San Francisco has no shortage of Turkish restaurants serving the country’s greatest culinary hits: sizzling kebabs, colorful mezze spreads, and pizza-like flatbreads such as pide and lahmacun.
But until recently, one beloved tradition was notably absent from local menus: kahvaltı, the lavish Turkish breakfast spread, meant to be shared, savored, and lingered over.
Today, more and more spots are rolling out generous tablescapes of sweet and savory delights that include tangy Turkish cheeses; slices of sujuk (or sucuk), a kind of spiced Turkish beef sausage or air-dried, paper-thin slices of pastirma; dollops of creamy labneh; decadent kaymak (Turkish clotted cream); briny olives; tomatoes and cucumbers, and baskets of warm flatbread or pita and sesame-crusted simit. Add to that an array of savory dips and jewel-toned jams, and you’ve got a meal that’s as much about abundance as it is about flavor.
You’ll find just one major thing missing: a steady flow of Turkish black tea served in the country’s signature small, tulip-shaped glass (an ingenious vessel that allows the tea at the top to cool to a drinkable temperature, while the bottom remains very hot). All but one local restaurant has skipped over this essential element—though, at most, you can order some form of black tea separately.
Designed for a leisurely and shared experience, most local Turkish breakfasts are served only on weekends—though some serve a smaller version during the week. Whether you have a light appetite or lots of people to feed, here’s where to find your ideal meal.
Best Turkish Breakfast for Light Appetites
Lokma
(Amy Sherman)
Outer Richmond Mediterranean restaurant Lokma has been a popular neighborhood breakfast and brunch spot since opening in 2018. Their version of the Traditional Turkish Breakfast ($42) is served Thursday through Sunday. Designed for two people, it includes four scrambled eggs with coins of sujuk; cubes of feta; olives, tomatoes, and cucumber; walnuts, a few berries, and honey; spoonfuls of muhammara; a particularly delicious hazelnut spread; and kaymak—plus a stack of flatbread wedges. A light and tasty option, although Lokma doesn't include all of the classic elements, their Turkish breakfast is a good introduction to this style of dining and one of the most popular items on the menu.
// 1801 Clement St. (Outer Richmond), lokmasf.com
Best Turkish Breakfast for Families
Healthyish Republic
(Amy Sherman)
Healthyish Republic, situated on a sunny corner of 24th and Harrison Street in the Mission, usually caters to the keto, gluten-free, vegan, and Paleo crowd. But on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, this family-friendly restaurant offers a very abundant Turkish spread for two ($59) that could easily accommodate a couple of littles, too. The artfully presented feta, housemade kasar cheese, labneh with zaatar, Turkish black olives, cucumber with fresh herbs, muhammara, salad with tomato and avocado, outstanding tahini molasses with walnut, sweet housemade milk jam, kaymak with honey and pistachios, and either egg with sucuk and fried pepper or menemen (a luscious scrambled egg dish with onions and tomatoes). Setting it apart from some other Turkish breakfasts, Healthyish Republic’s includes warm flatbread, rusticana boulot, and simit. Service is relaxed and friendly, and the boho-style white space filled with greenery feels homey.
// 2990 24th St. (Mission) healthyishrepublic.com
Best Turkish Breakfast for Larger Groups
Turquaz
(Amy Sherman)
Turquaz is a surprisingly chic restaurant and bakery awash in baby blue and decorated with navy and white china plates just a block away from a gritty stretch of mid-Market. During the week, you can get a double or single version of their Turkish breakfast, but on the weekends, you can order the fittingly named Turkish Breakfast Feast ($140). Serving four and then some, it includes baked simit, two stuffed pogaca (a kind of bun), two wedges of crispy börek, four kinds of cheeses garnished with walnuts, Turkish black and green olives, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, fries, slices of pastirma, pancakes, honey and kaymak, Turkish-style preserves, Nutella-style chocolate spread, and your choice of sujuk with eggs or menemen. It also includes a full thermos of Turkish tea, served with traditional tulip-shaped glasses. It's a showstopper of a breakfast, a true indulgence, and while ordering is done at the counter or from a QR code at your table, the experience invites lingering and the friendly staff is attentive and accommodating. Will you be bringing leftovers home? Most certainly.
// 1198 Mission St. (SoMa) instagram.com/turquazsf/
Best Turkish Breakfast for Epicures
Dalida
(Isabel Baer)
Dalida, the lovely Mediterranean restaurant in a historic brick building in the Presidio, serves brunch on the weekends and, while they don't specifically offer a traditional Turkish breakfast per se, you can easily cobble one together by combining the shareable Breakfast Spread ($21)—which comes with kaymak, weekly seasonal preserves, feta, plaited cheese, ajika (a Georgian pepper dip), walnuts, tahini and molasses spread, and fresh chubby pita—and their Breaking Bread dish ($18), which includes hummus, muhammara, smoked yogurt, pickles, marinated olives. You could also add a substantial main like chilbir ($22), Turkish poached eggs and braised horta greens that the chef sources from the kitchen garden, with garlic yogurt, amba, and chubby pita; or su börek ($24), fluffy pan-roasted layered yufka, spinach, and comté cheese sauce, with pine nuts. Don't forget the fragrant Georgian black tea, which is scented with wild mountain thyme.
//101 Montgomery Street, Suite 100 (Presidio) dalidasf.com
Best Turkish Breakfast with a Beat
Troya
(Amy Sherman)
Troya on Fillmore serves a family-style Turkish breakfast designed for two on the weekends ($60). It includes two kinds of olives; two kinds of cheese; tomatoes and cucumbers; tahini spread; kaymak with honey; a mini labneh parfait with granola and fresh fruit; muhammara; a breadbasket with simit, cheese börek and pita; and shakshuka with beef sausage. It's definitely a California-Mediterranean take on a Turkish classic—as is the rest of the menu, which has items such as avocado toast, crispy Brussels sprouts, and quinoa mizuna salad. There's seating indoors and out, and a DJ for those looking to keep the weekend party vibe going.
// 2125 Fillmore St. (Pacific Heights), troyasf.com
