Food to Try in Kaş: Lycian Coast Dishes and Fresh Fish

Kaş sits at the boundary between the Muğla Aegean food tradition (to the west, toward Fethiye and Bodrum) and the Antalya Mediterranean tradition (to the east). The food here reflects both: olive oil-based meze dishes from the Aegean, fresh Mediterranean fish from the surrounding coast, the piyaz (white bean salad) of Antalya influence, and local honey and produce from the Taurus foothills. The restaurants around the harbour are tourist-facing; the best eating is in the backstreet restaurants and the morning market.

For restaurants, see best restaurants in Kaş. For the broader food guide, see Kaş food guide.

Fresh fish from the Kaş coast

The Mediterranean around Kaş provides the same species as the broader Turquoise Coast — sea bass (levrek), sea bream (çipura), red mullet (barbunya), and octopus (ahtapot). The water clarity that makes Kaş exceptional for diving also reflects an exceptionally clean marine environment.

How to order: Ask what came in that morning. A good fish restaurant in Kaş will have 3–5 species depending on the day’s catch; a restaurant with 15 species on the menu year-round is using frozen. Grilled whole with lemon and olive oil (ızgara).

Price: ₺200–350/kg at backstreet restaurants; ₺350–600/kg on the harbour promenade.

The best approach: The fish restaurants one or two streets back from the harbour promenade offer identical quality at 30–40% lower prices.

Meze: Aegean and Mediterranean overlap

At its best in Kaş, a meze spread combines the Aegean cold dishes (deniz börülcesi, patlıcan salatası, semizotu) with the Mediterranean elements (piyaz, ezme, zeytinyağlı dolma). This overlap is most visible in the better meze restaurants in the backstreets.

Specifically worth ordering in Kaş:

• Deniz börülcesi (sea samphire) — specifically coastal Aegean; crunchy, salty, olive oil
• Piyaz (white bean salad with tahini or olive oil dressing) — the Antalya influence
• Ahtapot salatası (octopus salad) — cold with olive oil and herbs
• Fava (dried broad bean purée) — a typically Aegean meze, smooth and nutty
• Acılı ezme (spicy tomato paste) — universal but very good here

A full cold meze spread for two: ₺250–450.

Olive oil and honey from the Kaş hinterland

The mountains behind Kaş — the Taurus range — produce both excellent olive oil (the Demre and Kaş area is part of Turkey’s prime Antalya province olive oil zone) and exceptional honey from beehives in the wild thyme and pine forests.

Kekik balı (thyme honey): Available from specialist shops in the Kaş main street. ₺80–150 (500g jar). Worth bringing home.

Local olive oil: The Kaş market (Friday morning market) has local-press olive oil from the surrounding farms. ₺80–170/litre.

Kaş fish market (Friday morning)

The Friday market in Kaş town includes a small but excellent fish and produce section. Local farmers from the Taurus foothills bring seasonal produce; the fish stalls sell that morning’s catch.

Best for: Fresh herbs, local honey, fresh seasonal vegetables, and occasionally fresh fish direct from the boats.

Street food

Çiğ köfte: The plant-based bulgur rolls are available from a stall in Kaş town — ₺40–60/roll. Good for a quick lunch between diving and a boat trip.

Simit: The sesame bread ring pushcarts operate in the morning in the main street. ₺10–15.

Gözleme: The Friday market has a gözleme stall; ₺70–100 for a cheese or spinach-filled flatbread cooked on a griddle.

Midye dolma (stuffed mussels): A cart operates near the harbour in summer evenings — ₺10–15 each. Squeeze lemon; eat from the shell.

Kastellorizo fish (Greece, 4km away)

If you take the ferry to Kastellorizo, the island’s harbour fish restaurants serve genuinely excellent fresh fish at prices that are reasonable by Greek island standards. A fish dinner on Kastellorizo: ₺600–1,000/person. The setting (one of Greece’s most photographed harbours) adds to the experience.

Breakfast culture in Kaş

The Turkish kahvaltı (breakfast spread) is excellent in Kaş’s backstreet cafes — local honey with kaymak (clotted cream), olives, white cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, and bread. ₺80–150/person at a small cafe; ₺150–250 at boutique hotel terraces (with harbour views added to the price).

Price summary

Food	Where	Cost
Fresh fish dinner	Backstreet restaurant	₺300–500 for two
Fresh fish dinner	Harbour promenade	₺500–900 for two
Meze spread (for two)	Restaurant	₺250–450
Kekik balı (500g)	Market/specialist shop	₺80–150
Gözleme	Friday market	₺70–100
Çiğ köfte	Street stall	₺40–60
Turkish breakfast	Backstreet cafe	₺80–150
Fish dinner on Kastellorizo	Greek restaurant	₺600–1,000

For food in the wider Lycian coast area, see food to try in Fethiye and food to try in Antalya.