Kirazli village is located 10 km outside of the holiday resort town of Kusadasi. Kirazli itself is a small, traditional village with some excellent local restaurants serving organic local produce, including organic wine, and the valley and the mountains that surround the village offer some lovely walks with amazing views. Kiraz, lying in a fertile bowl valley beneath the protected pine forests of Gul Dar (Rose Mountain) is Kirazli Koyu (Cherry Village).
What Kirazli Vilage has is shares with everyone. The natural beauty, the friendship of its inhabitants and the slow, steady pace of it’s lifestyle. The good produce of sour cherry and cherry and giving the importance to these fruits, caused the name of the village.renamed as Kirazli. Parallel to agriculture, stockbreeding was developed; animals increased such as cow, sheep, goat. Cherry Festivals began to be held from 1975; during these festivals beauty contests were organized, and cherry production was inspired. Recently Cherry Festivals are delayed because of economical problems for now. Kirazli is a a world away from the hot and bustling tourist centers of the coastal strip.
Kirazli Village, Kusadasi
Kirazli has a great location for exploring the region. Only a couple of kilometers away from Kusadasi, the village of Kirazli provides a complete countryside experience. You will virtually be the only tourists there..Stunning traditional stone-built house is a superb place from where to explore the incredible surroundings of ancient Ionia.
Kirazli Village, Kusadasi,
My husband and I were hungry for lunch. Our guide Taylan offered to take us to somewhere authentic… somewhere he would go for lunch, nothing too fancy, just regular everyday Turkish lunch.
We drove us up the road to Kirazli Village, which was even further away from our ship’s port, so we were happy knowing it wouldn’t be quite as touristy as everything else we’d seen in Kusadasi.
We did not go into the restaurant’s building, rather we chose to eat outside in the garden. There are many tables in the garden, all connected by a stone footpath and each with it’s own canopy. Some were made of cloth and others made of trellis and plants. Some had picnic style benches and other had cushioned seats. It was a very cute place.
We ordered based on the recommendations of our Turkish cabbie… rice wrapped in grape leaves (a turkish version of dolmades), goat cheese wrapped in phyllo and fried, eggplant and potato slices covered in yogurt sauce with dried hot chile peppers, and our main couse was sauteed beef with onions, tomatoes, and more hot peppers.
All of the food was fantastic. I can’t decide if my favorite thing was the goat cheese or the eggplant and yogurt sauce. We washed everything down with a couple of Turkish beers, Efes… and a shot of Raki, which is a digestive, similar to Sambuca. The service was quick, and the prices were excellent.
Taylan translated everything, and gave us a nice little lesson on Turkish culture while we ate!
It is a great experience just a fantastic ..
Thank you so much for everything you have done Taylan. I’ve enjoyed all
We went to Kirazli Village after a day of touring Ephesus. We had lunch at the very top of the hill at a restaurant where they cooked on open fired overlooking the hillside view. I loved the food and ambiance of the restaurant and the town. The people were lovely.