Citrus Mediterranean Cuisine

Citrus sits inside the Paspatur, Fethiye's old-town quarter of narrow pedestrian lanes and hidden courtyards, and it is cooking Mediterranean food with a genuine confidence that very few old-town restaurants in tourist towns achieve. The courtyard is the headline — citrus trees, candlelight, low stone walls — but the kitchen holds its own.

The menu sits somewhere between the Levantine and the Aegean. A meze selection that runs deeper than the tourist default — smoked aubergine, muhammara made in-house, a hummus that actually takes time. Mains move between grilled Mediterranean fish, a serious lamb preparation, and a small list of vegetarian plates that are not afterthoughts.

The wine programme is smaller than Mori's or Nude's but still thoughtfully chosen, and the staff will talk through it. Service is warm — this is a restaurant run by owners who are on the floor most nights.

Citrus has, more than any other old-town restaurant, survived the transition from 'tourist discovery' to 'local benchmark'. It is the place you return to on the fourth night of a week in Fethiye.

The courtyard's candlelight and the citrus-tree canopy make Citrus one of the most unambiguously atmospheric dinners in Fethiye. For a birthday with a group of six to ten, the long courtyard tables hold it without having to split.