Great Courses, Beautiful Beaches, Good Times!
Bars and Restaurants
Food and drink in Bodrum are major in day-to-day life; eating and drinking provides a chance for family and friends to get together and catch up, whilst feasting on meze and other delights. Bodrum has a huge range of restaurants and bars for food and drink gathered around the bay on enchanting narrow streets, between them offering traditional Turkish cuisine, European dishes, Italian, Thai, Chinese and Indian meals, as well and fish 'n' chips, steak pie and peas, and the like; there's food and drink to suit everyone's palette, and wallet!
Many of the restaurants, especially the ones where prices are a little higher, serve wine from the Denizli area where the Sultaniye grape is grown to make a light white wine which is easily consumed!
Restaurants
- Yaghane Restaurant - Located on Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, try this restaurant for traditional Turkish meze for 16YTL; under £6. Set in an old olive mill, this restaurant is a beautiful, romantic place.
- Memedof Restaurant - Also located on Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, Memedof is great for fresh fish, most dishes cost less than £5 - about 13YTL. This restaurant also serves hot ice cream which has to be worth a try!
- Kermizi - another great fish restaurant, which offers excellent views of the sea and the castle. Go at dusk for great views of the sunset over the sea.
- Izmir Kumru Sandwich - This is a great snack bar in Bodrum, get yourself a 'Super Kumru' for 4YTL; about £1.50 or a simple sandwich and drink for around £2.
- Ali Kestaneci Restaurant - This restaurant has a mix of worldwide and traditional Turkish dishes, all reasonably priced. 5* service. Try the delicious pumpkin or fig sweets for pudding.
- Alin's Cafe and Restaurant - Alin's is arguably the best Italian restaurant serving Italian food and drink in town. The great food, decent decor and reasonable prices make Alin's a popular choice. Get 10% off your bill with our IPA Membership Scheme.
- Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant - Fancy a Chinese fix? Try the lunchtime buffet at Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant for 8YTL, about £3! You'll find the restaurant on Turgutreis Cadessi; No. 406/A. Tel: +90 252 313 4800.
- 'Pide Place' - For some fast food go to the Hilmi Uran Meydani square, which is affectionately known as 'Pide Place', thanks to it's abundance of fast food places selling pide; Turkish Pizza, which is delicious.
- Marina Yacht Club - Having been open for six years, the Marina Yacht Club serves excellent Turkish, Italian and Mediterranean food and live jazz music with stunning views out across the sea side. Popular dishes include crispy, flavoursome pizzas and baked sea bass. You probably don't need to worry about booking a table - there's room for 7,000 covers! Tel: + 90 252 316 12 28
- Gemibasi Restaurant situated in Bodrum's centre, this restaurants popular dishes include the calamari, and the side dishes complete with the chef's secret ingredient - delicious. Gemibasi is open year-round.
Bars
The rumour about drinking goes that Bodrum has more bars per square metre than anywhere else, so you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to having a few beers! As far as drinking in Bodrum is concerned, head straight for Cumhuriyet Caddesi (please see the map of Bodrum), do not pass go, do not collect £200, as this is definitely the place to be. Cumhuriyet Caddesi and Dr. Alim Bey Caddesi together make up what's known as 'Bar Street', which is over a mile long.
You'll find tavernas selling raki and water at a discounted price next to bars selling vodka and red bull for sometimes more than double what you might pay in the UK. Be careful with prices, don't be shy and ask outright what a drink will cost, and you'll have a great time.
- Fora Bar - Fora is a popular nightclub and bar in Bodrum, which offers great views across the sea and over to St. Peter's Castle.
- Kuba Bar - For a relaxed and trendy atmosphere, try Kuba Bar, on Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, Tel: +90 252 313 4450.
- The Whitehouse Bar - This is another great bar in Bodrum; it has a great atmosphere, and a professional dancer treats the drinkers with his fantastic dancing skills a few times a week.
- 'Yettigari Dance Bar' - For more dancing, try Yettigari Dance Bar, which has a huge dance floor and people dancing on thetables, chairs, the bar - basically any raised flat surface!
- Fasil Cafe Rasit - This cafe is a traditional Turkish bar located on Bar Street. It has Turkish music and belly dancingperformances and it makes quite a nice change. The performances usually start around 11pm, so don't go when you're wanting an early night!
- Halikarnas - After consuming your share of food and drink in Bodrum, including beer, raki, or whatever your favourite tipple may be, you could frequent the Halikarnas open-air nightclub and dance under the stars with 5000 other people! The admission price includes your first drink, although subsequent drinks are quite pricey. Each night has a different appeal, be it a foam party, ladies night, live music and so.
- Marine Club Catamaran - Bodrum also has a party on a boat; the Marine Club Catamaran, which sails out to sea and doesn't return until the early hours of the morning! There are smaller boats going back and forth throughout the night so if you initially miss it when it sets off at 1am don't despair! The Marine Club Catamaran can be host to weddings, birthdays, or any other special occasions - just call +90 252 313 3600 to find out more. There are five bars on board, and the dance floor is made of glass so it makes for an interesting experience!
