First night restaurant

[tortoise lady]

First time ever in Kalkan (many years ago) plane was late, transfer bus went via Patara to take guests to a hotel there.   Arrived in the dark at Samira hotel.   This is before the Bosphorus restaurant opened just in front of the hotel.   Quite late and unsure what would be open and what would the restaurants be like.   We ventured forth tired and perhaps with a little trepidation - our first visit to Turkey.

First restaurant we came to was Ilban - sadly gone one or two years ago and still vacant.   Just past the taxi rank on the right.   Open and with a warm welcome.   Wonderful view of the twinkling lights of the harbour.   Lovely sizzling hot moussaka and first taste of Turkish wine.   From then on until it closed it became known as "first night restaurant" and it would have been unthinkable to have our first meal anywhere else.   Also always had at least one lunch there - caught any breezes and the day time views were just as lovely.   Often took books to read after lunch gazing over the bay.    They always seemed happy for us to linger and relax.  Something that seems unique to Kalkan - most other places can't wait for you to move on and vacate the table even if it is quiet and no-one needing a table.    Never yet been in a restaurant in Kalkan where they are "just closing" or "no more food available".

What about other forum members and their "first night" restaurant?    Did it become a favourite and somewhere you simply had to go on arrival for subsequent holidays in Kalkan?   Or if you have only been once are you already thinking of your next visit and planning to do a repeat visit to the restaurant which gave you your first taste of Kalkan and the hospitality?


Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=8335.0

[fidimax]

If arriving  late,has to be Ali Babas,the soup Kitchen,lots of bread and a couple of Efes,Chicken or spicy lentil soup,I dont care,I am home  again 

[itstime]

Every time I walk past the old Ilban site I can't help but wonder why it hasn't been taken on by another business. Excellent location and the back terrace had tremendous views. Maybe the rent is prohibitive

[suziq]

Coast has been our first night restaurant for about five years - in its various locations! We always have the sizzling steak on marble platter - it just cuts like butter and tastes fabulous. When we turn up now he just says " two marble steaks I suppose!"

We start speaking about that first meal weeks before we go and we always go one more time during our stay to try something else from the menu.

Happy days, looking forward to our next trip in April.

[Capt Pugwash]

The Atlantis was always ours. The welcome we received from Ozcan and Ercan always made us feel we had returned "home" and over the years they have helped us and lots of others. We are sorry that they no longer operate the Atlantis especially as one of their main original reasons for opening the Atlantis was there vision that the Kalamar Road would one day become one of the main roads for tourism. Miss you boys, but thanks for all the happy memories, good advice and enjoyable meals.
We will have to find a new first nite place now.

[antler]

Will definitely visit Ali Babas again for the spicy lentil soup, as we arrive in Kalkan in the early hours!!!

[misty]

Coast has been our first night restaurant for about five years - in its various locations! We always have the sizzling steak on marble platter - it just cuts like butter and tastes fabulous. When we turn up now he just says " two marble steaks I suppose!"

We start speaking about that first meal weeks before we go and we always go one more time during our stay to try something else from the menu.

Happy days, looking forward to our next trip in April.

Just had one of those hmmmmmmmmmmmm 

[fidimax]

Try a splash of vinegar in the soup,spicy lentil or chicken, its really nice .

[chickengeorge]

Every time I walk past the old Ilban site I can't help but wonder why it hasn't been taken on by another business. Excellent location and the back terrace had tremendous views. Maybe the rent is prohibitive

From what I understand the restaurant/land is owned by several people from one family and there has been some kind of dispute between them. Presumably another business can't take it on unless they all agree to sell.

[Cuddles]

Tortoise Lady, Arif Ilban now has a new restaurant, the Saffron above the bar next to the PTT. (The name escapes me.)
Other than the location, nothing has changed. Great food, great service and no rush.
The old site is set to become a hotel but, there is some wrangling still going on over the proposed size and title to the land.  Meanwhile, it remains vacant and an eyesore.

[onelove]

....Do I remember my (our) first night in Kalkan, like it was yesterday, and still brings a smile to my face 4 years later...let me explain.
We had been looking for a holiday home for a few years, looked at Spain, Algarve, eastern Europe, USA etc etc, but none of them hit the button !
Then one Sunday morning I was looking for "our place in the sun" on the Internet (as I did nearly every day ) when I hit on Turkey, never given Turkey a thought, or visited Turkey.
Anyway somehow this place called Kalkan appeared on the screen.....OMG I thought this place looks just like the place I had in my minds eye, if
you know what I mean, so i grabbed my lap top and raced upstairs to show the wife (who was still in bed !) we spent the next 2 hours reading
anything and everything we could find on Kalkan, 3 hours later the flights were booked, me and Mary, our daughter, son-in-law and my sister
were all flying out the next morning, trust me this is how it happened.
We arrived in a 'very dark' Kalkan at about 6 30 on the evening of March 24th 2008, after what we thought was a 2 hour + drive, I was already thinking OMG 'what have I done' !  you know, as you do.   We found the villa we had rented, in town, not far from where the mountain rain/melt
water runs out of the big concrete outlet. We all thought how lovely the villa was and joked about saying, wouldn't to great to be able to afford something
this grand....how wrong we were, more later. We had a quick wash and set out to find something to eat. We walked no more than 50 foot
when we were confronted by what seemed, in the dark and VERY tried, the steepest hill we had ever seen ( now know there are a
lot steeper hills in Kalkan )  so we set off down the hill, thinking, we have to come back up later, OMG what have I done !
 As I have said it was very dark, if you have been to Kalkan in mid March you will know what I mean, also it did not look very pretty, Kalkan
looks a bit rough out of season to say the least, we wondered around the small lanes looking for somewhere open to eat, but nothing was, until we saw some lights, down another hill !  We walked down towards the lights, and this funny ( well it was to me at the time !) looking restaurant that seemed to be in or at least on the edge of the road, how odd we thought.  That odd restaurant was "Akin"...... I think I (well I know I did) fell in love with Kalkan that 1st night,
sitting in this restaurant "in the road" looking down at the lights of the harbour and other restaurants that we now could see were also open.
We had the most fantastic 1st evening, blown away by the food, setting, service and friendliness of the people, we sat there (only ones in the place, all night ) until quite late drinking and soaking up the atmosphere, not realising that it was gone mid-night, so I asked if they could get us a taxi, no dont
be silly came the reply, I will drop you off...... now I know im deaf in love !.   I woke up the next morning and went out ( to have a fag) onto the balcony, I stood there in my boxers, the sky was bright blue, the sun was shining, the temp was perfect......I remember thinking, oh f**k it wasn't
a dream, I really have found Paradise.   So ( dont forget never stepped foot in Turkey before, none of us ) we spent the next 2 1/2 days looking at all kind of villas but could not find the 'right' one, until we had to go up to this villa that was been built to pick up some keys to another villa we were to look at.......the rest is history, we knew straight away that this was the villa we had been looking for and that Kalkan was the perfect place to have it.
I agreed a price with the builder and shook hands. Now (our last day) we are sat in 'The Swan' watching United stuffing West Ham when my mobile
rings, its our builder saying can you come to our office to sort out the contract and pay the deposit, which I did, it was the best thing I ever did.
We now have our dream home in the sun and get out to Kalkan whenever we can ( I have been 34 times now, including that 1st time )....... We ALWAYS go
to "Akin" to reminisce about that 1st night......I am still just as much in love with the place as I was on that 1st night ;-)).

[maryjane]

Capt. Pugwash - the Atlantis was ours as well!  A tradition, and  bless Ozcan and Ercan, they never commented on our somewhat demented behaviour!   Always due to a combination of having to leave for the UK airport at "silly o'clock", even more stress Gatwick etc etc, the first stop for Efes, excitement at rounding the bend at the top of the D400, and knowing we were going to have a warm welcome and good food on the roof terrace of the Atlantis.  And, bless Ozcan, always organised our transport back to our villa(we were always asleep before we got there) Happy memories
PS   Hope we were not too noisy and spoilt your meal if you were there when we were

[Baggy]

Love love love your story, Kalamar Dream. Kalkan had the same effect on me on our first visit (first night meal was the hotel barbecue - not to be recommended).
Still not living the dream with a place of our own but I so so want one!
what is it about this place that makes you want to throw everything to the wind . . .?

[ShazzaA]

What a fantastic thread 

When we arrived in Kalkan on our honeymoon 13 years ago, I was still reeling from having had two honeymoon destinations cancelled due to civil unrest.  It was either Kalkan or Lanzarote.  Fortunately for us, we chose Kalkan and have never looked back.  Anyway, sorry I digress.  The coach brought us down into Kalkan on the "market" road and we passed this friendly looking Turkish man who was standing outside his restaurant at the Kalamar Road roundabout waving at the coach as it went past.

Later on, whilst chilling by the pool, we talked about walking into the village to find somewhere to eat.  We sat at the Moonlight Bar enjoying the view and my husband suggested we go back to the restaurant where the man waved at us earlier.  We strolled up the hill and ended up at "Omar's Kitchen".  It has become a firm favourite of ours over the years, and our first night tradition is a quick Efes at the Moonlight followed by a fabulous meal and a very warm welcome at Omar's.

We'll be back again in October with the kids and I'm already looking forward to our first night tradition!!

[kalkan4eva]

Don't know why this is but our first night restaurant is always Merkez....!
Utopia is the bar below Saffron, BubblesG.
We also loved Ilban - amazing views and the best ever sea bass

[tortoise lady]

I am really enjoying hearing others "first night restaurants".    That very first one does seem to hold a special place in our hearts when the Kalkan magic took over.

BubblesG - thanks for letting me know where Arif has moved to, must try Saffron when there in September.

Kalkan Dream's story is amazing - you fell in love with Kalkan even before seeing it.

It does seem that the first place we go to becomes a tradition for the first night meal from then on.   

Please keep the stories coming - not only does it remind us of the magic of our first visit to Kalkan but is a good measure of how so many restaurants have stood the test of time.   We wouldn't keep going back just for sentimental reasons.   

It does feel like coming home, doesn't it, when you sit down for your first meal of the holiday - and I think it sounds as if this applies even to those who have never been to Kalkan before.

[Cuddles]

kalkan4eva, thanks for that. I was in out in May/June and cannot believe I forgot it's name so soon. Dmentia, I guess. (Hey, missed the 'e' and now we have a cool new way of spelling what we all dread. Who knows, maybe it will catch on!)

tortoise lady, try and get a seat at the front. You can look down on everybody coming up 'Heart Attack Hill', sitting outside the Moonlight bar and walking up and down the main street. Hours of fun people watching before, during and after dinner. Plus a good view of the bay to boot.

[HolmfirthNicky]

We also love sitting at Moonlight bar people watching! Especially watching women who are trying to stagger down the hill in their heels!! Love that time of night in Kalkan when we're sat having a cold effes /raki at Moonlight bar, watching the sun go down and getting all the smells from the restaurants making our mouth water at what delight we'll be eating that night!!
Roll on next June!!

[Cuddles]

No, no Nicky, I meant sitting at the front of the Saffron restaurant looking down from the terrace. Now that's people watching! Must be the voyeur in me. Must go and press my dirty mac.

[onelove]

Coast has been our first night restaurant for about five years - in its various locations! We always have the sizzling steak on marble platter - it just cuts like butter and tastes fabulous. When we turn up now he just says " two marble steaks I suppose!"

We start speaking about that first meal weeks before we go and we always go one more time during our stay to try something else from the menu.

Yes have to agree, Coast is our fav restaurant as well, wonderful menu and so differant from most other places in Kalkan. Billy, Esra and the rest of the team make you feel like your the only ones there.....always a special night