Best Restaurants in Artvin 2026

Artvin is a rugged mountain province in northeastern Turkey, bordered by Georgia to the east and the Black Sea coast to the north. The province shelters a remarkable concentration of medieval Georgian Orthodox churches and monasteries hidden in forested valleys, alongside the Çoruh River — one of the world's fastest-flowing rivers and a world-class whitewater rafting destination. Dense chestnut and pine forests cloak the slopes of the Kaçkar and Karçal mountain ranges, while high plateaus offer cool summer escapes and pastoral landscapes that have changed little in centuries.

Artvin's food culture is rooted in the Black Sea and northeastern Anatolian traditions. Corn (mısır) is the backbone starch — eaten as bread (mısır ekmeği) or porridge (haşıl). Muhlama, a rich fondue of local cheese melted in butter, is the province's signature dish eaten at breakfast or as a snack. Anchovies (hamsi) from the Black Sea appear fried, steamed, or baked into rice. Mountain streams yield fresh trout (alabalık). Local dairy is excellent — kaymak, white cheese, and butter are served at every breakfast. Chestnuts from the province's extensive forests appear in desserts and as a cooking ingredient.