Kayısı Café & Restaurant

Kayısı Café & Restaurant on İnönü Caddesi in central Malatya takes its name and central theme from the kayısı — the apricot — that has defined the city's agricultural identity for centuries. Malatya province produces more than 80 percent of the world's sun-dried apricots, and this café has made the fruit the organising principle of its menu, from morning jams to afternoon tarts, creating a dining experience that doubles as an accessible introduction to the city's most significant agricultural product.

The breakfast spread is the kitchen's strongest offering: tables arrive laden with fresh-baked bread, several varieties of white cheese, honey combs, black and green olives, eggs prepared to order, and multiple apricot-based accompaniments, most notably a house-made kayısı marmelatı (apricot jam) that is spread generously on sourdough or flatbread. The apricot tart — a short-crust pastry case filled with fresh apricot curd and glazed with reduced apricot syrup — appears on the afternoon menu and is consistently noted by visitors as among the better renditions in the city. Turkish çay and filter coffee are available throughout the day alongside speciality herbal infusions.

Beyond the apricot theme, the kitchen produces a modest selection of light lunch and dinner dishes that draw on Turkish café cooking: toasts, omelettes, seasonal salads, and freshly prepared cold mezze. The setting is clean and bright with an emphasis on comfortable seating and natural light; the décor nods to the apricot harvest through warm amber tones. The café does not close between breakfast and dinner service, giving it unusual all-day flexibility on İnönü Caddesi. Prices in the ₺100–₺250 range per person make it one of the more affordable mid-market options in the city centre and a natural gathering point for travellers exploring Malatya.