Restaurants
Black Sea cooking is its own world: kuymak, hamsi, Akçaabat köfte and endless tea. Here is where to eat it properly.
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Black Sea seafood
Hamsi in winter, fresh catch year round, best near the coast and harbours.
Akçaabat köfte
Charcoal-grilled meatballs served with piyaz — a local staple, not a tourist gimmick.
Highland breakfast
Kuymak, honey, village butter and tea, usually best mid-morning on a terrace.
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Trabzon's food map follows the geography. Along the coast and around the harbours the menus are fish-led, and in winter hamsi appears in everything from the grill to cornbread. In the centre you'll find kebab houses, soup shops and long-running köfte grills, while Akçaabat is the reference point for charcoal köfte.
Head uphill and the food changes again: kuymak, village butter, honey and dark cornbread on highland terraces, usually served slowly and best treated as a late breakfast rather than a quick stop. Trout is the standard around Uzungöl and the mountain valleys. Portions are generous, tea comes constantly, and most local places are busiest right after Friday prayers and on Sunday afternoons.
Frequently asked
- What should I eat first in Trabzon?
- Akçaabat köfte, a Black Sea fish plate and a kuymak breakfast cover the three main local traditions.
- When is hamsi season?
- Anchovy is a cold-season fish and is most associated with the late autumn and winter months.
- Are vegetarian options available?
- Yes — mezes, cornbread, cheese-based dishes like kuymak, soups and salads are widely available, though menus are meat and fish heavy.
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