Gustorante Cafe Bistro, Çalış – One Of The Regulars

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We’re back along Yerguzlar Caddesi again for this article. At Gustorante Cafe Bistro.

That’s the street which, among other places, is home to Çalış Sunday market; our home of kokoreç, Lokum – and Baba Fırın Bakery & Cafe.

We frequent so many places along this stretch of road. And, over the last couple of years, one of our little regulars has become Gustorante.

Gustorante Cafe Bistro

That’s its full Sunday name: Gustorante Cafe Bistro. Since it’s opening in the winter of 2018, it’s had a change to its tagline (formerly ‘Cafe & More), a complete redecoration and an update to the menu.

So, this is an update on Gustorante – how things stand at the moment.

Yerguzlar Caddesi is still new, growing and finding its feet and some businesses have already come and gone in a short time.

But Gustorante has hung in there, seeing off the pandemic, and always has a buzz of customers.

When it first opened, with a name like ‘Gustorante,’ we did wonder…

Was it all going to be overpriced, ‘style over substance’ dishes where one dines and leaves the establishment.

Then one goes home to make a sandwich because one is still ravenous?

Watching And Waiting

Throughout late autumn of 2018, we watched as the interior was being fitted out. It was certainly going to be a smart place.

There’s a lot of fast food joints in the immediate vicinity of Gustorante. This place was obviously going to be different and, naturally, we were curious.

Gustorante opened for business in December 2018. As with all new places, we gave them a bit of ‘settling down’ time before we ventured for a visit.

And now, as we said, it’s a regular for us. A place that we use as a bar and a cafe.

A Good Winter Spot

The interior of Gustorante is very stylish but also relaxed and comfortable, making a good winter spot.

The fully stocked bar serving soft drinks, teas and coffees as well as the usual alcoholic treats has quite an urban feel.

This is a bit of a trend in the Fethiye area at the moment. And whilst I’m not a huge fan of it for a bright seaside setting, Gustorante’s inland location lends itself well to this type of design.

And In Summer, Too

Any business on that side of the street along Yerguzlar is all too aware of the struggles of keeping their premises shaded during summer.

Lots of them, including Gustorante, have tried various shading strategies with varying degrees of not a lot of success.

Now, however, it seems Gustorante have got the shade just about as right as they can do.

Sitting there on a summer’s day is now very doable, especially when the fans are whirring.

You can, of course, retreat inside where it’s much cooler, anyway.

Settling In

Because there was so much buzz around Gustorante as it was being built, it inevitably opened to mixed reviews.

Some people absolutely loved it whilst others complained about the service. It was a shaky start.

But, for whatever reasons, Gustorante grabbed a lot of people – including us.

It’s found its feet, there’s a settled team of staff and it’s just a really nice place to have a lunch or relaxed evening meal.

Eating At Gustorante

The prices are reasonable at Gustorante and we’ve eaten there numerous times becuase we’re just in that are a lot.

Don’t worry about the ‘style over substance’ scenario. Portions are good.

And there’s a good choice of international dishes as well as Turkish cuisine on the menu.

International Dishes

There’s what you might expect from cafe-bistro menu.

The burgers are homemade and top notch.

No photo of those though as my usual order has now departed from the menu so no photos of the other options as yet.

This is chicken taco salad is a current favourite for me.

If you’re someone who shies away from ordering a salad when eating out, lest it be boring an uneventful, the chicken taco salad at Gustorante is a salad to convince you otherwise!

And, it has the bonus of being filling, too!

When it comes to pizza, the Gustorante pizza base is right up there.

Thin and crisp with a good raised crust around the edge.

I’ve always ordered the seafood pizza. But I am making an effort, these days, to order different dishes to my norm at the regular restaurants we go to.

So, most recently, it was a Mexican pizza that won the day.

The jalapenos were wonderfully hot – and there was some chilli sauce in the sauce rack, too, that I made good use of.

And then sometimes, it’s just a good old sandwich that does the trick. Served with fries and a small side salad, there are got and cold sandwiches served on panini.

This got steak sandwich was just what I was in the mood for!

The menu at Gustorante is comprehensive and there are lots more international dishes on offer from seafood to meat, chicken and vegetarian.

Barry’s go to is the chicken schnitzel which is beaten out really thinly and covers the whole base of the plate.

This comes with a small potato salad dressed in a béarnaise sauce.

Turkish Dishes

And the good news is, there’s also a decent selection of Turkish dishes on the menu at Gustorante.

On the breakfast and snack menu, there’s Turkish breakfast, menemen and you can also get gözleme.

The çökertme kebab at Gustorante is really tasty!

Strips of steak, crispy shredded deep-fried potato and topped with yoghurt and tomato sauce.

Not a dish I’ve ever ordered because Barry goes for this one, usually, and we like to order different meals so we can sample each others.

And we sometimes get asked about good places in Fethiye for getting a quality serving of mantı.

Gustorante wouldn’t have been a place that tripped off the tongue until recently. Again, a Barry order.

There are different ways to cook mantı and at Gustorante, it’s taken on a bit of colour.

Soft and velvety on the the inside and a slight crispness on the outside from being cooked in oil.

Çıtır mantı. Delicious!

Cafe Bistro

So, about this tagline, ‘Cafe Bistro.’ It actually works.

Gustorante has a full bar and is open til late but it doesn’t feel like a formal restaurant.

It’s a laid back place where you can go and have a chat over coffee and cake or a full meal.

The prices don’t make your eyes water.

But the presentation, the little twists to the dishes and the varied menu make it more than a cafe, too.

Gustorante Cafe Bistro has definitely found its feet.

The welcome and the service is friendly. And, along with all the other new businesses in this neighbourhood, we hope it stays around in years to come.

Gustorante Cafe Bistro – Useful Information

• Gustorante Cafe Bistro is on Yerguzlar Caddesi, near Çalış (see map below).
• It is open daily, year round until around midnight.
• There is a full bar as well as soft drinks and hot drinks.
• There is indoor and outdoor seating – inside is air conditioned during the hot summer months.
• Full contact details and more photos are on their Facebook page.
• Gustorante, along with other bars and eateries, can be found on our page of places to eat and drink in Fethiye.

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