Orfoz

The Bozçağa family opened the first Orfoz in 1986 as a hotel and restaurant on the Saros Gulf, taking the name from the family’s boat. A second Orfoz followed in Bozburun in 2003 and became known among sailors. In 2006 the brothers Çağlar and Çağrı Bozçağa took over the kitchen in Bodrum and shifted the focus to shellfish, and in 2013 the restaurant moved to its present site in Kumbahçe.

The brothers buy from local fishers and farmers, and the restaurant says it holds a Michelin Green Star for that work. The wine list includes their own Neferiye wines, made from Bodrum grapes such as Kanlıkara and Panık.

The 15-course tasting menu is the main event, built on the season’s seafood and local produce; the Orfoz Experience Menu adds local wine pairings. Dishes that keep coming back include marinated and baked octopus leg, oven-baked mussels with garlic and herb butter, seafood pilaf, baby squid casserole and patlıcan bomba, a stuffed aubergine. The meal ends with the family’s “anne tatlısı”, the mother’s dessert. There is also an à la carte menu.

Orfoz is on Zeki Müren Caddesi, about 2 km by road from Milta Bodrum Marina round the castle: around half an hour on foot or a short taxi ride. There is no valet parking, and the restaurant suggests a transfer because of local traffic.

Dinner starts at 18:00, and a sunset tasting menu with Neferiye wines runs from 18:00 to 21:00. Lunch is served only to groups of six or more, booked ahead. Opening days change through the season, so call or message on WhatsApp before you go. For a day at anchor, Orfoz also prepares a boat package of shellfish, caviar and bottarga, ordered at least two days ahead and collected from the restaurant between 09:00 and 12:00.