Yelken Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Muratpaşa

A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF A TOURIST TRAP!

After a lovely walk, we arrived at Antalya’s Old Harbor – yes, very touristy, and we knew that going in. At a small shop selling pumpkin-like lamps, a man told us he knew the perfect spot for lunch: amazing views, great local food, not touristy at all. If the food wasn’t amazing, we wouldn’t have to pay – he even swore on mighty Allah himself! Then we were taken by a boy (first introduced as his son, then his nephew…) to Yelken Fish Steakhouse.

I had already noticed the place while walking and wanted to avoid the harbor altogether in favor of a more local street. But fine, we gave it a chance.

We were greeted by a man – older, gray ponytail, looked like he missed only a hook for a hand to be cast on an old pirate ship. But seriously: very little authentic food, clearly catered to tourists.

We ordered: 2 glasses of white wine, one apple juice, a fish soup, Adana kebab, and fries.

The view? The back of massive tourist boats waiting to do loud sightseeing cruises. The terrace was empty and stayed that way. The waiter tried to lure every passerby in with loud calls – not a good vibe.

The wine? The white wine was awful. Sour enough to make me shiver. I took one sip and asked to try the rosé instead. Rather than a polite reply, I got a heavy, disdainful sigh. The rosé was better (barely) and we switched.

The fish soup? Salty beyond belief. Nothing like the delicious fish soup I once had in Manavgat at a no-frills shack with amazing flavors and kind people.

The Adana kebab? One sad piece of meat, not even on a skewer, served with soggy rice, some odd flat taco-like breads, and lifeless salad. Utterly bland and boring.

All that added up to 1730 lira – for two mediocre rosés and an apple juice.

When I wanted to pay, he asked “euro or lira?”. I politely said lira, and his eyebrows shot up to his receding hairline. Then: “cash or card?” I said card – another long sigh. As I walked away, I got a whole speech about how “everyone pays with card” and “we have employees here”, etc.

This review may be just as sour as that white wine, but Yelken Fish Steakhouse deserves it. This is the definition of a TOURIST TRAP.

There are nicer spots nearby with better food, better views, and much, much...

I had the best lunch here today!! I started with a perfect capachino served with a Turkish delight. I was debating on he menu, I really wanted something authentic Turkish, certainly not burgers or pasta that a lot of places have. The staff were really helpful and pointed out which dishes we local/authentic, so I went with the shrimp casserole not knowing what to expect, it came piping, bubbling hot! It was so flavourful, had mushrooms and peppers in it as well and was covered in melted cheese. It was perfect, I honestly considered going back for dinner! I ordered orange juice and water as well. I was expecting a small tea cup size orange juice but ended up with a full mason jar of freshly squeezed orange juice! It was great. No room for dessert, next time for sure. I'm coming back to Antalya in April with my partner and this is one place I can't wait to...

Just don’t go. They’re charging insane prices for mediocre, lazy food. Flies everywhere. Friendly waitstaff who will look you in the eye and charge you 1000 lira for 2 mezze and the smallest portion of shrimp. They sold me a bad octopus dish that they agreed was bad, took back to the kitchen, said they would remove from the bill, then charged me 1000 lira for it. When I asked for an itemized receipt, they had to discuss between themselves before knowing what they had already charged for.

Edit in response: if you know the qualify of a dish is bad, don’t serve it. If you know it’s bad and I also know it’s bad, don’t try to charge 1000 lira for it. Also, I haven’t been to your restaurant three times so you’re confusing me with...