Cafe Lost is a great place for hookah and drinks in Balcova, Izmir

Located near Balçova Termal Otel and Izmir University of Economics, Lost is a great place for drinks and trying creative blends of hookah (nargile in Turkish). This cafe tends to get pretty crowded closer to 9 p.m., so if you wish to sit outside (recommended in summer and for hookah smokers), come early.

Lost opened in 2007, offering Mexican cuisine, pizzas, a variety of pasta, red-meat and chicken menus, waffles, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and cocktails. Since then it became a popular meeting place for people from nearby districts and guests at the Termal Hotel and Crown Plaza.

“Lost” Cafe Bar features delicious Turkish coffee with mastic (sakızlı kahve), and their alcoholic drinks are very affordable (6 TL for a gin-tonic and up to 15 TL for a cocktail). International visitors especially may also appreciate free Wi-Fi.

Drinks at Cafe Lost are generous and very affordable

Another highlight of Lost is its offer of creative blends of hookah. In addition to the standard aromas of, say, apple or water-melon, Lost has two blends that are worth noting:

• Angelina: if you feel like having something light and fruity;
• Lost: a slightly stronger pleasant mix of different flavors.

Red meat and chicken menus, on the other hand, are average. Despite several names on the list (from Fajitas to, surprisingly, Beef Stroganoff on the chicken menu), the dishes mostly come as strips of your chosen meat with French fries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and yellow rice on the side. The pizza menu may offer a more creative choice.

Bottom line: If you are looking for an affordable place for drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, with toned-down music, on a lively street with flowers and palm trees, go straight to the “How to Get There” section.

Lost would also be a great choice if you are a hookah enthusiast. This cafe is not recommended, however, if this would be your first time smoking hookah: Your future hookah experiences elsewhere may simply never match the quality of hookah at “Lost” Cafe Bar!

How To Get Here

“Lost” Cafe Bar
Korutürk Mah. Balçova
Vali Hüseyn Öğütcen Cad. No: 21/A
(in the vicinity of Termal Hotel and Kipa-Balçova)
Tel. 0232-258-2522


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If you are willing to see Izmir especially at night from one of the best views Asansor -Turkish spelling for elevator or lift- is exactly the right place for your desires. Besides all tastes you can enjoy in Asansor, just the view is enough to use this 101 years old elevator.
Asansor is just placed at one end of the street is the Beth Israel Synagogue, the largest in İzmir. The synagogue is the most venerable historical witness in this area, which was the hub of İzmir’s – now diminished – Jewish community. In the middle ages Jews who migrated to Anatolia from Spain swelled the existing community of Byzantine Jews.

Standing in front of the entance you will see Dario Moreno Street and smell beautiful jasmines and magnolias along with the pleasant view of old Izmir houses lined in the street.The street named after the 1960′s famaous singer Dario Moreno. You can also find his house – now a museum – on the left side of the street. In the wall of his house you can see his last wish and the poem he wrote…

İzmir, my sweet and beloved city
If one day I should die far from you
Let them bring me here
But when carrying me to my grave
Let them not say HE DIED,
but that he SLEEPS in your embrace
My sweet

Then you will see the beautiful Asansor which was built in order to rescue people from climbing 50 meters of 155 stairs. The pair of lifts are contained in a tower-like building 51 metres in height constructed in 1907. The bricks for the tower were shipped from Marseilles.To the left is the building which formerly housed the machine room, but will shortly open as a café and cultural centre. Above the entrance at the base of the tower is a marble plaque bearing the name of the builder Nissim Levy and the construction date.

After a short journey with today rebuild modern lift you will reach the restaurant, cafe and bar facilities where you can relax and enjoy the view.At the top a broad bridge leads into the part of the tower which now houses a restaurant, where in summer it is possible to eat out on the two linked terraces. The restaurant includes a small mezzanine for VIP guests. A spiral staircase leads down to a bar on the lower floor, where original Genoese suits of armour brought from Italy are on display.

Then you have the options as indoor or outdoor restaurant, cafe and a Genoese Bar. We highly recommend the restaurant outdoor in summer.  You can enjoy some of the best wines from the area and try Turkish, Italian or French cuisine of your taste. They are all promising star flavours for your satisfaction.

Eatinizmir recommend you to try the speciality of Asansor, called “Asansor Kebap”. A traditional Turkish Kebap with crispy hay thick fried patatos, sliced beef and meat balls served with yogurth and a special tomato sauce.

While enjoying your dinner and wine – or a drink of your choice – don’t forget to dream with the spectacular view of Izmir from your table. You can see half of the Izmir without any difficulty from that point. Even the ferryboats arriving at Konak Quay can be seen in the distance, and the winding shores of Alsancak, Karşıyaka and Konak spread out below you like the hair of a beautiful mermaid blowing in the soft breeze.

How to get there:

To find the place could be a little tricky for a first timer. So you can take a taxi to the restaurant it is not far away from Konak or Alsancak.

Asansor Restaurant

Contact Information:

Address: Dario Moreno Sk. Karatash IZMIR

Telephone:0090 232 2612662 – Reservation is recommended, especially for weekends.