ADA Restaurant

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ADA Restaurant, Fethiye: Mediterranean & Turkish Dining on Şövalye Island

ADA Restaurant: An Island Dining Experience in Fethiye

On Şövalye Island, just a short boat ride from Fethiye’s Çalış Beach, ADA Restaurant offers a distinctive escape. Perched on the eastern slope of the island with views across the bay, the restaurant is accessible only by the restaurant’s own boat, Şövalyece, which ferries guests from a wooden pier near Şat Burnu. The journey takes about fifteen minutes, and the setting, looking out over Çalış Beach, is an immediate introduction to a meal that feels removed from the mainland.

The kitchen here draws from the Mediterranean and Turkish culinary traditions. The menu, recognised by the Michelin guide, is built around meze, seafood, and grilled dishes. Starters include a mixed Ada Meze Plate with six varieties of appetisers, grilled octopus, and Paçanga Böreği — a pastry filled with pastırma and kaşar cheese, served with a sweet chili sauce. Calamari appears three ways: fried, grilled, and stuffed with prawn, octopus, fish, garlic, walnut, pepper, and cheese in a cream sauce. A Ballı Peynir Saganaki — pan-fried cheese with honey and roasted sesame — offers a sweet-savoury beginning.

Main courses continue the coastal theme. Grilled prawn skewers come with soy, mustard, and olive oil. Chicken dishes, such as Tavuk Şiş and Acı Soslu Tavuk, are served with lavash, bulgur pilaf, or grilled vegetables. Vegetarian options include a Sebze Güveç — a vegetable casserole with garlic and melted kaşar — and Ege Otları Kavurma, sautéed seasonal Aegean herbs with yogurt. The wine list and cocktails, from a classic Negroni to a Spicy Pineapple Margarita, complement the food.

The restaurant’s position on the island is central to its character. Lunch and dinner seatings are timed to the boat schedule, with the last return ferry from the island at 23:45 for evening guests. The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried, shaped by the water, the view, and the rhythm of the boat arrivals. ADA Restaurant is a place that asks you to arrive deliberately, and to stay until the last boat.