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If you’re wondering where to eat in Ankara, look no further than this article. Ankara, Turkey’s capital city, is a pleasant travel destination due to its rich history and natural beauty, as well as attracting attention in the field of gastronomy due to its rich food culture. Ankara has a large restaurant network where you can find the best examples of traditional Turkish flavors. There are many restaurants, artisan restaurants, cafes, and patisseries where you can experience the legendary local flavors of Ankara.
Many flavors associated with Ankara can be found in the city’s most well-established and famous restaurants and restaurants, which can be found in cities such as Çankaya, Ulus, Kzlay, Beypazar, and Kazan. Delicacies such as seafood, soups, kebabs, and kokoreç, in addition to local delicacies, take on a completely different form in the skilled hands of Ankara masters. Competing to serve Ankara’s visitors and residents, some of these venues are hidden gems waiting to be discovered, while others have been serving the best flavors to Ankara residents for generations.
About Ankara Cuisine
Ankara is one of the cities that can be chosen for a weekend getaway because it is easily accessible by road from major cities such as Istanbul, Bursa, Kayseri, and Konya. Furthermore, even from the most remote locations, there are daily flights to Ankara.
You’ve been to Ankara, the capital city that stands out for its history, culture, and cuisine, and now it’s time to return. If you ask me what I should bring for myself and my loved ones, I would recommend Beypazar baklava, Beypazar walnut molasses sausage, Beypazar dried, Ayaş mulberry, Ankara pear, guild roasted chickpea, and Kalecik black grape.
What and Where to Eat in Ankara
1. Meşhur Ozcelik Aspava
The Meşhur Ozçelik Aspava, located on ankaya Küçük Esat Street, is one of Ankara’s most famous doner shops. The word Aspava is an abbreviation for the sentence “May Allah grant you health, wealth, and happiness, Amen.” in Turkish. Although there are many restaurants that use the word Aspava, which is associated with Ankara, zçelik Aspava, which opens at noon and stays open until midnight, is one of the most popular in Ankara. With its experienced team, service quality, and tastes, the company, which has been serving the people of Ankara for 27 years, has established itself as one of the city’s indispensables.
With its generous treats, appetizers, desserts, kebab varieties, and pita breads, the famous zçelik Aspava is one of Ankara’s most popular flavors. Even the appetizers served before the main course are enough to fill you up in this place known for its leaf doner. The famous leaf doner kebab from Ankara is served as a wrap with sauce and onions. Salad, tzatziki, and sauced french fries are served alongside the wrap. Semolina halva with ice cream, served after the meal, enhances the flavor of the meal. The location, which is very close to the center, allows visitors to Ankara to sample the best doner kebab in the city.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week between 09:00 and 02:00.
Address: Meşrutiyet Mah., Meşrutiyet Cad., No:6, Çankaya
Phone: 0312 424 12 44
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/ankaraaspava/
2. Meşhur Tavacı Recep Usta
Tavac Meşhur Recep Usta, which serves the most delicious version of Ankara pan, one of the city’s most famous delicacies, welcomes guests in Çankaya Dikmen Valley 3rd Stage. Tavac Recep Usta, who began his culinary adventure in Diyarbakr in 1978, opened a branch in Ankara in 2002. In addition to the most famous Ankara taste, stuffed mumbar, one of the delicious Diyarbakr tastes, is one of the prominent foods of the place. The venue enhances the special days of Ankara residents by welcoming them with its unique tastes, quality service, stylish decoration, and lush garden located towards the valley view.
The venue, which has seven different branches in different provinces of Turkey, is one of Ankara’s most well-established businesses. Tavac Recep Usta, which won the hearts of pan lovers with its extensive menu, is famous for its Ankara pan, which is one of the dishes that lamb meat complements best.
Ankara pan, prepared and cooked with lamb, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, vermicelli, and spices, appeals to those seeking a memorable flavor in Ankara. Mumbar, another prominent flavor of the area, is admired even by those who approach it with prejudice. Among the flavors to try are stuffed ribs, stuffed lamb, casserole, and lamb shank.V
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open between 09:00 – 00:00 on weekdays and 08:00 – 00:00 on weekends.
Address: Güzeltepe Mah., 747. Sk., No:2, Park Vadi
Phone: 0312 443 21 21
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/recepustaparkvadi/
3. Atatürk Orman Çiftliği Kokoreççileri
Atatürk Orman Çiftliği is well-known for its kokorec shops as well as its dairy products. All of the kokoreç shops lining the farm are well-known for their delicious kokoreç. Atatürk Orman Çiftliği‘s kokorec stores are the first address that comes to mind when it comes to kokorec in Ankara. They are full of immaculate and delicious kokoreç from noon until midnight. There is no specific place among the AO kokoreç shops that people who go out to have fun at night do not return without stopping by, because they are all better than the others.
Even if you are not hungry when you enter Atatürk Orman Çiftliği, the aroma of carefully prepared kokoreç will entice you and make you want to eat. The aroma of kokoreç cooked over a coal fire, the sound of oil dripping onto the fire, and the distinct flavor of spices provide a completely unique experience for those who enjoy kokorec. It becomes an insatiable flavor with farm buttermilk and AO kokorec. Atatürk Forest Farm, where you can find the best kokorec in Ankara, has become a favorite among kokorec fans over time. There are many doner shops for those who do not like kokorec.
Opening-Closing Hours: They are open all day of the week between 08:00 and 03:00.
Address: Bahçekapı, Silahtar Cad., No:11, Etimesgut
4. Liva Patisserie
One of the first addresses that comes to mind when breakfast is mentioned in Ankara is Liva Patisserie, a well-established business with branches in Kavakldere, Ayranc, ukurambar, Balgat, Yldz, and Yenimahalle. Liva Patisserie has made a name for itself in the industry by producing cake and chocolate, but it also has a rich breakfast menu. The establishment welcomes you with an elegant decoration and a friendly service approach, appealing to both your eyes and your palate with breakfast, the most important meal of the day, regardless of which branch you visit.
In the establishment where the best examples of Turkish breakfast are served, there are many breakfast options to suit all tastes. Ottoman breakfast with delicacies like eggs with bacon, honey-cream, and layered pancakes; Liva’s special breakfast includes delicacies such as cheese, olives, and jams, as well as scrambled eggs. A hot breakfast with roasted potatoes, pies, fried halloumi, fried sausage, sausage, and scrambled eggs; a healthy breakfast. Breakfast varieties such as economical breakfast, my mother’s breakfast, and Anatolian breakfast enrich Ankara residents’ breakfast culture.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week between 08:00 and 00:00.
Address: Kızılırmak, Çukurambar, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Cad., No:11/A, Çankaya
Phone: 0312 284 96 00
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/livapastanesi/
Also read: Best Restaurants in Trabzon
5. Bogazici Restaurant
The food concept of Bogazici Restaurant, which has been serving Ankara residents for more than 60 years on Ulus Denizciler Caddesi, is similar to that of an artisan restaurant, but it has a very stylish decoration. The business, which has grown to this day by challenging the times, continues to feed people of all ages in Ankara. You might have trouble deciding what to eat at the restaurant, which serves 65 different dishes from Turkish and Ottoman cuisine every day. Unless you are extremely hungry, you may not even be able to finish one serving of food.
Bogazici Lokantas’ most popular dishes include lamb wrap and Ankara pan, and it serves a variety of home-cooked, juicy meals to its guests. At Ankara’s Bogazici Restaurant, you can sample the best version of lamb wrap prepared with the perfect harmony of stringy lamb meat and various vegetables. You can choose from zucchini, dessert, keşkül, rice pudding, ashura, quince dessert, bread kadayf, and many other desserts, in addition to a variety of ladle dishes that appeal to both the eyes and the palate.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week between 07:00 and 21:00.
Address: Anafartalar Mah., Denizciler Cad., No:1/A, Altındağ
Phone: 0312 311 88 32
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/bogazicilokantasi/
6. Mersinli Cigerci Apo
Mersinli Cigerci Apo, which has locations in Izmir, Bursa, Adana, Mersin, Istanbul, and Samsun, has given the kebab industry in Ankara a new lease on life. The establishment, which serves in Ankara Balgat Mahallesi, Ziyabey Street, leaves unforgettable tastes, particularly on the palates of liver lovers. In addition to the liver skewers, the guests are served meat skewers, chicken skewers, meatballs, and tantuni. Mersinli Cierci Apo Ankara branch serves in a very spacious and stylish setting and has playgrounds for families with children who want to have a comfortable meal as a family.
The Ankara establishment, which has many regulars, has become a popular destination for Ankara residents looking for liver and other skewers. You can fill your stomach even with the various appetizers that come before it, whether you prefer tender liver skewers made from lamb’s liver or order from other varieties. As soon as you walk in, you can fill your hungry stomach and eyes with the delicious aromas that greet you at the table laden with various appetizers. The dessert of your choice, along with the tea served afterwards, can round out the meal’s flavor.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week between 09:00 and 01:00.
Address: Balgat, Ziyabey Cad., No:38, Çankaya
Phone: 0312 284 14 44
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/mersinli.cigerci.apo/
7. Düveroglu
Providing service in Ankara Ümitköy since 1963, Düveroğlu is one of the most important addresses of Gaziantep cuisine in Ankara. Welcoming its guests in a stylish interior and a large garden surrounded by greenery, the business has many regulars in Ankara with its service quality and tastes. The place where you can taste the best of Gaziantep’s legendary flavors, especially lahmacun and Antep baklava, attracts great attention from Ankara residents who want to taste quality flavors, especially on weekends. Compared to the flavors it offers, its affordable prices increase the interest in the place.
The other flavors of the place, which has made a name for itself with the authentic Antep lahmacun, which is preferred by the majority of those who visit, are also of the cracking variety. Before the Lahmacun arrives, the appetizers will satisfy your eyes. After the authentic Antep lahmacun made from mutton, the crunchy baklava with pistachio can add flavor to the meal. Do not claim to have eaten lahmacun if you have not eaten it in Düverolu, which has branches throughout Ankara.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week from 10:00 to 21:30.
Address: Yücetepe, Ordular Sk., No:1, Çankaya
Phone: 0312 229 79 38
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/duveroglu1963/
8. Çankaya Lokantası
Çankaya Lokantası is one of Ankara’s most established businesses, specializing in the concept of artisan restaurant. The establishment, which was opened in 1974 by the retired chef of the Çankaya Mansion, has been hosting Ankara residents with great tastes for many years. There are numerous pot and oven dishes available in the restaurant where you can eat the best version of Ankara’s famous leaf doner. The restaurant’s dishes are all delicious. If you want to eat doner kebab, however, you should arrive early. Because it is extremely difficult to find doner kebabs in the afternoon in a location with doner queues at the door.
Ankara’s famous fatty doner, which is the exact equivalent of traditional doner, is available plain or with rice. Salad and skewered are served alongside the doner as a house specialty. Aside from doner kebab, grilled meatballs are also popular. Another well-known flavor in the industry is ekerpare, which you can sweeten after your meal. It appears that Çankaya Restaurant, where the best doner in Ankara can be found, will continue to serve the people of Ankara for many years to come.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open from Monday to Saturday between 04:00 and 18:00. It is closed on Sundays.
Address: Güzeltepe Mah., Hoşdere Cad., No:228, Çankaya
Phone: 0312 438 24 96
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/cankaya_lokantasi/
9. Tarihi Mutfak Lokantası
Tarihi Mutfak Lokantası, which began its culinary adventure in 1967, has been hosting Ankarans in its location on Kzlay Mithat Paşa Street since 1994. While the centrally located establishment appeals to the eyes with its stylish décor, it also provides a feast for the palate with its excellent tastes. There are many regulars at the location, which a person who visits once cannot leave. It is also popular among students due to its affordable prices. Tandoori is the most popular dish at the restaurant, which offers a variety of flavors such as lamb skewers, chicken skewers, eggplant kebab, pita varieties, and lamb leaf kebab.
You can eat the best tandoori in Ankara at Tarihi Mutfak Lokantas, which was previously known as the famous tandoori. Since the company’s inception, the meat has been sourced from the same location and prepared in the same manner. As a result, the flavor remains unchanged. Lamb meat is used in the popular tandoori dish, which is cooked over a wood fire. The aroma of lamb meat cooked over a fire will whet your appetite as soon as you walk in. Rice, lavash, eggplant yoghurt, semolina dessert, and pate are served with the meal, and tea is served in the samovar afterward.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week between 10:30 and 22:00.
Address: Mithatpaşa Cad., No:64/B, Çankaya
Phone: 0312 418 75 00
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/tarihi Mutfaklokantasi /
Masabaşı Kebapçısı
Masabaş Kebapçs, which has branches in Ankara’s Balgat, Kzlay, and Tunal, has been serving the best kebabs to Ankara residents since 1991 without sacrificing its quality service understanding. Despite the fact that all branches of the enterprise provide the same level of service, the Kzlay Mithat Paşa branch is the most preferred. The establishment welcomes its guests in a stylishly decorated decent place and appeals to both the eyes and the palate with its rich variety of kebabs. At least 20 different appetizers are brought to the table as soon as you sit down, filling you up before your main course arrives.
From Adana kebab to Urfa kebab, lamb skewer to lamb ribs, alinazik to Diyarbakir pan, eggplant kebab to cutlet, the palace-style wrap beyti with its legendary flavor is the place’s most popular dish. Wrapped in lavash with pepper, garlic, and parsley, the armored lamb Cheese is available upon request. It’s topped with butter sauce and yogurt. On the side, there’s bulgur pilaf, pickles, roasted tomatoes, and peppers. The flavor of the meal is crowned with tea and künefe in the samovar after the meal.
Opening-Closing Hours: It is open all day of the week between 11:00 and 23:00.
Address: Kocatepe Mah., Mithatpaşa Cad., No:62, D:A, Kızılay
Phone: 0312 417 07 80
More Information: https://www.instagram.com/masabasikizilay/
