Food to Try in Ankara 2026: Central Anatolian Dishes and Capital City Eating
Book an experience
Things to do here
The top-rated tours and activities here — all with instant confirmation and free cancellation on most bookings.
Ankara’s food identity is Central Anatolian — lamb, wheat, lentils, offal, dairy — combined with the capital city’s aggregation effect: because Ankara draws people from every province of Turkey (civil servants, military officers, students, migrants), its restaurant scene represents the full breadth of Turkish regional cuisine. You can eat eastern kebabs, Black Sea fish, Aegean meze, and Southeastern spiced meats within walking distance of each other.
Ankara tava
The specific Ankara dish — slow-cooked lamb (or sometimes chicken) prepared in a terracotta tava (shallow earthenware pot) with tomatoes, onions, and sometimes aubergine, sealed and baked in a wood or gas oven until the meat falls from the bone.
Character: Rich, sweet from the slow-roasted tomato, deeply savoury. The lamb absorbs the cooking juices and the terracotta adds a slight mineral earthiness. The best versions use lamb shoulder or shank.
Where to find: Traditional Ankara cuisine restaurants (look for “Ankara mutfağı” or “Ankara yemekleri” on the sign) in Ulus and around the Citadel area. Not all Ankara restaurants serve it — it requires the terracotta pots and long oven time.
Price: ₺180–280 for a portion.
Cağ kebabı
Originally from Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia, cağ kebabı has become a fixture of Ankara eating because of the large Eastern Anatolian community in the capital.
Character: Lamb marinated in onion and spices, then stacked horizontally on a rotating horizontal spit (the cağ, unlike the vertical döner), and sliced off in thin pieces as it cooks. Served on lavash bread with onion, tomato, and green pepper. The horizontal cooking produces a different texture from vertical döner — slightly crispier on the cut edges, richer in flavour.
Where to find: Dedicated cağ kebabı restaurants in Ulus and across the city. The specialist restaurants are identifiable by the distinctive horizontal spit visible through the window.
Price: ₺120–200 for a portion; ₺200–350 for a full plate with sides.
Kokoreç
Grilled lamb intestine (bağırsak) wrapped around a core of lamb sweetbreads (uykuluk), seasoned with cumin, black pepper, and dried oregano, cooked on a horizontal rotisserie and chopped on a flat griddle. Served in a white bread roll (ekmek) or on a plate.
Character: Rich, intensely savoury, slightly gamey. The outer intestine crisps on the grill while the interior sweetbreads remain tender. The oregano and cumin balance the richness. It is one of the defining Turkish street foods — eaten primarily late at night, after meyhanes and bars close, as a final act before home.
Where to find: Dedicated kokoreç shops around Kızılay and Kavaklıdere, typically open until 02:00–03:00. Also available at some market food stalls during the day.
Price: ₺60–100 for a sandwich; ₺100–150 for a plate.
Mercimek çorbası (Lentil soup)
Central Anatolian lentil soup is the daily staple of Turkish lokanta eating — and Ankara’s version is as good as anywhere. Red lentils cooked with onion, tomato paste, and cumin until smooth, finished with a drizzle of paprika butter and dried mint, served with a squeeze of lemon and a side of bread.
Where to find: Every lokanta in the city serves it. The morning soup restaurants (çorba salonu) in Ulus open from 06:00 for the early-morning breakfast crowd.
Price: ₺40–70 per bowl.
İşkembe çorbası (Tripe soup)
The recovery soup of Turkish late-night culture — white creamy tripe soup, rich and salty, eaten at 02:00 after raki with a squeeze of lemon, minced garlic, and red wine vinegar on the side.
Where to find: Dedicated işkembe restaurants open through the night in Kızılay and Kavaklıdere. The clientele after midnight is a cross-section of Turkish night life.
Price: ₺80–130 per bowl.
Etli ekmek (Konya flatbread)
Long oval flatbread (70–90cm) baked in a wood-fired oven with minced meat, onion, and tomato — the Konya equivalent of pizza, widely available in Ankara because of the large Konya community in the capital.
Character: The bread is thin and crisp at the edges, slightly thicker under the meat topping. The best versions come from restaurants that fire the bread to order rather than reheating.
Where to find: Restaurants advertising “Konya etli ekmek” — several in Kızılay and Ulus.
Price: ₺100–180 for a full etli ekmek (typically enough for 1–2 people).
Beyran (Gaziantep-origin soup)
A spiced lamb soup from Gaziantep — lamb shank cooked overnight until falling off the bone, served in a bowl with the cooking broth, rice, and a finish of butter with garlic and dried chilli. A powerful morning dish, traditionally eaten as breakfast in Gaziantep and available in Ankara’s Southeastern restaurants.
Character: Intensely flavoured; the chilli butter on top adds heat and complexity. One of Turkey’s most distinctive morning dishes, not for the faint-stomached.
Price: ₺150–220 per bowl.
Midye dolma (Stuffed mussels)
Not unique to Ankara but a fixture of evening street eating — mussels stuffed with seasoned rice, pine nuts, currants, and allspice, sold cold from street carts. Available across Kızılay in the evening.
Price: ₺15–25 per mussel.
Simit
The sesame ring bread sold from carts at every major intersection and metro station. Fresh in the morning (look for the warmth test — if it’s still warm it was made that hour), eaten plain or with white cheese (beyaz peynir) and tea.
Price: ₺10–15 per simit.
Halva (Helva)
Tahini-based confection — sesame paste mixed with sugar syrup and cooked to produce either a firm block (tahin helvası) or a soft version with pistachio or cocoa. Turkish halva is denser and less sweet than the Levantine version.
Where to find: Pastry shops (pastane) and sweet shops throughout Kızılay and Ulus. The market at Çıkrıkçılar Yokuşu below the Citadel sells it by weight.
Price: ₺80–200/kg.
Food price summary
| Dish | Price range | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Simit | ₺10–15 | Street carts |
| Mercimek çorbası | ₺40–70 | Lokantas |
| Midye dolma | ₺15–25/each | Street carts |
| Döner sandwich | ₺60–100 | Döner shops |
| Cağ kebabı | ₺120–200 | Specialist restaurants |
| Etli ekmek | ₺100–180 | Konya restaurants |
| Ankara tava | ₺180–280 | Traditional restaurants |
| Kokoreç sandwich | ₺60–100 | Street shops |
| İşkembe çorbası | ₺80–130 | Night soup restaurants |
| Beyran | ₺150–220 | Southeastern restaurants |
Ready to explore?
Browse hundreds of tours and activities. Book securely with free cancellation on most options.
Browse on GetYourGuide →We may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.