Of course, you will find many of the same foods we highlighted on the Foods in Istanbul, Turkey page, but one of the local specialties is a slow-cooked dish in a ceramic pot. You can find meat and vegetarian versions of this in many restaurants.
Restaurants
Ala Cappadocia Restaurant is an Anatolian restaurant in the upscale hotel group Anatolian Houses Hotel and Spa. We loved the calm, white tablecloth atmosphere in an elegant cave setting. Their versions of Testi (pottery) kebap and Turkish Ravioli (mantı) were both good, and we also enjoyed raki and wine.
Valentine Cafe: this was on the way to Uchisar Castle. (Tekelli, Göreme Cd., 50240 Uçhisar/Merkez/Nevşehir, Türkiye) After a 2.5 mile hike from Goreme towards the castle, this was the perfect spot to stop for lovely cool drinks and fabulous views before the final 10 minutes up to the castle.
At Köşebaşı Cappadocia restaurant, the food and service were great. . . but they let some Turkish locals smoke inside which is against Turkish law and also yucky. We asked the waitstaff to ask the smokers to stop. They stopped for 30 minutes, then lit up again.
But otherwise, this was enjoyable and the menu has gluten-free and vegan menus, and allergens listed on all items, so despite the smoke warning you might still want to try it.
They start by showing you about a dozen appetizers, which is very nice and would be especially helpful to those not familiar with Middle Eastern appetizers (like babaganoush, muhamarra and such). We had 2 and they were very good. They are served with bread made in the wood-fired oven. We also got an herb salad with pomegranate dressing and tomatoes. They served this with the appetizers so we could share it, which was nice.
Main dishes--we had 2 different lamb dishes between the three of us and all were delicious: well-spiced, great labneh-based sauces.
For dessert, we tried Katmer which is sweetened filo dough baked in the oven, served tableside with clotted cream and a sprinkle of pistachios. One was the perfect size for 3 of us to split. You should get this for sure!
They also carry the "best" wine of this wine-growing region, Gravity, but it was 2,700 lira for a bottle and 500 lira for a glass. We decided that was too rich for those of us accustomed to excellent California wines and lower prices.
Above, the appetizers, salad, 2 mains, and dessert.
We also tried a good Indian restaurant, Dalchini (Orta Mahalle, Aydınlı, Belediye Cd. No:7, 50158 Nevşehir, Türkiye). After being in Turkey 2 weeks and eating out three times a day, we needed a little variety from Turkish restaurant food. There are MANY Indian visitors to Cappadocia, so we thought we'd pick one with high ratings from Indian nationals. Good lassi, fried corn appetizer, and several chicken dishes were all flavorful and good portions.