Best Restaurants in Sivas 2026

Sivas is a historic city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, renowned for its magnificent Seljuk-era architecture and its pivotal role in Turkish national history. Home to the Sivas Congress of 1919 — a critical event in the founding of the Turkish Republic — the city preserves some of the finest medieval Islamic monuments in Anatolia. The Buruciye, Çifte Minareli, Gök, and Şifaiye madrasas cluster in the city centre, while Divriği's UNESCO-listed Great Mosque lies within the province. At 1,285 metres elevation on the Central Anatolian plateau, Sivas offers an authentic, crowd-free alternative to Turkey's tourist-heavy western cities.

Sivas cuisine is rooted in Central Anatolian pastoral tradition — hearty, warming, and dairy-rich. The city's signature dish is Sivas köftesi (flat charcoal-grilled meatballs), accompanied by piyaz (white bean salad) and cacık. Tarhana çorbası — a fermented wheat-and-yogurt soup — is eaten daily by locals and defines the city's food identity. Mantı (tiny Turkish dumplings) and keşkek (slow-cooked wheat and lamb) appear at weddings and festivals. Dairy features prominently: fresh white cheese, thick yogurt, and cream-topped pastries. Street food is dominated by simit, gözleme, and börek. Restaurant prices are among the most affordable in urban Turkey.