Pablito — Restaurant in Muratpaşa

A Totally Unfiltered, Deliciously Honest, and Emoji-Infused Tale from the Land of Pablito

So picture this: I land in sun-soaked Antalya for the first time in five years ☀️✈️—a nostalgic mission to reconnect with past bites, beach breezes, and that one mysterious cat I met in Kaleiçi. And lo and behold, like a loyal flavor guardian of my memories, Pablito is still standing tall at the Akra Hotel, looking better than ever.

I strutted in with the confidence of a returning food conqueror and a very empty stomach. The vibes? Immaculate. Cool air-conditioning inside for the civilized folk, and Seaview seating outside for the romantic sunset chasers—I chose both. Alternated between my soup and the salty breeze like I was in a Netflix food documentary.

Now let’s talk about the menu— Honestly, it reads like an international food passport with stamps from Mexico, Italy, the US, and some divine dessert dimension. I ordered like I was prepping for hibernation: • Fajitas that arrived sizzling like a DJ set at a beach party 🔥 • Chicken steak with chips that gave me immediate “comfort food hug” energy • Nachos Grande—because we don’t do “nachos pequeno” around here • Chicken and mushroom pasta? Creamy, dreamy, and honestly maybe just whispered “ciao bella” as I ate • And for dessert? Honey & peanut ice cream + molten chocolate cake = an out-of-body experience The peanut and honey one should be illegal in 32 countries. Just saying.

Let’s talk service The staff? Absolute angels in aprons. I swear one of them caught my falling fork mid-air like a culinary ninja. You blink, and there’s water refilled. You shift in your chair? Someone checks if you’re cold. You even think about dessert? Boom, they’re recommending pairings like it’s a fine wine tasting. They had eyes like hawks—but in the “grandma who loves you too much” kind of way.

The wait time? Practically nonexistent. I ordered, blinked, took a sip of water, and boom—steamy, perfect plates arrived. I was almost suspicious. Are they psychic? Are they time travelers? Still unsure.

Atmosphere check Imagine a place where your taste buds are partying while your eyes are enjoying seafoam blues, Mediterranean breezes, and people laughing like they haven’t remembered work in days. It’s classy without being snooty, modern but not sterile, and cozy in that “I want to stay here till they close” kind of way.

Now the part you didn’t expect: THE BILL I braced myself, mentally sold a kidney— And it was only 1060 TL for what felt like a banquet fit for a mildly spoiled Greek god. We’re talking salmon with quinoa, avocado salad, 6 Dibs platter, fruit plate, fries—you’d pay triple in any tourist trap downtown. This place? Culinary luxury with budget-friendly swagger.

So here’s the deal: If you find yourself in Antalya and you don’t eat at Pablito, you’ve missed out on one of the city’s tastiest, classiest, most joy-sparking gems. Breakfast? Yes. Lunch? Sure. Dinner? I’d eat here in my sleep if they let me.

Rating: 57/5 stars. Go for the food, stay for the staff, come back because your...

Review from a restaurant consultant; The good: Stunning views and impeccably beautiful interior decor with loads of seating, however you still need a reservation as it tends to be busy unsurprisingly. I wanted to go to the fine dining restaurant but couldn’t find a reservation for the next few days so I tried this place instead, an outdoor table was about a 20 minute wait. I was dining by myself and they still gave me a table of 4 with a great view. Made for a memorable birthday dinner. the staff are well trained and hospitable. Lots of English speaking staff around. the food and drink menu is diverse for all kinds of diets. the food is really good and the portions are massive and beautifully presented. A salad can easily serve 2-3 people. the soup I had was delicious but it had some hard bits in it in every bite and they happily replaced it with a different soup which was also great. Orhan, the server for my table was kind, diligent and very attentive. He also kindly took pictures when I requested. the prices are very reasonable especially for a place like this, it’s actually under what I expected. good music and ambience.

The meh/ the bad: Nothing of note here, had an incredible experience. Would return when I’m back.

Had no takeaway containers for the soup I couldn’t finish but was able to take away the rest of my salad. Not a big deal at all.

If you’re looking for a nice dining experience while in Antalya I highly recommend this place. One of the best dining experiences I’ve...

We were a large group who stayed at the Akra Barut Hotel for a family reunion last week. We loved the hotel and it’s amenities overall; however, Pablito was a huge disappointment in terms of service. On several occasions when some or all 16 of us are at the restaurant, the service was dismal. There is no restaurant manager in duty and a bunch of staff are walking around like zombies with no clue about customer service. In one occasion we sat down at a table which was not cleaned after the prior customer. Our waiter came by and brought our menus but didn’t clean the table. He then returned 10 min later to take our order but still didn’t clean the table and didn’t bring any napkins or cutlery. We ended up cleaning the table ourselves. We had order starters and main dishes. They all arrived at the same time. While we were eating, one of the staff was rearranging chairs in one corner of the room by dragging them across the floor and making a loud noise. Finally when we were finished and asked for just tea (nothing else), we had to ask them 3 times and it took them 20 minutes. In my experience it is easier to get tea than tap water in Turkey. It is a shame that hotel management have neglected this restaurant. It had a nice atmosphere and with proper supervision the young staff can deliver an acceptable level of service. I would definitely give this...