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We were satisfied with the meals we had in Edirne, but the variety wasn’t too exciting. Almost every restaurant in the historic city center served the same dishes.
Fried Liver
First of all, Edirne is famous for small bits of fried liver called tava ciğer, usually served with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions. They’re delicious and can be found in several restaurants in town. They go great with a glass of ayran. We tried tava ciğer at two different places.
Köfteci Osman
The first place we tried was Köfteci Osman, which is just across the street from the Bedesten. It was recommended to us as one of the best places to eat tava ciğer in Edirne.
Marisol and I shared an order of tava ciğer and an order of köfte. We also had a salad and each had a bowl of lentil soup (mercimek çorbası). The food was delicious and the service was extremely friendly and efficient.
Aydın Tava Ciğer
The next day for lunch we went to Aydın Tava Ciğer, which is just around the corner from Köfteci Osman. The restaurant was jam packed with locals both inside and out. We had to wait a few minutes for a table but it was well worth it.
Aydın Tava Ciğer only offers a few dishes, but they do them very well. We shared a salad and each had an order of tava ciğer. We thought the tava ciğer was better than at Köfteci Osman and the portion was much bigger as well. Service was excellent and we had fun joking around with the waiters.
Kırkpınar Kasap & Restaurant
Having our fill of liver for the trip, we decided to try something different for dinner. Across the street from Aydın Tava Ciğer, we found Kırkpınar Kasap & Restaurant. It was almost completely empty but decided to give it a shot anyway.
Of course they have tava ciğer on the menu, but we gave it a pass. I had the kaşarlı köfte (cheese meatball) and Marisol had the kuzu şiş (lamb skewers). We were both very happy with our meals although service was a bit slow.
Patio
Another night, we visited Patio Café & Restaurant. It’s located in the Kaleiçi neighborhood and has a nice setting in the courtyard of a historic building. The negative is that it’s technically outdoors so smoking is allowed.
I had the kuzu şiş and Marisol tried the fettuccine with mushrooms and bacon. My meal was fine, but Marisol’s wasn’t up to her expectations. The setting is nice and service is friendly, but it isn’t worth going for the food.
Kahve Kültürü
On our final night, we didn’t feel like straying too far from our hotel. We went down to the ground floor to Kahve Kültürü. The convenience was nice, but the food wasn’t good.
The menu had a lot of variety, but the burgers caught my eye. Marisol wanted to satisfy her pasta craving from the previous night’s disappointment, so she ordered spaghetti bolognese. The burger was decent although it was basically Turkish köfte on a bun with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. Marisol unfortunately struck out with the pasta again, and thought it was worse than at Patio.
Aliço’nun Çay Evi
After visiting the Selimiye Mosque, we stopped outside Aliço’nun Çay Evi for Turkish coffee and a glass of tea. It’s a friendly place located a few steps from the Edirne City Museum. There are a few tables outside.
Tunca Café
Directly across the street from the Old Mosque is Tunca Café. It’s a pleasant tea garden set under a few tall trees. There’s a play area for kids, service is friendly, and they have decent Turkish coffee, tea, and lemonade. They also serve ice cream for those hot summer days.
