A Foodie's Guide to The Best Mardin Restaurants
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If you’ve read our guide to the best things to do in Mardin Turkey then you already know that we’re absolutely smitten with this southeastern Turkish gem.
While Mardin’s photogenic ancient architecture and rich history rightly steal the spotlight, we shouldn’t forget about its food. Spoiler alert: it’s phenomenal.
Mardin’s gastronomic scene reflects its vibrant and diverse culture. Influenced by Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian and Turkish traditions and its location along the famous Silk Road trading route, its cuisine is filled with spices such as mahlep, cardamom and coriander.
For the Sri Lankan in me, it’s a dream destination!
And while meat plays a central role in Mardin’s dishes (par for the course in southeastern Turkey), this vegetarian surprisingly had no problem finding tasty fare.
We’ve visited Mardin three times now and on each visit we stuffed ourselves silly. From indulging in a decadent breakfast at a terrace restaurant with panoramic views of the Mesopotamian plains to a quick snack at a charming hole-in-the-wall joint, we thoroughly enjoyed eating our way through Mardin.
This guide covers all of the best Mardin restaurants and cafes with recommendations for incredible traditional dishes, top vegetarian and vegan-friendly options and the most delicious local drinks and desserts.
🥘 The Best Mardin Restaurants
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Al Hayaal Cafe Restaurant - Our Favourite Mardin Restaurant
The tasty meze platter at Al Hayaal
I suppose the title says it all, but for us, Al Hayaal truly deserves to be crowned the best restaurant in Mardin.
Housed in a stunning old stone building along Mardin’s main street, it features a gorgeous rooftop terrace with fantastic views over the Kasım Tuğmaner mosque and the distant Mesopotamian plains.
During our recent summer trip to Mardin, we enjoyed dinner here three times and breakfast once. Seriously, we liked it that much.
Vegan and vegetarian dishes
Al Hayaal offers plenty of vegetarian delights. On our first visit, we ordered the mixed meze plate and a portion of falafel.
The meze platter was a great way to sample some of Mardin’s traditional flavours. Among them were filefle, a tangy mix of tomatoes, red pepper, onion, cumin, sumac and parsley drenched in pomegranate molasses, and mekdus, juicy baby aubergines marinated in olive oil and stuffed with garlic, walnuts, and red pepper. Delish!
However, the muhammara, a rich, spicy dip made with red peppers, pomegranate molasses, and walnuts, was our standout favourite. Most of the meze options are vegan and there's a vegetarian plate featuring grilled vegetables with hummus or yogurt on the menu as well.
We also celebrated my birthday here with a serpme kahvaltı, a lavish regional breakfast. With 32 different dishes made from locally sourced organic ingredients and unlimited tea, it was totally epic! They even swapped the meat dishes for vegetarian alternatives. Get in!
The amazing breakfast spread at Al Hayaal
Meaty delights
Al Hayaal offers tons of traditional Mardin dishes. One must-try specialty is kaburga dolması - Mardin-style stuffed lamb ribs filled with haşu, a fragrant pilaf of lamb, rice, almonds, allspice, and parsley.
Slow-cooked for hours until melt-in-your-mouth tender, it takes about 45 minutes to prepare - but trust us, it’s worth it! Served on a bed of aromatic spiced pilaf, made with pine nuts, almonds, and currants it’s a feast for two, so bring another carnivore to share.
The menu also features a variety of kebabs and the Mardin plate, perfect for sampling local specialties like irok (stuffed and fried meatballs, similar to içli köfte) and firkiye (diced lamb with green almonds).
Al-Hayaal is slightly cheaper than other restaurants in the area - which is surprising when you consider how great the food is.
In Mardin Turkey food doesn’t get much better than this!
Address: Kasım Tuğmaner Camii, 1. Cadde, Karşısı No:242, 47200 Artuklu/Mardin
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9:00am - 10:00pm.
Seyr-i Merdin Restaurant Cafe - Amazing Views and Delicious Grub
More meze platter goodness at Seyr-i Merdin in Mardin
Also specialising in traditional Mardin food, Seyr-i Merdin boasts an incredible rooftop terrace with sweeping views of the Mesopotamian plains and the iconic Ulu Cami.
We had dinner here and tried a mixed meze plate and an Adana kebab.
Vegan and vegetarian dishes
The meze selection was excellent and featured mikli, a flavourful stir-fry of potatoes, aubergine, and peppers and varak sırt, a tasty blend of roasted chard, garlic, olive oil and spices.
Like Al-Hayaal, Seyr-i Merdin caters to vegetarians and vegans with a seasonal vegetable plate served with a special tomato sauce and fresh herbs as well as a falafel plate with salad. So if you're vege like me you won’t go hungry!
Meaty delights
If you're keen to sample a variety of traditional flavours, order the Mardin plate.
It includes seven regional specialities including qidre, a Levantine dish where spice-marinated lamb on the bone is slow-cooked to perfection in a casserole dish with green peppers and tomatoes and sambusek - often called Mardin pizza - a yummy closed flat bread filled with spiced mincemeat and onions.
Seyr-i Merdin’s menu is packed with tons of other traditional Mardin dishes including kaburga dolması (stuffed lamb ribs), irok (stuffed and fried meatballs), haşu (a spiced rice dish) and patlıcan dolması, where dried aubergine is stuffed with cubed lamb and spiced rice.
Adana kebab - Vincent’s favourite!
Their kebab selection is also first class - Vincent’s Adana kebab was exceptionally tender and well spiced.
Don’t skip the chance to have a post dinner coffee. We tried the merini coffee made with coffee beans ground with chocolate, carob, cardamom and sahlep.
All in all, Sehr-i Mardin serves fantastic grub and is one of the best Mardin restaurants with a view!
Address: Teker, Cumhuriyet Caddesi No:249, 47100 Artuklu/Mardin
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9:30am - 9:00pm.
Leyli Muse Mutfak Restoran - Brilliant for Vegetarians & Vegans
We accidentally stumbled upon Leyli Muse Mutfak Restoran one evening while searching for a place to have dinner.
Set in yet another beautiful traditional stone building, the restaurant feels like a mini-museum, with themed displays of retro radios, musical instruments, and ceramic plates decorating the walls.
Leyli hosts live music each week - on these days you can opt for a fixed price menu.
What makes Leyli stand out is its wide range of vegan and vegetarian takes on traditional Mardin dishes, which are usually meat-heavy.
Vegan and vegetarian dishes
We sat in the garden area at the front of the restaurant and ordered vegan irok (usually stuffed, fried meatballs), vegan kuru fasulye (a slow-cooked bean stew), and bulgur pilaf with vermicelli. We were also given complimentary bread and salad.
Hearty kuru fasulye at Leyli Restaurant
Vegan irok at Leyli Restaurant - we were so happy that we could finally try them!
The irok was especially delicious—its filling of nuts, parsley, and onions, spiced with coriander, allspice, and black pepper, was so flavourful that I regretted ordering just one portion! The kuru fasulye was hearty, with a rich sauce perfect for mopping up with the bread.
A few nights later, we returned to try more dishes, including vegetarian ikbebet, a boiled meatball served with yogurt and red pepper butter sauce (this can be made vegan).
We also shared a meze platter with muhammara, hummus, shakshuka, vine leaves, filefle, and olives - pretty scrumptious, although we still preferred Al-Hayaal’s meze in terms of flavour.
Ikbebet - boiled vegan meatballs with yogurt and red pepper butter sauce
Leyli offers more vegetarian and vegan options than any other restaurant in Mardin.
The menu is extensive and includes plant-based versions of dolma (dried aubergines and peppers stuffed with spiced rice), sambusek (a folded flat bread filled with potatoes and spinach instead of meat), mercimek köfte (lentil balls), and guveçte yeşil fasulye (green beans slow-cooked with onions and tomatoes).
Meaty delights
Leyli serves many of the traditional Mardin dishes we've mentioned earlier, along with some unique specialties like alluciye (stewed lamb with green plums), incassiye (lamb shoulder cooked with black plums and grape molasses), and maldum (a hearty dish of beef slow-cooked with aubergine, tomatoes, pumpkin, and red pepper).
If you’re in a large group, you can order döbo, lamb leg cooked with roasted almonds, garlic, and allspice. It’s great to share!
Address: Şar Mahallesi, Cumhuriyet Meydanı, Kültür Sok. No:4, 47100 Artuklu/Mardin
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 12:00pm - 12:00am.
Bağdadi Restaurant - Fine Dining Mardin Style
After exploring the beautiful Zinciriye Madrasa, we stopped off at Bağdadi Restaurant for a spot of lunch.
We’d spent way too long melting under the scorching midday sun while I (as usual) took a hundred photos from the madrasa rooftop. So at that point stepping into the restaurant’s cool, shaded interior felt like pure bliss!
Bağdadi Restaurant is massive and seriously opulent - think plush furniture, chandeliers and elegant teardrop shaped lanterns. There’s also a sprawling terrace with magnificent views, but as we were already basically puddles of sweat, we happily traded scenery for air conditioning.
For vegetarians and vegans:
As we weren’t in the mood to over indulge, we kept it simple and ordered a few vegetarian mezes.
We enjoyed a spread of hummus, Mardin kabak, a mix of courgette and creamy yogurt; tahinli patlıcan salata, roasted aubergine blended with tahini and olive oil that is similar to mutabbal and soslu patlıcan, aubergine simmered in a garlic, pepper and tomato sauce then drizzled with olive oil. Serious yums!
A plate of meze at Bağdadi Restaurant
We also tried fattoush, an incredibly moreish Mediterranean style salad topped with crispy fried pitta bread. Let’s face it, salad is always more exciting with something fried on top of it.
Bağdadi also has some great meat-free hot starters including sigara boreği, a fried spring roll filled with cheese and parsley and mantar tava, mushrooms cooked in garlic butter.
For meat lovers:
Bağdadi’s menu has pages and pages of meat dishes, so carnivores will be satisfied! Alongside Mardin specialities like kaburga dolması and alluciye, you’ll find a wide selection of chicken and lamb kebabs, casseroles and meatballs.
Interestingly they also offer an entire menu of steaks served with a variety of sauces like pepper, spinach or porcini mushrooms. There’s a similar section devoted to chicken!
If you enjoy a tipple with your meal, you’ll be pleased to know that Bağdadi has its own selection of Assyrian wine. Ask your waiter for recommendations for what goes best with your order.
Bağdadi is considered to be a fine-dining restaurant so prices are a bit higher than other places in Mardin’s old city.
Address: Şar Mahallesi, 228 Sokak, No:2 Artuklu/Mardin
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 2:00pm - 12:00am.
Suzana Cafe Restaurant - Delicious Food on a Budget
A simple meal of soup and gözleme at Suzana Cafe Restaurant
After days of indulgent dinners and humongous breakfasts we often find ourselves craving a simpler dinner. In Turkey for us that usually means one thing: çorba or soup.
Suzana Cafe Restaurant, run by local entrepreneur Suzan Üzen is located above a guesthouse and serves tasty home-cooked meals for reasonable prices. Exactly what we were after!
After climbing three flights of steep stairs, we found ourselves at a cosy rooftop terrace restaurant with fantastic views over the old city.
While Suzana Cafe has tons of traditional Mardin dishes on her menu, we opted to keep it light with a merçimek çorbası (lentil soup) and gözleme, a flatbread stuffed with potato and spinach. The dishes came with rocket salad, pickled chillies and cucumbers.
Everything we ate was simple yet delicious - it hit the spot perfectly!
Restaurants in Mardin can be pricey but Suzana Cafe is remarkably affordable making it a great budget-friendly dinner option in Mardin.
Address: Şar Mahallesi, 240 Kişla Sokak, 23A1, 47700 Artuklu/Mardin
Kepapçı Kadir Usta - Flavour Packed, Wallet Friendly Kebabs
Located on the edges of Eski Mardin (Mardin Old City), Kepapçı Kadir Usta is the place to go if you’re craving a kebab but don’t want to break the bank.
During our first visit to Mardin we ended up at Kadir Kebap Usta pretty often. It was winter, during the Covid pandemic, and it was one of the very few places open.
The owner, Kadir, was super friendly. We were waiting to check-in to our hotel and he invited us to come out of the rain for some lentil soup and çay. Everything tasted so good that we decided to come back and have dinner later that evening.
Vincent decided to order a Mardin kebab - unlike the more famous Adana and Urfa kebabs that are ubiquitous across Turkey, he’d never heard of this one before.
Mardin kebab is made with hand cut minced meat and tail fat mixed with spices and parsley. Served with grilled tomatoes, peppers and onions dusted in sumac, Vincent described it as a “party in his mouth”.
Kadir kindly made me a vegetarian kebap with an assortment of grilled vegetables. It was pretty tasty but still wasn’t a patch on Vincent’s dinner, so I felt a bit jealous.
Later that week Vincent tried the tavuk şiş (chicken kebab) and an Adana kebab and gave those a huge thumbs up as well.
Kepapçı Kadir Usta is a great choice for meat-lovers on a budget. The soups are great for vegetarians but if you want something more substantial check out the other restaurants in this post.
Address: Merkez Mahallesi, Diyarbakır Kapı, 1. Cadde, No.503, 47100 Artuklu/Mardin
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8:00am - 9:00pm.
Falafel Ammo Hamza - The Best Syrian Falafel and Hummus
The delicious falafels from Falafel Ammo Hamza
One of our favourite things about travelling around southeastern Turkey was finding tiny Syrian restaurants doing a booming business in falafel, crispy, golden patties made from ground chickpeas, herbs and spices, and hummus, a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and cumin.
With this region being a haven for meat lovers, finding good vegetarian or vegan options was sometimes a challenge. When we were in a pinch, we’d try to find a spot selling hummus or falafel so that I wouldn’t go hungry.
(My other option was soup but as we quickly learned, many soups in eastern Turkey are made with meat stock. Arghhh!)
This hummus from Falafel Ammo Hamza was so insanely good that we got some to takeaway!
One day we happened to walk past Falafel Ammo Hamza and the owner invited us to try his fresh just-fried falafel. Crispy and herby on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside - we were immediately hooked.
We ordered a feast of falafel, hummus and foul, a fava bean salad with tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley, drizzled with tahini sauce. Everything was so fresh and packed with flavour - we ended up coming back multiple times!
Falafel Ammo Hamza also offers filling falafel wraps with pickles and salad for a mere £1.70/$2. A total bargain!
Address: Şar Mahallesi, 1. Cadde, No. 416, 47100 Artuklu/Mardin
☕ The Best Cafes in Mardin
When we weren’t gorging ourselves silly on meze platters and kebabs or admiring Mardin’s stunning architecture, we were chilling out in cafes. Here are a few of our favourites.
Harire Mardin - Amazing Traditional Desserts & Drinks
Fabulous drinks and desserts at Harire Mardin
During our most recent trip we found ourselves returning more than once to Harire Mardin, a beautiful Mardin cafe on the main street specialising in regional drinks and desserts. One thing we knew we had to try? Reyhan şerbeti.
On a sweltering day nothing quenches your thirst like reyhan şerbeti, a sweet refreshing drink made from purple basil. After years of living in Turkey we’ve developed quite a taste for it (as have our visitors—my sister included!). In Mardin, it seemed to be everywhere - yay!
At Harire Mardin, the reyhan şerbeti is served in ornate patterned glasses on a silver tray alongside a bowl of dried chickpeas, nuts and seeds. Fancy! You can also order a portion of mardin çöreği, yummy sesame or almond date-filled biscuits to go with your drink.
One evening I decided to sample a dessert from Harire Mardin’s menu. The cafe is actually named after harire, a vegan pudding originating from Mardin and made from cinnamon, grape molasses, flour and sugar and topped with walnuts.
We tried the Assyrian dessert tabbaka, a rich milk-based rice pudding topped with a layer of sweet saffron-infused rice. It was creamy but also very light - very different to British rice pudding!
Vegans can also try zerde - a vegan version of traditional rice pudding made with saffron, sugar, rose water, pine nuts and currants.
Harire also specialises in a variety of Mardin kahvesi. Coffee lovers are spoiled for choice with options like the intensely strong and bitter mırra coffee, mortar-ground dibek coffee and cardamom flavoured Süryani coffee.
There’s also menengiç coffee, which isn’t technically coffee at all but a creamy, chocolatey drink made from roasted wild pistachio berries, blended with milk and sugar.
If you love desserts and coffee, this place is a must!
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9:00am - 11:30pm.
Harput Dibek Kahve Evi - Traditional Coffee in Mardin
This cute cafe was giving out free samples of Mardin dibek kahvesi when we visited! They have lots of coffee varieties and the staff are really friendly. It’s a good place to sit and watch the comings and goings in Mardin.
Address: Diyarbakır Kapı, 1. Cadde, No: 465, 47100 Mardin Merkez/Mardin
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8:00am/8:30am - 9:00pm
Izle Art Cafe - Wine and Cheese by Candlelight
This eclectically decorated, candlelit cafe serves up fantastic homemade Assyrian wine and delicious cheese boards.
Not quite wine o’clock? No problem - they also offer homemade lemonade, refreshing reyhan şerbeti, and various types of coffee.
With only a handful of tables inside, it fills up fast, so we’d recommend booking ahead to snag a seat!
Address: Şar Mahallesi, 239 Bademci Sokak, 42/D, 47100 Artuklu/Mardin
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:00pm - 12:00am
🌯 And That's a Dürüm!
I couldn’t resist ending this article with a cheesy Turkish pun. We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to the best restaurants in Mardin - do let us know in the comments if you try any of our recommendations when you visit.
And if there’s somewhere fantastic that we haven’t mentioned, drop us a line - we’re always looking for an excuse to go back to Mardin!
Before you go, make sure to check out some of our other Istanbul and Turkey/Türkiye guides:
🗓️ The Best 1 Day in Istanbul Itinerary
🏠 Best Areas to Stay in Istanbul: Coolest Neighbourhoods & Top Hotels
🛫 How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre
🗓 The Ultimate Turkey Itinerary 10 Days
🏖️ Where to Stay in Izmir: Best Izmir Districts, Top Hotels + Useful Tips
🕌 Things to Do in Mardin: Turkey’s City of Golden Stone
🇹🇷 The Best Places to Visit in Turkey
🌷 Visit the Istanbul Tulip Festival
🎪 18 Best Festivals in Istanbul
🏔 Cappadocia in Winter: 7 Reasons to Visit + 16 Amazing Things to Do
🍯 Where to Find the Best Baklava in Istanbul
🚂 Sirkeci Station: Discover Istanbul's Orient Express Station
🎄 Christmas in Istanbul: All You Need to Know for a Magical Stay
⛄ 9 Awesome Reasons to Spend Winter in Istanbul
🍳 Best Breakfast in Istanbul - 16 Incredible Places to Try
✅ 12 Things You Need To Do in Istanbul
✈️ How to Get From SAW Airport to Istanbul City Center
🔎 Explore Balat Istanbul: An Insider's Guide to One of Istanbul's Most Unique Neighbourhoods
🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
🥑 Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul
🖼️ 14 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep
🍔 Off the Eaten Track: The Best Street Food in Istanbul
🥦 Vegan Istanbul: The Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants
Find more travel tips and useful information on Turkey here.
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