Best Restaurants in Eskişehir 2026: From Çibörek to Porsuk Canal Dining

Eskişehir’s restaurant scene reflects the city’s student and university character — affordable, diverse, and more cosmopolitan than most Turkish cities of similar size. The specific local food tradition centres on the Tatar (Crimean Tatar) community whose descendants have been in the city since the 19th-century migrations — their çibörek (fried half-moon pastry), mantı (dumplings), and specific pastry traditions are embedded in the local food culture. The canal-side restaurants serve international and Turkish cuisine; the university district has the budget lokantas and kebab spots.

Çibörek specialists

Çibörek is the defining dish of Eskişehir — a half-moon fried pastry filled with seasoned minced lamb and onion, the dough stretched thin and crisped in oil. The dish came with the Crimean Tatar migrants of the 1860s–1870s and has become as specifically Eskişehir as anything.

Where to find: The çiböreciler (çibörek shops) are concentrated in the city centre and Odunpazarı bazaar area. The best are unpretentious — a counter, a large pan of oil, and a queue of regulars.

How to order: Order by piece (tane): ₺30–60 per çibörek. A typical lunch is 2–3 pieces plus ayran. Eat immediately — they do not travel well.

The tradition: The best çibörek shops open early (often from 08:00) and sell out by early afternoon. The morning çibörek — hot from the oil, slightly translucent pastry revealing the lamb filling — is one of Turkey’s better breakfast foods and entirely specific to Eskişehir.

Lokanta lunch culture

The Eskişehir lokanta (traditional Turkish lunch restaurant) serves the university population and working city. These are lunch-focused (typically 11:00–15:00 service, some continuing to dinner) with a rotating daily menu of soups, vegetable dishes, meat preparations, and pilav.

Price range: ₺80–200 for a full meal (soup + main + dessert + tea).

What to order: The weekly specials are the best guide — the specific dishes that appear on Tuesdays (often legume-based), Thursdays (often lamb preparation), and Fridays (often fish in fish-forward lokantas). Ask what the daily special (günlük yemek) is.

Location: University district lokantas are the most affordable; city centre lokantas (especially around the train station) are slightly more expensive but equally authentic.

Canal-side restaurants (Porsuk waterfront)

The Porsuk Canal waterfront — particularly Avrupalı Sokak and the area around Adalar park — has a concentration of restaurants and cafés ranging from Turkish meyhanes to international cuisine (Italian, Mexican, and generic “international” menus are common in the student-facing establishments).

Character: These are the social restaurants of Eskişehir — designed for long evenings, groups, the post-OMM dinner. Quality varies: some canal-side properties are excellent; others trade entirely on location. Read reviews.

Price range: ₺200–500 per person (drinks included at the lower end; alcohol at the higher end).

Best use: Evening dining, especially in spring and autumn when canal-side tables are in use. The canal-view terraces in May–June evenings are the social peak of Eskişehir.

Alcohol: Eskişehir is a secular, university city — alcohol is widely available in canal-side restaurants and meyhanes. Wine and beer are standard; the local consumption culture reflects the student demographic.

Odunpazarı district dining

The Odunpazarı area has restaurants in converted Ottoman houses — courtyard dining, wooden interior spaces, and a menu that typically blends Turkish classics with some local specialities.

Character: More tourist-oriented than the city-centre lokantas; generally more expensive; the atmosphere compensates.

Price range: ₺200–450 per person for a full meal.

Best for: A more formal dinner experience, or when the atmosphere of the old city is part of the meal.

University district

The Anadolu University area and the Yunusemre district have the budget end of Eskişehir’s food scene — döner stands, lahmacun restaurants, cheap lokanta chains, and student-oriented fast food.

Price range: ₺50–150 for a full meal.

Best for: Breakfast (simit + tea: ₺20–30), quick lunches (döner pide: ₺80–130), and late-night eating.

Key dishes to order

Dish	Price	Where
Çibörek	₺30–60/piece	Çibörek shops, bazaar
Tatar mantısı	₺120–200	Traditional restaurants
Lokanta daily special	₺80–180	Lokantas
Canal-side meze spread	₺200–400	Waterfront restaurants

Eskişehir breakfast culture

The Eskişehir breakfast (kahvaltı) tradition involves the local Çanak cheese — a soft, mildly brined cheese produced in the region. Any boutique hotel breakfast and any serious kahvaltı restaurant will feature it. The other specifics: fresh börek from the bakery, local honey (acacia honey from the plateau), and the optional addition of local pastırma or sücük.

Breakfast cafés: The best kahvaltı spreads are served at dedicated breakfast cafés — typically ₺120–220 per person for the full spread, served from 08:00–12:00. The canal-side cafés and Odunpazarı boutique hotels both produce good examples.

Eating well in Eskişehir — practical summary

The general rule: the more local the institution, the better the value. Çibörek from the bazaar specialist beats the canal-side tourist menu version; the lokanta daily special beats the à la carte at a formal restaurant. Eskişehir’s best food is inexpensive and specific — find the çibörek shop with the queue, order what they’re making, and eat it there.

• Food to try in Eskişehir
• Eskişehir food guide
• Things to do in Eskişehir