Öz Urfa Restaurant, Kuşadasi, Turkey: memorable kebabs, stews & pita

Öz Urfa Restaurant

Öz Urfa Restaurant, just one block from the port in Kusadasi, Turkey, was the perfect place to revive ourselves after our morning at the ancient ruins of Ephesus.  After several hours in the hot sun wondering at the incredible Celsus Library and the Gate of Hercules and the stone carving of the Goddess Nike and the rest of the ruins, we needed reviving.  Therese and I met her mother Eileen at our Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the port and headed back into town.

Celsus Library in Ephesus

Goddess Nike stone carving at Ephesus

Kusadasi shopping area

I knew that we had stopped at the right restaurant as soon as I saw the pita bread they put on our table at Öz Urfa.  Fresh from the oven, and full of body and soft and very tasty, this was bread to savor.  We used it to sop up the variety of yummy dips that started our meal: hummus and baba ganoush, accompanied, of course, by grape leaves and olives that tasted absolutely scrumptious.

Pita baker practicing his craft

For our main dishes, I selected a lamb stew with potatoes and Therese also had a stew, chosen from the large display case just inside the entrance of the restaurant.  Eileen, on the other hand, picked a nice kebab from those on display in another case, looking moist in their marinades and ready for grilling.  We were all quite satisfied with ourselves by the time the food was deposited securely in our bellies, and ready to head to the Kusadasi souks nearby for some serious shopping.

Stews ready for picking

Kusadasi souks or shopping stalls