Parlak Restaurant

I ate at this restaurant twice, and my conclusion is that it’s more about the elevated look than about high food quality. Both times I was simply satisfied with my meals, but not WOWed. I first discovered this restaurant a year ago just while walking by. The menu looked great, and the host was super welcoming, so I decided to stop for lunch. Visually, I loved everything I saw from the moment I entered – the outdoor yard is beautifully decorated with plants and flowers, making it an absolute pleasure to sit outside and relax. The weather that day was mild,so I picked a table outside. There’s also a large indoor area that’s very nice-looking and impeccably clean. On my second visit the weather in Antalya was extremely hot, so I chose to sit inside. Having experienced both areas, I can say I definitely prefer the outdoor seating – it feels resort-like. When it comes to service, it was decent but not great. Sitting inside I got much quicker attention from the waiters whenever I needed something. Sitting outside was a different story – only a couple of waiters were around,and none checked on me even once during my meal. I also remember it took quite a while to get my bill when I sat outside, while inside the process was quick and smooth. Overall, though, the staff had a good attitude and were polite. Their English was decent enough, so communication wasn’t a problem. The restaurant’s menu is large, offering a wide variety of mostly traditional Turkish dishes. A big plus is that there’s also an English version available. During my first visit, I ordered Coban Salad (cucumber/tomato/onion salad) and a Chicken Shish Plate. The food arrived within 20 minutes. The salad looked nice and came in a generous portion, but the taste wasn’t great – they went overboard with the vinegar, which overpowered everything else and made the salad too watery. The Chicken Shish was the opposite: the plate presentation looked messy and not very appealing, but the food itself tasted delicious. The chicken was perfectly cooked – tender and flavorful; the Turkish-style bulgur tasted great; and I loved the fresh crispy lavash bread. On my second visit, I ordered Domates Salatasi (tomato salad) and Grilled Calamari. Amusingly, the experience was similar to the first time. The tomato salad looked and tasted good overall, but again, they added a bit too much vinegar, which slightly affected the balance. It was also overloaded with large pieces of parsley, which got stuck in my teeth and were unpleasant to swallow. The grilled calamari looked appetizing, smelled great and tasted good too. However, the outer skin wasn’t cleaned properly, and it was extremely chewy, like rubber. Even when I cut the calamari into pieces, the skin stretched like chewing gum, which was quite off-putting. Overall, none of the four dishes I tried was perfect. Considering the restaurant’s upscale image, this was disappointing! But the one thing I absolutely loved was the Turkish tea! It was delicious and flavorful, and both times I ended up ordering 3 cups because I just couldn’t stop enjoying it! Another downside of the restaurant is the pricing. It’s expensive, and the medium food quality doesn’t match the prices. In the end you’re mostly paying for the restaurant’s image and branding, not outstanding food. For example, both times I paid around $30 for one salad, one main dish and three teas. I was charged 350 TL for the salads (by the way, slightly smaller portions of Coban Salad are sometimes given as a free side in many other restaurants in Antalya), 800 TL for grilled calamari, and 40 TL per tea (just 20 TL in many other cafes and restaurants around Antalya). These prices would be at least half in many good but less fancy restaurants around the city. A big plus is that this place accepts all major credit cards and Apple Pay, and it also offers fast Wi-Fi for guests. In conclusion, I believe it’s worth visiting this restaurant once,mainly for the experience and its charming atmosphere. Just don’t expect the food to blow you away and keep in mind that your bill will be high.

What an incredible refreshing find! In a tourist town with overpriced junk food everywhere, this 71 year old gem was a true gastronomic find. Nothing fancy just authentic regional cuisine with top quality ingredients cooked to perfection. Each morsel was a palate pleasing mouthful. Attentive but not over bearing staff; full of local VIPs and an atmosphere that was classy yet relaxed (courtyard setting). Very clean toilets. Nice touches of heritage. Going back again tomorrow night to sample more of the rare finds on the menu. Thank you for saving the reputation of Antalya’s restaurants. Meal for family of 5 - roughly 6000TL - an absolute bargain for the quality faute served here.

The atmosphere was too notch! It is a very bustling restaurant. Seeing the sun set was gorgeous. The service was very nice as well even though there was slight miscommunication when ordering. The steak was quite tough and small in portion for the price in my opinion. However, the appetizers were all so good! Especially the potato dish. We even ordered another!

The ambience is nice, but that’s about the only positive. The staff is unwelcoming, and the grilled sea bass, though fresh, was bland and completely overpriced. The bread was too tough to be torn by human teeth, while the salad was the only decent part of the meal. Honestly, not worth your time or money.

We came for a dinner at Parlak and were so happy with our evening. Hasan was the best waiter I’ve had in Turkey. He was very professional, kind and helpful and made our dinner so special. He recommended dishes (the humus was incredible, and the Turkish coffee and tea was too) and was very attentive. If you are ever in Kaleiçi and looking for a great meal and great service, I highly recommend Parlak. If I could give Hasan 10 stars, I would! Thank you Hasan

This restaurant is known for authentic chicken dishes. Once there we could smell the charcoal roasted chicken and even though they have a diverse offering of other home made Turkish dishes in the show window, we took two portions of half chicken and added on a fresh summer salad which included strawberries, avocado and a light dressing alongside with artichoke and bean sides. All in all, the chicken is worth a visit and in summer time, when you visit it at daytime, you should definitely stay in the AC environment indoors. Waiter Ugur makes you feel home and welcome. Thank you.

Affordable if you eat by group good for sharing food is delicious so far this is the best restaurant ive been in Antalya highly recommend 💖💖 dont forget to give a tip for your server (we had mazloum good in speaking english) because they re very good and very tourist friendly. Inclusivity is appreciated. You wont feel snobbed by the staff.

The staff are so accommodating. We didan’t struggle to find the place in google maps. They have an indoor air conditioned area or outdoor dining. The menu has an english translation and the staff communicate so well. This is the first restaurant that we have really delicious food. The service is excellent, Mazlum is the staff who accommodated us. He’s really nice and walk us through the menu. The place itself is instagram worthy! We got free tea as well

Smells like the inside of a cigarette. Don't be fooled into accidentally eating at the red tablecloth place in the back -- they share an entrance and dining Pavillon but have different kitchens. Service wasn't that fast despite them only have solo-dining grown men. The place is buggy and we wound up not spending much time there. Very limited vegetarian options, I got pasta without chicken and asked for extra vegetables instead and it tasted very bland and looked like sauerkraut in pasta. I could make it at home if I microwaved penne with mayonnaise. Next.

The receptionist at our hotel suggested that this was the best Turkish food in the whole city. Maybe it is. That remains to be seen. The waitstaff however has quickly identified itself as the least pleasant and least helpful people that I have met. Ever. And I am not young. Nonetheless, there are mitigating factors. The coal roasted chicken is tasty and reasonably juicy; the grilled calamari was described as amazing; the beef what is described as having a nice flavor "some pieces are better than others". The beef was served in what appears to be a traditional copper dish and it made a very nice presentation. For myself, the oyster mushrooms were the star of the meal. I wouldn't return, but I definitely have had worse.

We went to this restaurant on a recommendation from a hotel staff member. It's just outside the old city, in a courtyard off a busy main street. The setting was a pleasant distraction from the hustle and bustle of the main drag, and the food was pretty good. The mezes were the main attraction, all that we had were good. I had the mixed grill as a main, which was just average.