I'm not sure if this restaurant in the old town is related to the Megri lokantasi or not but it seems there are several establishments with the same name (Megri cafe, restaurant and lokantasi). We prefer to eat at the lokantasi but ended up at this location guided by Google maps, mainly looking to try their desti (or test? I've seen it spelled both ways) kebap which essentially is a stew cooked in a clay pot. Both the restaurant and cafe are located in the same area with the old town, share covered outdoor tables and kitchen. The lokantasi seems to be nearby but not in the old town (also as per google maps).
We first started with the Mediterranean salad and a couple of mezes (çacık and smoked eggplant), all were very good. The stew took a long while to be ready which we took as a good sign that it was actually being cooked as advertised and not just being placed inside the clay pot for show.
One the stew was ready the pot was brought to our table and literally the base was lit up on fire I guess to continue the cooking and to help with cracking the top part of the pot open. The stew was good, they were generous with the amount of lamb meat and didn't just fill the pot with vegetables. The meat was overall tender but some pieces here and there were slightly overcooked. The dish is for 2 people and it's not cheap (1800 TL at the time of this review) but it was worth trying since it's not a dish commonly served in restaurants throughout Turkey. read more