FOUR SEASONS ALACATI

Alaçatı, which is on everyone's lips in the summer, has magnificent autumn, winter and spring. The true beauty of the village is revealed before the crowds fill the streets...

While walking on the narrow streets with paved cobblestones, you can enjoy the different architectures of the stone houses, doors, windows and bay windows, which are the products of patience, labor and care, and watch the colorful bougainvilleas and geraniums. The always cool and humid air of Alaçatı allows you to walk on the streets comfortably and the slanting light of spring and winter allows you to perceive the colors with all their liveliness.

Surfing on windy days when the sea is clear is a different experience, the beach and the sea that turn into a minefield in the summer are left to you in the off-season. In the evening, while taking a bike tour along the surfing path, breathing in the fresh, fragrant air, watching the landscapes that turn from green to yellow and the sunset will make you say, 'This is life!'

At night, absolute silence prevails, not a sound is heard, you will have the most peaceful sleep in Alaçatı.

Those who love Alaçatı know that the real fun comes out of season, and they come to the town all the time, except for summer.

The owners of the venues, who have endless love and respect for both Alaçatı and their guests, keep their venues open in summer and winter. They make great devotion and effort to make Alaçatı enthusiasts feel like home 12 months a year with their warm and friendly atmosphere, wonderful flavors or events. Sometimes they rest for just one month and sometimes during the week. They know that the season needs to be spread throughout the year for the healthy development of our town, and they take the first steps with their sacrifices.

In addition,  the most colorful and enjoyable events such as the Big Fish Tournament, Fancy Women Bike Tour, ASH Alaçatı Art Week, Gran Fondo Bike Tour, Kite Festival, Marathons  start in the autumn and Alaçatı becomes really lively then.

This article, which I wrote years ago and expanded with additions every year, has inspired many travel writers and in recent years they have shared Alaçatı's worthwhile places to visit, visit and enjoy outside of the summer season in their columns, on their blogs and websites or on social media with quotes. How lucky we are!

We are updating our article by adding innovations this fall and  calling it Four Seasons Alaçatı  🙂

Here are our favorite places in Alaçatı that are open 12 months a year:

Restaurants in Alaçatı

  • Agrilia: Agrilia,   which has been indispensable in Alaçatı for 15 years  , moved to the garden of Alavya Hotel, full of memories, in the summer of 2016. Agrilla continues to offer its magnificent flavors on weekends in autumn, winter and spring.  At Agrilla , the best restaurant in Alaçatı, we are happy to enjoy delicious flavors such as sardines in vine leaves, smoked meat, kokoreç with artichokes, steamed calamari, spinach, beetroot and pear, purslane oriental, zucchini and apricot einkorn salads, fresh broad bean sweetbreads, apple turkey ragu tortellini, smoked meat vodka tagliolini, einkorn chicken confit, lomo, marinated or dry-aged entrecôte, vegetable meatballs, fig black, profiterole and affogato, all 12 months a year.
  • Asma Yaprak:  Ayşe Nur Mihçi is a true Aegean and Alaçatı volunteer. She is an unpretentious, unhurried, hardworking, patient and very attentive woman. She loves cooking, she knows it very well, she devotes herself to what she does and shares it with people. She does not pursue fan fin background decorations, menus or dishes, she presents the essence of Alaçatı and the Aegean. She started by restoring a tiny house, saying, 'Let the hearth always burn in summer and winter, so that those walking the streets of Alaçatı can eat at a warm guest room table.' Then the number of enthusiasts of her flavors increased so much that she added the wonderful garden at the back to the restaurant. Ayşe Nur keeps her passion, which she gets from the unique recipes of the family elders who are passionate about Aegean flavors and from family meals that are lived like a ceremony on long tables, alive in this garden. In the kitchen, decorated with enamel plates, glass jugs and glasses, saucepans, bowls, jams, cranberry sherbets, the stove starts burning early in the morning, and what delicious things are cooked there all day long! All the ingredients are selected locally and according to the season; you find yourself fainting with pleasure after trying the appetizers such as sinkonta, çalkama, stuffed zucchini flowers, broad bean and artichoke pilaf, lamb and cinnamon meatballs in the oven, pumpkin and carrot dessert and beet brownie. Asma Yaprağı in Ayşe's words 'My very dear son Kerem... My very dear Ayşe whom we work with... And I am Ayşe Nur... We are together in Asma Yaprağı... We are a team that wants peace and shares peace... We are the ones who enjoy reflecting the spirit of Alaçatı... Offering Aegean flavors... Listening to the music of both sides of the Aegean... Setting Aegean tables... Knowing the value of these tables... We are the ones who are grateful for the food we cook and the tables around which our loved ones gather'
  • Kapari Bahçe : Banu and Haluk Maga were our friends who could not get enough of the delicious food and the wonderful presentation of their tables, this mastery of taste met Alaçatı visitors in Kapari Bahçe in 2014. The taste of the Aegean flavors they offer in the heavenly garden they created by preserving the ruins of Hacı Memiş's oldest and largest stone mansion is insatiable. Banu first rolled up her sleeves to create a garden by sorting out the ruins of the stone mansion, using the stones she took from the house, she built garden walls and terraces, and livened up the garden with 50-year-old olive trees and colorful flowers. Then she added antique furniture, objects, and lighting, each more tasteful than the other, and the result was a wonderful garden that smelled of life. On the one hand, the menu offers flavors such as zucchini flower tempura, Cretan paste, shrimp saganaki, hania pastry, Greek style moussaka, mastic panacotta that carry the traces of the opposite side, while on the other hand, there are delicious specialties such as zucchini chitmesi, lamb liver with leaves, amber benedict, artichoke pasta, grandmother's meatballs, lamb küşleme that reflect the traditions of our side. Our favorites are eggplant paçanga, seafood linguini and the Balkan dessert 'trileçe'.
  • Papazz:  If you want to experience a perfect Alaçatı family table and hospitality, Papazz is undoubtedly your address. The 150-year-old wonderful stone building and garden, which has hosted the İleri family for four generations, was restored in 2016 and transformed into a delicious restaurant when Sebla and Murat İleri decided to open its doors to their guests. Each flavor is made by Murat Bey's own kitchen, and salads adorned with lush green herbs, tender and crispy grilled baby calamari, delicious grilled jumbo shrimps, stuffed zucchini flowers, olive oil sarma, roasted carrots with yogurt, seasonal vegetables and appetizers such as sea beans, finger-biting artichoke pilaf, legendary tandoori, meatballs, the perfect papazz dessert reminiscent of tahini baklava, kazandibi and creme caramel are all served with Murat Bey's handmade tomato sauces, tomato pastes, mustards and peppers. Murat Bey's wife Sebla Hanım takes care of the entire arrangement, atmosphere and management of this cozy and warm place like a poem, and welcomes the guests one by one, and their daughter Serra accompanies the family in the summer. Papazz is an indispensable stop for Alaçatı lovers in both summer and winter, with movie nights, fireplace chats and games in the winter.
  • Köşe Kahve:  Our indispensable  Köşe Kahve  is a magical place that brings together our dear friend Tomris' tasteful aesthetics, Gülay's sincere and natural warmth with her smiling eyes, and the positive energy of the Köşe Kahve team with wonderful flavors. While watching village life all day long, you can enjoy delicious omelets, menemen, Kardeş simit, croissant, quinona parmesan salad, avocado strawberry salad, peach purslane, hamburger, grilled salmon, prosciutto pear parmesan plate, pork sausage, sour cherry crumble, merengue and wonderful flavors and cocktails at Köşe Kahve.
  • Kapha:  The owners of Before Sunset opened Kapha restaurant in the delightful garden under the trees of the Alvaya hotel in 2016. The restaurant, which takes its name from the Kapha energy, which is formed by the mixture of water and earth elements in the ancient Indian medical science of Ayurveda, exhibits the blessings of water and earth on the tables. The tasteful garden, furnished with specially designed furniture, accessories and lighting, is like a secret oasis to escape from the crowded streets of Alaçatı. Although the 'Fine Dining' menu is a bit limited, the portions are small and the prices are quite expensive, the flavors are really good. The wine list is great. We are happy that Kapha, which will be open 12 months, has been added to Alaçatı's summer and winter open spaces.
  • Plaka : Located in Alaçatı Square, just next to Sailors Alaçatı, opened by the Sailor's team, Plaka is a delightful bar and light snack venue open both in summer and winter.
  • Atelier Malt : Kemal Demirasal, Alaçatı's young star chef whom we know from Alancha and Barbun, transformed the Barbun restaurant located in the Alaçatı village square into Atelier Malt. Light snacks, a variety of beers and cocktails.
  • Other addresses: 
    • For Aegean cuisine accompanied by live music:  Insula  and  Angie’s
    • For appetizers and fish:  Fava, Karina, Seagull  and  Kaptan
    • For pizza:  Pizza Locale
    • For hamburger:  Burger No:7
    • Pub with jazz:  Zeplin
    • For home cooking:  Eurasia

What to do in Alaçatı during off-season?

  • Ceramics at Terra Cotta…  Our warm ceramics workshop, which has been moved to a new square hidden on the Hacı Memiş road, is a very enjoyable place where you can find ceramic bowls, mugs, decorative accessories and also participate in ceramics workshops. Terra Cotta, an oasis created by ceramic artist Gül Alper, is a warm workshop where you can knead and paint ceramics in the courtyard of heaven without noticing how the hours pass and experience a kind of meditation.  You can also buy ceramic objects that support stray animals from Terra Cotta .
  • Enjoyable workshops at Zeytin Konak Hotel… Zeytin Konak  Hotel – In one of Alaçatı’s greenest and largest gardens,  Zeytin Konak Hotel , a corner of heaven created by our neighbors İlknur and Ertuğrul İçingir, offers wonderful events such as Cretan and Aegean Cuisine, Terrarium cactus design, yoga and fishing workshops. We recommend that you follow the program of the hotel, which is like an oasis in the middle of Alaçatı with its decades-old olives, pines, lilacs, bougainvilleas and geraniums.
  • Enjoyable workshops at Atölye Yağhane…  Another gem in Alaçatı that is open all year round is  Atölye Yağhane.  A historical olive oil mill has been transformed into an event center. In this wonderful venue, where both Alaçatı locals and guests can participate, you can join food, ceramics, pottery, tile, tokat writing and music workshops.
  • Another treasure of Alaçatı is Alaçatı Bookstore.. . An intellectual born and raised in Alaçatı, Ömer Abi's 20-year-old bookstore is Alaçatı's most important cultural treasure. The autograph day tradition that started with the late Aziz Nesin continues and every year, from Kemal Anadol to Uğur Dündar, from Ayşe Kulin to Muazzez İlmiye Çığ, from Aret Vartanyan to Elif Şafak, Turkey's valuable writers meet with their readers in Alaçatı. Even if there is no activity in the winter, we definitely recommend you to stop by Alaçatı Bookstore and chat with Ömer Abi with the excuse of a book.
  • Another treasure of Alaçatı for the literate  is Keyfekeder Bookstore.  A great place for those who want to spend a little different time in Alaçatı; a happiness shop brought to the village with books, specially designed notebooks and bookmarks, designer objects, surprise exhibitions, autograph sessions, cute reading corners with armchairs, and tea and coffee. Keyfekeder, which has organized magnificent events such as Atilla Durak's exhibition, Alper Hasanoğlu and Yankı Yazgan autograph sessions and interviews, is one of the gems of our village that is open in summer and winter.
  • The secret corner of Pazar Yeri Mosque ... Another gem of Alaçatı is Pazar Yeri Mosque, which was converted from a church. The mosque was restored 3 years ago. However, the icons inside were preserved as they were. When the curtain is pulled while praying, you cannot see the icons, but when the curtain is opened, the icons, the works of the village's real creators, show respect to the Greeks. Another beauty of the mosque is the mosaics decorated with black and white pebbles covering its entire courtyard. This 100-year-old stonework, called podima or krokalia (crocodile back), is admirable.
  • Alaçatı Market…  The Alaçatı market, set up on Saturdays, is legendary. There is everything you can find in the market. Fresh vegetables, fruits, cheese, olives, walnuts, hazelnuts, lavender and black mulberry jam, mastic coffee and paste, various types of clothing, linen bedspreads, towels and loincloths, ceramic and wooden household items, and various types of flowers are all available in this market. If you are a fan of herbs, the local black-eyed herb, radika, arap saçı, radish, chibrika, coral, basil, and geranium are just the thing for you. The region is famous for its artichokes and melons. In recent years, it has become so famous that people come from surrounding towns and cities by bus to shop. The market, which can be a sweltering experience in the summer due to the crowds and heat, is a paradise at other times.
  • Fish Auction…  Another original experience you can witness in Alaçatı is the Fish Auction. Every morning at 11:00 in the auction building on the market road, fresh fish are auctioned off to their owners. It is really exciting to watch the competitive auction.

  • ALAÇATI AND SURROUNDING FESTIVALS

    • APRIL / ALAÇATI HERB FESTIVAL:  The Herb Festival, which has been held in March or April since 2010, is a festival organized to promote the diversity of Alaçatı herbs, the richness of its cuisine, and to prevent the loss of traditional dishes cooked with these herbs. It is truly a privilege to experience Alaçatı in the spring freshness when nature awakens and is adorned with a thousand and one varieties of herbs. A competition is also held at the festival, where the jams made by the people of Alaçatı, dishes made with a thousand and one herbs, pastries, and desserts are exhibited for 2 days, and the recipes of all the dishes participating in the competition are collected in a book. In this way, the Herb Festival also leaves a taste legacy to future generations.
    • MAY / ALACATI TASTING FESTIVAL
    • MAY / REİSDERE KITE FESTIVAL
    • MAY / HIDIRELLEZ FESTIVALS
    • JUNE / ÇEŞME OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT
    • JULY / ILICA'S GREETINGS TO ATA
    • JULY AUGUST / ALACATI PIANO FESTIVAL
    • AUGUST / ILDIRI CULTURE AND ART FESTIVAL
    • SEPTEMBER / ALACATI BIG FISH TOURNAMENT
    • SEPTEMBER / ALACATI FANCY WOMEN BICYCLE FESTIVAL
    • SEPTEMBER / BARBAROS CAVE FESTIVAL
    • SEPTEMBER / INTERNATIONAL ÇEŞME CLASSICAL MUSIC ACADEMY AND FESTIVAL
    • SEPTEMBER / OVACIK AGRICULTURE AND GUM SHEEP FESTIVAL
    • OCTOBER / ALAÇATI ART WEEK
    • OCTOBER / ALAÇATI INTERNATIONAL FISH TOURNAMENT
    • OCTOBER / GERMIYAN FESTIVAL
    • OCTOBER / DALYAN LOVE FESTIVAL
    • NOVEMBER / GRAN FONDO CYCLING RACE