Tavacı Recep Usta Alsancak - İzmir — Restaurant in Konak

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Tavacı Recep Usta in Alsancak, İzmir, and it was an absolute delight. From the moment I walked in, I was warmly welcomed and felt a genuine sense of hospitality. The restaurant has a cozy and inviting atmosphere that made me feel right at home. As a lover of Turkish cuisine, I was thrilled with the authentic flavors and culinary experience they provided. The Adana kebab was a standout dish for me, with its tender meat and perfectly balanced spices. The Kaburga Dolma, stuffed lamb ribs, were a true revelation, with their succulent meat and flavorful filling. The Karışık Saç Tava, a mixed grill platter, was a carnivore's dream, with an assortment of grilled meats that were cooked to perfection. The service was truly exceptional, especially thanks to Cetin, who not only provided attentive and friendly service but also went above and beyond by continuously bringing complimentary food to our table and taking care of us to a degree that I have never experienced in any other restaurant. This gesture made the entire dining experience even more special and memorable. Tavacı Recep Usta is a place that not only captures the essence of Turkish cuisine and culture but also excels in providing outstanding service. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an unforgettable culinary...

Dined here earlier this evening after a few recommendations, I can easily say it was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. The service was disappointing and painful watching the staff just stand around sulking and chatting instead of serving customers. There were issues with the food and they arrived at different times. By the time everything arrived the first dish was cold. It was shocking to see a restaurant with such high reviews and Michelin stars had such a disorganised customer service and kitchen organisation. The food was mediocre at best, I didn’t even eat my food as there was a long hair inside the lamb shish meat. Even before I discovered the hair in my food I was suspicious of its appearance as it was extremely pale in colour, which is very unusual for a lamb dish. I suspect it was not cooked properly. They took my dish away and offered to redo it or replace it but at that point I was no longer willing to eat anything from there. They never once apologised for the hair in the food, never even acknowledged that we were sat waiting for half of our food to arrive for over 40 minutes. All in all it was a horrible experience and I would definitely not be returning. I had high expectations of such a highly respected franchise but was left extremely...

We are staying in Izmir for a few days, and asked the taxi driver for a good recommendation. He said that the 'Meşhur Tavacı Recepusta' is a very popular place.

We were greeted warmly and immediately got a table for 4 people without problems, the waiter brought us some water as we chose the food. They only had 'Izgara (grilled meat), Pide (thin bread), Soup and Tava (meat, wok)', but it was no problem for us- we are a turkish family from Germany who frequently eat great traditional dishes, but we were still amazed by how good the food tasted. For starters everybody got salad, and we were also brought' Çay' (black tea) and amazing dessert, ice cream and baklava without even asking for it. The waiters were friendly, took good care of us and were clean and fast.

Yes, compared to other places it is a little on the pricier side, but it's definitely worth it if you want to try tasty, turkish food. Very nice restaurant, we strongly recommend it for every tourist, especially because of the pretty Ambiente in front of the sea.

10/10

PS. Lots of meat. Maybe not the best option for...