What to Eat in Fethiye: A Local Food Guide

In short: don’t leave Fethiye without trying gözleme, thin hand-rolled flatbread cooked on a griddle at the weekly markets, and a balık ekmek (fish sandwich) by the harbour. Add fresh fish from the fish market, a plate of pide or köfte at a simple local restaurant, and trout by a mountain stream near Saklıkent.

Last checked: 9 November 2026

Gözleme at the market

Gözleme is a thin dough rolled out by hand, filled with cheese and spinach, potato or minced meat, folded and cooked on a large round griddle. At the markets, women roll and cook it in front of you, and you eat it at small tables with a glass of cold ayran (salty yoghurt drink). Bazlama, a soft, thick village bread from the same griddle, is delicious warm.

• Tuesday and Friday: the markets in Fethiye town centre. See the Tuesday market guide.
• Sunday: the Çalış market, with gözleme and bazlama. See Çalış Beach.

Balık ekmek by the harbour

A grilled fish fillet in fresh bread with onion and salad: simple and very good. Along the Fethiye seafront, small boats moored by the promenade and kiosks near the harbour serve balık ekmek, and on some boats you can sit on deck while you eat.

The fish market

At the Fethiye fish market you choose your fish at the stalls in the middle, and the restaurants around them cook it for you with salad and bread. It is lively in the evenings and a favourite with visitors. Read more in our Fethiye guide.

More dishes to try

• Pide: boat-shaped flatbread baked with cheese, minced meat or egg; a good, filling lunch.
• Köfte: grilled meatballs, usually with salad, bread and grilled peppers; popular with children too.
• Ready food (esnaf lokantası): simple restaurants where you choose from trays of home-style dishes such as stews, beans and rice; this is where many local people eat at lunchtime.
• Trout: at the restaurants by the cold streams around Saklıkent and Yakapark. See Saklıkent Gorge.
• Turkish breakfast: cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, honey and fresh bread, with plenty of tea.
• Seasonal fruit: figs in late summer, pomegranates and citrus fruit in autumn and winter, all at the weekly markets.

What real travellers say

• “The market gözleme was the best thing I ate.” Many visitors mention the generous portions and watching it being made.
• “Eat where the locals eat.” Simple lokantas away from the busiest streets are often the best value.
• “Try the fish market once.” A lively, fun evening, especially with a group.

Summarised in our own words from holidaymaker reviews and local food guides. We don’t list prices because they change often.

Sources we checked (November 2026): Living the Turkish Dream: The best pancakes in Fethiye · Turkey's For Life: Seçkin Lokantası Fethiye · Lonely Planet: Fethiye restaurants · Runaway Juno: Flavours of Turkish cuisine in Fethiye

Fethiye food: questions

Header photo: vegetables at the Fethiye market, by a Fethiye local, used with permission