Once rather unknown to travelers, the Urla district in Turkey’s seaside Izmir province has recently been propelled into the limelight. That’s thanks to a string of newly minted Michelin-starred restaurants (three with the famed stars, and three with sustainability recognition)—and a trail of inventive and boutique wine producers called the Urla Wine Route. The area is a year-round reprieve that has managed to preserve and capitalize on its natural beauty; olive groves, fruit orchards, and vineyards here have become ground zero for the reinvention of modern Aegean cuisine and wine, inspired and sustained by the region’s fruitful lands. Today, Urla beckons with culinary delights, cultural treasures, and design-first hotels—here’s how to experience the new nucleus of Turkey’s fine-dining scene.
Getting there (and around)
Best reached by flying to Izmir’s Adnan Menderes Airport from Istanbul and then renting a car for the 30-minute drive, Urla’s urban makeup is loose, with an inland town center that extends to the waterfront. Its many gourmet attractions occupy prime place in its landscape, each enjoying a solitary position in nature. With restaurants and producers spread out, make sure to hire a car capable of taking on hilly country roads.
The most walkable (and busy) area is Urla town itself, with its well-known Sanat Sokağı (or Art Street)—a colorful row of renovated Aegean stone houses with simple shops and cafes—and the local vendors of the lively Malgaca Pazarı (or food bazaar) selling everything from fresh produce to spices and more. Wandering outside this central area yields Urla’s burgeoning culinary elegance; you’ll have to take on roads less-traveled to uncover the fine-dining restaurants, boutique vineyards, and design hotels that make this slice of Izmir so special. Below, a look at the best of Urla’s culinary and natural-beauty treasures.
Where to eat and drink in Izmir’s culinary heart
At one of Turkey’s first true farm-to-table fine dining restaurants, Od Urla, chef Osman Sezener has actively revived the region by working with local producers and sourcing ingredients from his own garden and farm. The Michelin-starred and Michelin Green-starred tasting menu offers overtly flavorful dishes defining contemporary Aegean cuisine (think fresh octopus and sea bream, homey beef cheek and local cheeses) served in a modern glass house with a view of olive groves.
Equally inspired by Urla’s seemingly inexhaustible produce, chef Ozan Kumbasar creates monthly-changing menus for only seven tables at his Michelin- and Green Starred restaurant, Urla Vino Locale. Surrounded by olive groves, artichoke fields, and vineyards, every dish at Vino Locale is paired with a wine selected by Seray Kumbasar, who was honored with the Michelin Sommelier 2024 award.
Another Michelin-starred restaurant set on the Urla Wine Route and among Urla’s forested hills backdropped by wind turbines, Teruar Urla showcases chef Osman Serdaroğlu’s years of training in southern Italy. Accordingly, it’s a celebration of cross-Mediterranean cuisine that experiments passionately with themes of sustainability in his restaurant’s own garden and laboratory.
Inside Narimor Urla, a boutique hotel in the outskirts of town, is a light-flooded dining room with a tasting menu courtesy of chef Atilla Heilbronn—a straightforward and stripped-down experience of local flavors mingling with central European cuisine: Having served as the chef and executive sous chef at the renowned Swiss hotel, The Alpina Gstaad, Heilbronn’s menus change regularly, with “pop-up” dishes and Turkish wine pairings.
