The streets of Alsancak behind the Kordon are dense with meyhane restaurants — the traditional Turkish tavern serving rakı and a long sequence of meze and fish dishes. The concentration of good meyhane on and around 1453 Sokak and the surrounding lanes is among the best in Turkey outside Istanbul.
A proper meyhane dinner in İzmir is an event rather than a meal. Arrive hungry at 8pm, expect to leave at midnight, and order the fish according to what is fresh that day — the waiter will tell you. The cold meze arrive first and keep coming; the hot meze follow; the main course of grilled fish is almost an afterthought by the time it arrives. The bill will be larger than you expect but rarely unreasonable.