OD Urla

The 22 Best Restaurants and Vineyards in İzmir, Turkey | Eater

"Surrounded by large windows looking out on olive groves, Od Urla offers a true taste of every season. Led by chef-owner Osman Sezener, staff members make cheese from the milk of the restaurant’s own goats and grow vegetables in summer and herbs all year round. Though the a la carte and tasting menus cycle throughout the year, you might start your meal with blue-tailed shrimp from the Özbek region served with citrus dressing, followed by sakız artichokes from Urla with pickled stems, crispy baklava dough, and pea cream. Then it’s on to signature dishes such as oxtail cooked 12 hours in a wood-burning oven, served with fig molasses and caramelized onion; roasted celeriac with mastic gum tarhana (dried fermented wheat berry and yogurt soup) and celeriac cream; or grouper with sakız artichoke. Along with an excellent wine cellar and whiskey collection, the bar offers a Negroni menu and other signature cocktails made from local botanicals and fruits. If you can swing it, book a stay in the property’s Guesthouse — a handful of rooms set among the olive groves, where breakfast features local produce — but the restaurant can also arrange a car to fetch you from other accommodations." - Tuba Şatana