To celebrate our 10th birthday here at Urban List, we’re asking you to tell us your favourite venues over on our Instagram—this time, we asked you guys for your best Turkish restaurant recommendations.
We all love a late-night kebab, a bit of baklava for dessert, and a cheesy gözleme when we hit up a weekend market. But if you're looking to level up your Turkish food game, you'll need to branch out a bit. Luckily, Sydney has seen a wave of mighty fine Turkish restaurants opening in recent years—plus a few more low-key neighbourhood gems that have been around for decades.
From sticky mastic ice cream hailing from the Kahramanmaras region and Anatolian feasts by Sydney's sparkling harbour to fancy dine-in kebab joints and sprawling Levantine-inspired rooftop bars in the city, there are plenty of top-tier Turkish restaurants around town.
Here are the best Turkish restaurants in Sydney right now, according to you.
Maydanoz
CBD
Maydanoz is an almost entirely plant-based restaurant from the same crew behind much-loved Turkish restaurants Anason, Tombik, and soon-to-reopen Efendy (which is currently looking for a new location). Nestled among Carrington Street's other top-tier spots (like Vini Divini and Shell House), Maydanoz (Turkish for parsley) pays homage to the Aegean's vegetable-driven meze bars and the traditional veg-focused dishes of the western region of Turkey. Think haloumi kebabs drizzled in honey and sesame and served smoking over rosemary ash (pictured above), carrot hummus, and ultra-fresh cacik made with coconut yoghurt. The drinks don't disappoint either, with a focus on natural and local Turkish wines and cocktails like the Date Martini and Spice Market Negroni.
As for the fit-out, it's stunning. The lavish interiors include glitzy light fixtures, rich timber furnishings, and lashings of green marble used on the intimate four-seat chef's table bar and throughout the restaurant and picked to reflect the colours of the Aegean Sea. Book here.
Turkuaz
Enmore
This popular Inner West joint named after Turkey's azure seas is where you want to head for ali nizak—a spicy, rich Gaziantep specialty of charcoal-cooked lamb mixed with pistachio nuts served with a smoked eggplant and garlic yoghurt sauce. But here, they serve it "Turkuaz style" with scotch fillet steak instead of lamb and served with traditional almond and currant rice. It also cooks up excellent beyti, lamb skewers, manti (lamb dumplings), and village-style stuffed baby eggplant.
You can opt to dine in the vibrant dining room, decked out with exposed brick walls, mosaic Turkish lights, tiled tabletops, and large-scale pictures of Turkish landscapes adorning the walls. Or, if it's a balmy evening, pull up a seat outside and watch buzzy Enmore Road go by. Book here.
Tombik
Barangaroo
Tombik is here to challenge your love for late-night greasy kebabs. The team here believe kebabs are better with a beer, rather than after one—and we reckon they're onto something. Turkish chef Somer Sivrioğlu (Anason, Efendy and Maydonaz) is behind this slick 45-seat kebab bar, too, so you know it's going to be good. Here, it's all about Istanbul-style street food, including the restaurant's namesake: puffy woodfired tombik bread.
Chef Arman Uz has dreamt up a menu that reflects his upbringing in Tarsus in South-Central Turkey, with dishes like house beef rump and lamb belly kebabs, falafel, and biber flatbread with chilli and tahini. To drink, it's an edit of Turkish wines and beers and bespoke cocktails, including a spiked shalgam, which is a pickled turnip and chilli juice, typically enjoyed with raki and food. Walk-in only.
Pasha's Turkish Restaurant
Newtown
A favourite of Inner West locals, Pasha's has been serving up authentic Turkish cuisine in Newtown since 1975. The charming decor will have you thinking you’ve hopped on a plane to Turkey with its vibrant Turkish pendant lights, exploded wooden beams, and eclectic knick-knacks. Taking cues from the Ottoman era, this neighbourhood gem has a focus on northwestern Turkish cuisine, from pan-fried haloumi with pomegranate molasses and wild vine leaves to fried baby eggplants, lamb backstrap with garlic yoghurt, and tulumba (deep-fried dough) served with Turkish coffee and Turkish delight. Book here.
Anason
Barangaroo
This gem of an Anatolian restaurant in Barangaroo has been around since 2016 and remains as a favourite for Turkish cuisine. Inspired by Istanbul's meyhanez (traditional taverns), Anason is located right by the harbour and is ideal for a glass of Turkish wine or raki accompanied by some meze or a full feast.
Its water views are complemented by the venue's Bosphorus blue design accents, ample al fresco seating, and seafood-heavy menu. Expect dishes such as oysters and tarama on squid ink crackers topped with beach succulents (pictured above), Murray cod collar with yoghurt tartare and rocket, and snapper with quail egg and tahini. There are also plenty of veggie options, including lentil kofte, smoked beetroot tartare with labna and blood plums, and cauliflower with green harissa, alongside meat dishes like grilled ox tongue on toast and hünkar begendi (AKA Sultan's Delight)—an Ottoman recipe going back hundreds of years made of tender lamb loin, smoky eggplant puree, and burnt butter. Book here.
Izgara
Potts Point
Turkish for "grill", Izgara is the newest venue from the hospitality group behind Above Par and Malika Bakehouse. Izgara, however, is a luxury take on the traditional ocakbasi restaurants of Istanbul, with chefs brought over from Turkey to bring co-owner and group executive chef Efe Topuzlu’s meat-driven menu to life. On the grill are things like iskender, which is a kebab made up of shaved lamb backstrap, pide bits, and yoghurt; and lokum, which involves thinly sliced lamb loin on smoked eggplant. Other highlights include handmade kibbeh, grilled prawns, and a 1.3kg tomahawk.
The luxe interiors are also worth a mention, taking their cues from 60s-era Turkish cabaret theatres, with custom furniture, dazzling chandeliers, and a centrepiece chef's table alongside the grill. Book here.
That Turkish Place
Condell Park
Many of Sydney's Turkish restaurants are geared to lunch and dinner. But this Western Sydney cafe specialises in Turkish breakfast, churning out simit and Turkish tea behind a roller door in Condell Park. Owned by Turkish-Australian woman Perihan "Peri" Kiratli, That Turkish Place is where you can park yourself up and order açma (flaky, bagel-shaped Turkish pastry), stuffed gözleme, traditional casseroles, or the Serpme Breakfast, which is essentially a brekkie platter. The vibe is nothing fancy here, just mighty good food—which is why we love it. Walk-in only.
Babylon Rooftop
CBD
This sprawling 800-seat rooftop bar and restaurant inspired by the ancient city isn't strictly dedicated to Turkish food; however, as it takes its cues from Levant cuisine which stretches across modern Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Turkey, we warrant its place on this list. Plus the menu is heavily inspired by the chef's childhood in Turkey—think house-made Turkish bread with za'atar butter, grilled prawns with lemon, harissa and raki, and knafeh with mastic ice cream and rose.
Located on the seventh level of Westfield Pitt Street Mall, the 1200sqm-space is decked out with a hanging garden terrace and outdoor bar, lots of greenery, and multiple private and semi-private dining rooms. With bars occupying two-thirds of the entire floor space, drinks are the main event at Babylon and the drinks list can only be described as colossal. It also does bottomless brunch on weekends, featuring endless mimosas and meze plates. Book here.
Konak Turkish Kitchen
Newtown
Known for its charcoal meats and seafood, Konak on King Street is a cosy Turkish restaurant with plenty of charm. The pide and "balloon" bread here are cooked in a woodfire oven, there's indoor and courtyard seating, and, after much demand, it now offers breakfast. You can choose to go a la carte and cover the table with dips like muhammara (roasted red pepper with walnut dip) and warm hummus with Turkish pastrami along with share plates such as mixed charcoal shish platters, haloumi with five-spice apricot compote, and barramundi with leeks. Or, leave the decision making at the door and get the $60 set menu. Either way, just make sure you leave room for the sour cherry poached pears. Book here.
Hakiki
Enmore
Not technically a restaurant, but this Turkish ice cream haven is a must when you're craving a sweet treat. Dondurma, or mastic ice cream, hails from the Kahramanmaras region in the early 1600s. Hakiki is owned by Zeynep Bagriyanik who was born in the "ice cream city" of Maras Nev, where they learnt the craft of making traditional Turkish ice cream before coming to Australia in 2011—and bringing their secret recipes with them. There are two distinct characteristics of mastic ice cream—a smooth, thick texture and resistance to melting thanks to salep (dried, powdered root of an orchid that grows in Southern Turkey). Basically, it's incredibly indulgent and perfect for hot Aussie summers.
Traditionally, the ice cream is plain and topped with powdered pistachio. But you can also get flavours such as grape molasses and tahini, burnt caramel, Turkish coffee, cacao, sour cherry, and melon and feta. Non-ice cream treats like baklava and Turkish delight are also available. Walk-in only.
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Image credit: Steven Woodburn, Steven Woodburn, Turkuaz, Steven Woodburn, Anason, Scott Ehler, Babylon Rooftop & Bar, Konak Turkish Restaurant, Hakiki