Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and clinical features of night eating syndrome (NES) in a sample of patients with depression. Methods The study sample consisted of 155 depressed outpatients. Socio‐demographic Form, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Maudsley Obsessive‐Compulsive Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Night Eating Questionnaire were utilised for data collection. Results Night eating syndrome was identified in 21.3% of the patients. Comparisons between NES and non‐NES patients revealed significant differences in BMI, smoking status, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, rumination and PSQI sub‐scores for sleep quality, latency, disturbances and daytime dysfunction. In our sample, the predictors of NES were BMI, smoking and the subject's score on the PSQI sleep disturbances subscale. Conclusions Night eating syndrome is negatively associated with sleep, severity of anxiety and depression. Our findings suggest that there is a complex relation between NES and depression, and it is recommended that depressed patients be evaluated for NES. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.