Çiğer kebab is lamb liver.  Chicken kebab is available, too.  Izgaras (grills) all over town serve these.
• Dürüm. Wrap a kebab in a soft flatbread with peppers and tomatoes, and you have a dürüm.
• Köfte. Flat grilled meatballs, usually served with tomatoes and peppers.  The town of Īnegöl is famous for its köfte, but good köfte can be found in lots of places.
• Çiğ köfte. Historically made mostly of raw meat, çiğ köfte is now made of bulgur and spices.  Can be eaten plain or as a dürüm with cabbage, pickles, and pomegranate sauce.
• Döner. Shaved lamb meat, often served on a pita or tortilla.  Can also be served on a sandwich as a tombik or atom.
• Soup (çorba). Soup is my go to lunch—it’s cheap and tasty.  Mercimek is classic lentil soup.  Ezogelin is a spicy version of mercimek.  Yayla is a creamy soup made of rice, yogurt, egg, and greens.  Tavuk suyu is chicken soup, usually creamy.  Domates çorbası is your standard tomato soup.  Tarhana is a creamy mix of wheat, yogurt, and vegetables.   Īşkembe’s key ingredient is tripe (stomach lining).   Kelle paça is made from sheep’s head and knuckle meat.  Soup restaurants abound in Bursa.
• Turkish village breakfast (köy kahvaltısı). This is my family’s absolute favorite meal.  Every place has its own variation on the village breakfast, but it generally consists of olives, tomatoes, peppers, eggs, meat, bread, honey, jam, fruit, and fried pastries.
  

  An excellent plate of köfte

• Ev yemekleri. Ev yemekleri translates “home foods.”  These are casseroles and stews consisting of outstanding combinations of meats, beans, potatoes, and vegetables.  My favorites are those that include eggplant.
• Börek. Fried or baked pastries, either layered or rolled, usually containing cheese, meat, or potato.
• Kokoreç. Sheep intestine stuffed with meat, peppers, and spices and slow cooked over a grill.  Chopped and served on a soft tortilla.  Don’t judge a food by its ingredient list—good kokoreç is outstanding.
• Pide/cantık/lahmacun. These are Turkish variations on pizza.  Pide is thick and big, cantık is thick and small, and lahmacun is thin.  Made with cheese and various kinds of meat.
• Tost. This is a grilled sandwich made of meat and cheese or just plain old cheese.
• Gözleme. This is a folded soft tortilla stuffed with cheese, potatoes, or meat and grilled on a flattop.
• Simit. This is the ubiquitous bagel-like round bread.  Served as a snack on nearly every corner.
• Peaches. Bursa’s peaches are regionally famous. Buy them fresh in the fruit bazaars in August and September.
• Kestane şekeri. Bursa is famous for its candied chestnuts.  Served plain, chocolate covered, in cakes, in fudges, and in many other variations.  Try kestane at least once.  Kafkas is perhaps the most famous purveyor of kestane.
• Kemalpaşa dessert. Village cheese balls baked with flour and eggs.
• Sutlaç. A milky sweet pudding baked in a tin and served cold.
• Local variations on cakes, cookies, and baklava can be found at bakeries everywhere.
• Ayran. This is the traditional salty and sour yogurt drink.  Goes perfectly with köfte, kebab, kokoreç, and pide.

Recommendations:

Looking for a good place to eat in Bursa?  There are good local food joints everywhere.  But, here are a few suggestions that come to mind.  We only recommend places that we’ve personally eaten at and had good experiences.  Keep in mind that these are personal recommendations, not advertisements—we don’t get paid for these.  AND, this list is certainly not exhaustive.  As always, we suggest that you double check our recommendations against your favorite review site, such as TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc.  As we get out more and try more places, this list will likely grow, so check back every now and then.

Köfteci Yusuf.  A chain of stores specializing in köfte by the kilo.  Not the best köfte in the world, but an overall great dining experience.  Good local food, fast and cheap.  There’s one near Müradiye, one on Yeni Yalova Road toward the bus station, one on Īzmir Road out toward Görükle, one in Gemlik, and one next to the Karaman metro station.

A bottle of locally produced cola

Divan Lokantası.  Across the street from Kent Meydanı mall.  Excellent ev yemekleri (home foods).

Aşfırın.  Excellent pide (Turkish pizza).  Between Kent Meydanı mall and Osmangazi Station.  Has a nice courtyard in the back.

Simit Sarayı.  A restaurant chain serving tea, coffee, pastries, breads, and more.  The one at Setbaşı bridge is especially nice—look for a table streamside beneath the bridge.

Dürümcü.  There are a few of these around town, with one located at Setbaşı bridge.  A good place for a dürüm (kebab wrapped in a tortilla).

Derya.  This is the home of good soup.  I am a huge fan of Turkish soup, and Derya’s soups are among the best.  A few locations around town, with one located near the Yıldırım Mosque complex and one on F.S.M. Boulevard in Nilüfer.

Özsüt.  A chain of stores selling coffee, tea, cakes, and breakfast plates.  Located downtown at Kent Meydanı and elsewhere throughout the city.

Hünkar Köşkü.  Located on the peaceful grounds of the Hünkar Köşkü Museum on the mountainside overlooking the city center, the restaurant here offers excellent traditional breakfasts as well as grilled lunch and dinner fare.  Very nice view.

(Almost) anywhere in Cumalıkızık.  If you’re wanting a good traditional village breakfast in a quaint traditional village, head for Cumalıkızık and have breakfast at any one of the many breakfast houses.  Pick one—you really can’t go wrong!

Īskender

Hünkar Café.  If you’re at Yeşil and you find yourself hungry, the Hünkar Café is a good place for traditional fare, including Īskender.  Get a table by the window for a nice view.

Patila Fast Food.  A wide variety of sandwiches and other finger foods from a Turkish perspective.  A large green garden out back.  Located on Ressam Şefik Bursalı Caddesi, a block up from Atatürk Caddesi.  Another one is located on Fevzi Çakmak between Şehreküstü and Kent Meydanı.

Café Siesta.  A nice little coffee shop on a quiet pedestrian street.  Located on the pedestrian mall (Albay Bekir Sami Cd.) one block south of Atatürk Caddesi.

Īskender.  The Īskender place on Ünlü Caddesi is famous for its namesake speciality.

Arap Şükrü.  For fresh fish and a lively, delightful cultural experience, try any one of the fish restaurants on the Arap Şükrü alley just off of Altıparmak Avenue.  Best for dinner.