Vegetarian food

Vegetarian restaurants are not common, and can be found only in very central parts of big cities and some of the tourist spots. However, every good restaurant offers vegetable dishes, and some of the restaurants offering traditional “ev yemegi”(“home food”) have olive-oil specialities which are vegetarian in content. A vegetarian would be very happy in the Aegean region, where all kinds of wild herbs are eaten as main meals, either cooked or raw, dressed with olive oil. But a vegetarian would have real difficulty in searching for food especially in Southeastern region, where a dish without meat is not considered a dish.At such a place, supermarkets may help with their shelves full of canned vegetables, or even canned cooked olive-oil courses and fresh fruits. If you are a vegetarian and going to visit rural areas of Southeastern region, better take your canned food with you, as there will be no supermarkets to rescue you.
Vegetarian Restaurants in Turkey:
Pizza 74. Ataturk Caddesi, Fethiye, (252) 614-2481.This is a great place to stop for a quick bite to eat at low prices. They have a great selection of mezes, pides, soups, and fresh-baked bread for less than $2. Traditional Turkish vegetables, rice ,and meats are all inexpensively priced.
Vitamin Restaurant. Divan Yolu 16, Istanbul,+90 (212) 511 91 10. If you are a vegetarian or you just want healthy dining, you must visit this place. It is not a strictly "vegetarian only" restaurant - meat meals can be found here too. I couldn’t even imagine that so many different meals can be made from vegetables only!
Nuh'un Ambari Noah's Granary.Yeni Çarsi Caddesi 54, Galatasaray, Istanbul,+90 212 2929272. Istanbul's first 100% organic wholefood restaurant does a roaring trade at lunch time serving special tofu salad and tasty herbed potatoes with glasses of Turkish-produced soya milk and freshly squeezed organic fruit juice. Home-baked breads are also a specialty of the house. Out front is a health food shop where the emphasis is on organic and ecologically friendly produce.
Nature and Peace. Büyükparmakkapi Sokak 21/23 Beyoglu, Istanbul, +90 212 2528609. Bunches of dried herbs and vegetables dotted around the walls make this long oblong room reminiscent of a warm and cozy country kitchen. Make sure you check out the blackboard specials

before looking at the menu as it's often cheaper to order the daily special - consisting of soup, salad and a main meal - than to order everything separately.The cheesecake is definitely the best you'll find in Istanbul and the pumpkin pie is also good in season.
Zencefil. Kurabiye Sokak 3 Beyoglu, Istanbul, +90 212 2444082. Always full of local office workers, students, ex-pats and intellectuals for both lunch and dinner, Zencefil has a reputation for being the place to go for great food. Highly recommended is the house salad with soybeans and beetroot. Other favourites are the vegetable lasagne and the potatoes with mushrooms.On the down side, be warned that the service can be a little slow if you're in a real hurry.
Also you can find great vegetarian food in: Parsifal (Kurabiye Sokak 13 Beyoglu, Istanbul,+90 212 2452588), La Calle (Jurnal Sokak Tünel,Istanbul), Badehane - Bade's House (General Yazgan Sokak 5 Tünel,Istanbul,+90 212 2490550), Semsiye (Galatea Building, Sofyali Sokak Tünel, Istanbul, +90 212 292 5127), Hercai Fickle (Dumlupinar Sokak 21 Kadiköy, Istanbul, +90 216 4142826).

Vegetarian food in Turkey