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How many restaurants have you visited that claimed to want to be a living room for their customers? Too many, right? But how many have offered you eau de Cologne to wash your hands upon arrival? “Many people adopted this habit during the pandemic, but we were already doing it at home,” they explain at Kokini. Located in Cascais, next to the park at Largo Maestro Taborda, the restaurant opened in 2025 to bring the sharing spirit of Turkish home cooking to the town and introduce a little of the country’s culture. All in an atmosphere that really does feel like a living room.
Founded by A. Turgay Gülay – a former director and screenwriter from Istanbul –, the space was conceptualised as an extension of Turkey’s communal tables, where food is shared between family and friends. In keeping with this spirit, the restaurant’s name pays tribute to the owner’s mother, a former discus thrower. “She was in Greece and people started saying she was kokini, with red cheeks. Ever since, she’s been known by that nickname.” Kokini is also the name of a winter flower.
The interior design, created by architect Elif Deniz Gülay – the owner’s daughter –, pairs a minimalist style with black-and-white photographs of Istanbul, creating a warm, intimate atmosphere.
Kokini’s gastronomic offering reflects Turkey’s vast regional diversity, combining influences as disparate as Ottoman, Anatolian, Aegean, and Levantine. “We came to Cascais from Istanbul and always wanted to open a Turkish restaurant here,” Gülay explains. “In Turkish culture, we always like to invite people over to eat. Cooking and sharing food with others is in our nature.”
The menu adapts to the seasons, offering a rich selection of both cold and hot mezzes, soups, and slow-cooked dishes. One of the house specialties is the chicken with chestnuts (€14). “It’s a very popular dish, people love it,” says Turgay Gülay. “The Portuguese eat a lot of chicken, so it was easy to adapt to the local palate and became a hit.” The chef also highlights that the secret to this cuisine is “patience”: some meats spend three to four hours roasting in the oven.
Cultural sharing
More than just a restaurant, Kokini aims to be a cultural meeting point where you can listen to music, play backgammon, and chat over a Turkish coffee or a shot of rakı. "We don’t just serve Turkish food here, we serve Turkish culture. My goal isn’t strictly commercial: it’s to have my own place to invite people to talk about Turkey. Our success is measured by seeing empty plates returning to the kitchen and by customers coming back for a second or third time.”
On the menu, the starters and nibbles section features traditional börek (€3), lentil soup (€3.50), a cold mezze platter (€6), stuffed vine leaves – dolma (€5), kibbeh (İçli Köfte) (€7), and lentil meatballs (€3.50).
Among the main courses, the star is the aforementioned chicken with chestnuts (€14), which Time Out sampled alongside the slow-roasted lamb (€16). Also available are Köfte meatballs, Mantı dumplings (both €12), and Kavurma, a traditional Turkish beef stew (€16). For a complete experience, opt for the tasting platter at €25.
For lighter meals, the salad selection includes a green salad (€6.50), feta cheese salad (€8), tuna salad (€9), and salmon salad (€9). There is also a section with burgers and sandwiches, omelettes, and desserts, featuring the Kokini biscuit for €1 and baklava for €5.
While admitting to a few growing pains during their first year as they navigated the natural challenges of working in a new country and market, Turgay Gülay aims to go beyond the restaurant’s physical space and take Turkish gastronomy even further. The chef hopes to take part in festivals and cultural events, as well as host parties and communal gatherings to continue introducing Turkey to an ever-growing audience. “Now that we’re entering our second year, we want to keep promoting Turkish cuisine and sharing a bit more of our culture – even if it’s just through the music we play inside the restaurant.”
Rua Freitas Reis, 17 B (Cascais). Mon 11.00-17.00; Tue-Sun 11.00-21.00
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