Mevlevi Sofrası

Mevlevi Sofrası occupies a compound of three traditional Konya houses that were rebuilt to their original form and are now run as a single restaurant. It sits directly across from the Mevlana Museum, the shrine of the thirteenth-century mystic Rumi, and the house describes itself as the only restaurant with a full view over it. Seating is spread across two contemporary dining rooms holding 150 and 60 guests, four smaller rooms furnished in Konya style, an 80-seat hall used for sema (the whirling ceremony of the Mevlevi order), and a 300-seat terrace facing the museum — around 700 covers in total between indoor and outdoor space. Sema performances can be arranged in that hall on request, and a specific room has to be booked in advance. The cooking is centred on the Konya repertoire: okra and yoghurt soups, vine leaves, su böreği (layered pastry), fırın kebabı (slow oven-roasted lamb), düğün pilavı (the rice served at local weddings), tirit, etli ekmek (a long flatbread with minced meat) and saç kavurma. Desserts run to höşmerim and semolina halva. Breakfast is served, and the kitchen also keeps set menus prepared for tour operators.