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Other than the famous İskender kebab, Bursa has a decent variety of restaurants throughout the city offering all kinds of Turkish cuisine.
Yeşil Pideli Köfte
First, on Kayhan Street near our hotel, we found Yeşil Pideli Köfte. They’ve been around since 1970 selling a local specialty, pideli köfte, and other grilled items.
Pideli köfte is meatballs slathered in tomato sauce and served over pide bread, topped with melted butter, and with a side of yogurt, tomatoes, and pepper. Think İskender kebab but with meatballs instead of döner kebab. I could eat it every week!
For dessert, we had an incredible kaymaklı kadayıf, which is a traditional Turkish kadayıf covered in kaymak (clotted cream), nuts, and a halva sauce.
Pidecioğlu
On the same street we visited Pidecioğlu. They offer a good variety of delicious pides. I had the kuşbaşılı pide while everyone else in my group had a tomato and kaşar pide. Portion sizes are perfect and prices are great.
Kayhan Street
If you want to try other local pideli köfte restaurants, Kayhan Street is the place to go. There are several lining the street running east from İnönü Street. It’s also a colorful and scenic street to walk down.
Hacı Dayı
Hacı Dayı is an elegant restaurant that serves a variety of different kebabs. It’s located at Tophane Park and I’ve had lunch there twice. Service is friendly and efficient.
On my first visit, I had the Ali Nazik kebab, which is beef kebabs over eggplant puree and yogurt. Marisol had the grilled chicken. We were both very happy with our choices.
On my second visit, I had a bowl of ezogelin soup and the yoğurtlu kebap, which is just a kebab on a bed of yogurt. Once again, the meal was excellent and filling, and I’d definitely eat there again.
Karadeniz Balık Evi
Tired of meats, we decided to try a fish restaurant one night. We found Karadeniz Balık Evi in an alley near the bazaar area and decided to give it a try.
We split a plate of salmon and an order of calamari. Both were delicious. For dessert, we couldn’t resist the baked halva (fırında helva). Our server was a wonderful person who tried very hard to speak the little English she knows, and was truly happy we were satisfied with the meal.
Unfortunately, when I tried to take a picture of the restaurant, the host from the restaurant across the street got angry and nearly shoved me. I guess he wasn’t happy he lost our business that night.
Barlam Balık
Nearby is Barlam Balık, which is another fish restaurant we tried the following night. Service is good but the food wasn’t as tasty as we expected.
We shared a plate of calamari and a shrimp casserole (karides güveç), and neither was very good. The calamari was rubbery and the shrimp was definitely overcooked. We’d skip this place.
Desserts
Bursa’s popular desserts are kestane şekeri (candied chestnuts) and kemalpaşa (fried dough boiled in a very sweet syrup). You can find each treat just about anywhere in town.
