Lonely Planet Guide Book 2011

Aravan Evi; One of the best restaurant in Cappadocia. Simple flavours, quality produce and popular with in-the-know Turks, this restrained, brilliant Restaurant on a gorgeous white terrace whips up favorites like dolmades and çorbası with delicate surety.

You should phone ahead before arriving and crash in the family guesthouse, if you exquisite desserts make you woozy.

CONDE NAST TRAVELER -2006- Pages: 43

Reader Pick of the Month, Aravan Evi, Ayvali, Turkey

"On a fascinating trip to Turkey last May, our group of 14 had an unexpectedly delightful dinner at Aravan Evi, a small, family- owned and -operated restaurant in Ayvali, about ten miles from Goreme and Urgup in te province of Cappadocia. The restaurant is on the second floor of a stone building overlooking the village. We chose to eat outside, where we were impressed by the embroidered tablecloth and gold-rimmed dishes. The home-cooked food was wonderful - from mezes that included the best dolmas we'd evertasted to a delicious pasta dich, fresh-from-the-garden Turkish salads, the first really good bread we'd eaten on our trip, and a honey-dipped dessert. But the veal stew, simmering in a terra-cotta pot, was the pièce de résistance. The service was both frendly and efficient. Aravan Evi was a welcome change from the much larger hotel restaurants we'd been frequenting-and well wordh driving a few miles to visit"

Aravan Evi

Cette minuscule pension dominant le village d'Ayvali propose deux chambres simples, mais confortables, et un tout petit restaurant réputé pour sa cuisine trditionnelle. On y concocte, en effet, des recettes locales dans un vieux four de pierre, sans oublier les desserts à base de la spécialité du coin, l'abricot, préparé en sorte de pâté truffé de noisettes...

Frommer`s by Lynn Levine 2nd Edition, 2002

Aravan Evi Boutique Review

The Aravan menu revolves around the tandir, a small cooking pit and the traditional mode of food preparation for Turks for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The multicourse meal (served for lunch or dinner; daily noon-11pm) consists of home-style recipes all prepared in the pit, from the bulgur "wedding soup," to the kuru fasulye (white beans in a tomato sauce), to the guveç (here, a succulent lamb stew). Salad and stuffed grape leaves accompany the meal, which is followed by a dessert of either fresh village apricots or local helva. The damage? A mere 25TL. The concept is really appealing, and the setting -- the terrace of a renovated village home in summer and two cozy and carpeted Oriental-style dining rooms in crisper weather -- is delightful. Aravan Evi also has five barrel-vaulted stone rooms typical of the region for 50€ double, a very good value.