Ejder Restaurant

This is the best value meal you’ll have in Selcuk. Lamb was better than the Michelin starred meal I had in Urla 😅 chicken was wonderfully juicy and tender. Portions are huge too. The owner charges too cheaply… One of my fave meals in my 2 week vacation in Türkiye!!!

We were here on a quiet November Sunday afternoon and the restaurant and owners were greeted! The Chicken Shish is a must-try, it was so tender the cats were waiting for bites. Also had the aubergine which was great too. Red wine was light and nice. Owner’s son was nice enough to help us take this photo too 👍

We ordered Adana kebab, and it was truly amazing. Mr. Mehmet is a very kind individual who prepares the food himself. The establishment may be small, but the quality is exceptional.

The chicken here is SO GOOD that my friend even wanted to come back the next day for lunch just to have it again. Recommended ++ if you’re ever in Selcuk.

Kind and hospitable owner with good chicken! The chicken was so tender and the fries and rice was really good too.

Absolutely delicious! We ordered a bunch of different things from the menu and it was all top notch. The hosts were lovely and so sweet to our kids.

Absolutely delicious. We ate twice during our 3-day stay in Izmir region. Must try his dessert with pistachios.

Awesome lamb and chicken satay. Kebabs were juicy and absolutely delicious. Kept adding to our order 😆. The host is especially kind and helpful. Highly recommended.

Authentic family restaurant on pedestrian walkway. Nice selection of Turkish meals at reasonable prices. Tavuk Şiş is highly recommended. And of course an Efes Pilsner.

Amazing!! This place is a must-try if you're ever in the area. Located in the town of Selcuk just a quick drive away from ephesus, it makes for a perfect lunch spot after checking out the tourist attractions nearby. We came off-season in October and the place was empty besides us so we were immediately seated. We ordered stuffed aubergine (eggplant), mixed veggies (off-menu), chicken kebab plate, and lamb chops. The veggies were surprisingly good: the aubergine was nicely charred and the mixed veggies were fried so perfectly. The chicken kebab was their flagship dish. It was huge and so juicy; it was literally dripping meat juice when we lifted it up. Both the meats were very nicely charred and the owner plated everything super aesthetically together with sides of fries, salad and rice. The owner handcooks everything himself and he told us that the mixed veggies was a special dish that his wife made. We checked out his kitchen setup after - he makes everything just in a charcoal grill in his restaurant. The whole thing is super impressive and really humble for how well prepared the food is. It took a while for him to make everything but it was a very reasonable time considering he was one man staffed. This was probably our favorite restaurant in all of turkey, will definitely be coming back if we're ever kn the area!

This family owned and operated restaurant gets all the stars for their warm and friendly hospitality as well as their stuffed aubergine (imam bayıldı) dish, which literally translates to the "imam or Muslim priest fainted". The story states that the priest was so happy and pleased with this dish that he fainted upon tasting it. The eggplant is stuffed with a garlicky tomato and onion sauce, and served with rice and yogurt. It's so delicious we had to have a second round of it, we couldn't get enough of the flavors. We also had the levrek and the adana kebap, both ok but neither as good as the aubergine. The dessert was also underwhelming, and probably could have done without the chocolate and raspberry sauces they add on top.

I would give less if I could. Horrible in every single way. Service was awful. What little food we managed to get was bad. They came over and offered to give us something we didn't order. Just horrible. Worst experience I've had abroad.

Over the course of two meals we tried every salad, vegetable and meze on the menu and they were all delicious. The charcoal grilled sea bream and sea bass were impeccable. The kebabs and lamb dishes were great. The lahmacun was spicy and delicious. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Go. You won't be sorry. And if your table faces the aqueduct, you may see a pelican nest!

While I went to this establishment because of the high marks it received in the reviews, I left unimpressed and disappointed. My friend and I ordered some mezze dishes as well as an entrée for each of us. The mezzes were fine. The eggplant dish that everyone raves about was quite tasty, but we also wanted dolmas. After 20 minutes, the waited came out and told us they had run out so we chose the stuffed eggplant, also quite good. The reason why I'm giving this establishment two stars is the entrée - my friend ordered the mixed meat platter and I ordered the goulash. His platter came out first but I had to wait 20 minutes for my entrée to arrive. The steak on my friend's platter was cooked so poorly that it was like rubber and inedible. Not worth the prices they were asking. We won't be back.

Very friendly family owned restaurant in a nice outdoor seating environment. Great Kebabs and salads.

The food was very tasty, affordable and traditional Turkish dishes. The place has an awesome view, we saw the sunset looking at the ruins and the fountains during the dinner. Not only that the attention was more than welcoming and the atmosphere is very cosy. I would recommend this place for sure

Amazing food and service! A group of us from intrepid came here and was not disappointed!! Highly recommend stopping here for some food and a nice view of the fountain and aqueduct!!!

Pretty much the best food we've had in Turkey. Great vegetarian options too and wonderful service. Very good with kids. We'll probably be back every evening for the rest of our stay. We came here based on another traveller's recommendation and were very glad that we did. The dishes that stood out were the aubergine stuffed with tomatoes, the chicken sis and the borek. Delicious!

Absolutely incredible place to eat. Fantastic service, and the food is outstanding. The restaurant is in a beautiful place too. The food is 110% fresh and homemade. Can't get any better than this. We were a party of 10 and were treated like family. Kabob is absolutely incredible.

We ordered fish and mixed grill platter. The owner made everything in front of us. She even fried the fries right in front of us. It was very flavorful. She was extremely warm, welcoming and very kind hearted. She gave conplimentary apple teas, apple, bread, salad. Everything was super awesome. I will go to the same restaurant again and again and again. The fish was not smelly at all, and very soft, juicy, and tasty.

We are staying at the St. John house (itself excellent) and came to the Ejder after getting a recommendation from Alison who runs the guest house. The food was wonderful, the hosts very friendly, and the prices extremely reasonable. The meals have a local, home-cooked quality in the best sense of that concept. Those who tried the regional specialities were especially pleased, with the dish of chicken and local mushrooms being a standout.

Ejder is a nice man who runs his restaurant with his wife who cooks all the dishes. I've been eating Turkish food for about 2 weeks and his Lahmacun really woke up my taste buds. His service was great too, offering us free tea and watermelon. Good choice if you're hungry in Selcuk.

Remarkably friendly and attentive service. Wonderful food. Great ambience at a sidewalk table. I'm pretty stingy about giving five stars, but I have nothing but good to say about this place.

We had an absolute feast at this restaurant after a long visit to nearby Ephesus. The owner brought us out a vegetarian meze platter that was prepared by his wife (the cook). Everything on it was delicious... I was basically stuffed by the time my main, the mixed grill, came out. But the grill was so good that I managed to put all of that down as well! Prices were extremely reasonable. Our whole meal for two people (which was enough food for four normal people) was only around 60 TL, including drinks. Highly recommended!

This establishment is rightly highlighted in many of the guide & travel books. It's location, just down from the Selcuk train station, in a pedestrian street with shaded tables looking at the Byzantium Aquaduct where the arches are covered in storks nests, make this a brilliant spot for a cool drink, a snack or a full blown Turkish feast. Mehmet who cooks all the hot dishes on the BBQ and his wife who is in charge of all the mezes and vegetarian dishes prepare everything from locally scoured food in an incredibly small kitchen. In the evening you can have up to 80 covers and no one is turned away. The chicken kebab is colossal and renown as his beer served in their own ice champagne style buckets. Customers should ask to see the previous customers comments in the restaurants scrap books and will be impressed and surprised at the celebrities and neighbours from back home who have recorded their comments.