A working capital, not a tourist city
Ankara has 1,981 restaurants in our index, and it dines like the administrative capital it is: practical, neighbourhood-based and built around residents, students and civil servants rather than visitors. There is no historic restaurant quarter pulling in tourists. Instead the scene concentrates heavily in one district and radiates out into the suburbs.
Çankaya, the centre of gravity
Çankaya dominates with 776 listings, comfortably more than the rest of the city combined among our top districts. This is central Ankara, taking in Kızılay, Tunalı Hilmi and the embassy quarter. It holds the city's densest run of cafes, gastropubs, bars and mid-range restaurants, and it is where the capital's contemporary dining lives. If you have one evening in Ankara, spend it in Çankaya. Spots like IF Sokak and Otto Filotto are among the most-reviewed in the district and capture its cafe-bar character.
The suburbs: Yenimahalle, Etimesgut, Keçiören
Beyond the centre, dining follows the population into the suburbs. Yenimahalle (235), Etimesgut (134) and Keçiören (127) are large residential districts with their own busy local scenes, heavy on diners, kebab and döner houses, and family restaurants. The Eryaman area in Etimesgut in particular has become a destination in its own right; Eryaman Göksu Parkı is one of the most-reviewed venues in the whole city.
Beyond Çankaya: the wider city
A few more districts round out the picture. Altındağ (118 listings) is the old quarter, taking in the Ulus citadel and Hamamönü, where restored Ottoman houses make it the closest Ankara comes to a historic dining setting. Gölbaşı (95) is the lakeside district south of the city, a weekend-escape spot for fish and meze by the water that Ankara residents drive out to. Mamak (79) and Sincan (57) are large outer residential districts with everyday local scenes rather than destinations.
Ankara is a value city by Istanbul standards, and the divide is between the student-and-bar energy of Kızılay and Tunalı in central Çankaya and the family-restaurant scenes of the suburbs. It dines a little earlier and more practically than the coast: a working capital eats dinner and goes home rather than lingering by the water. For a night out you want Çankaya; for the Aspava-and-kebab experience the city is known for, almost any district will oblige.
The Ankara signature: the Aspava and the kebab house
Ankara's defining food institution is the Aspava, the no-frills grill house serving kebabs, lahmacun, salads and free starters that the city is genuinely known for. You will see the name repeated across districts, and several Aspava branches rank among Ankara's most-reviewed places. The capital's backbone categories are everyday diners, a deep Turkish kitchen scene (303 listings) and a strong Middle Eastern and döner presence.
Most-reviewed places in Ankara
Ranked by public Google review count. Ratings are Google's, shown for reference.
- 1 Eryaman Göksu Parkı Etimesgut A park-and-dining complex in the Eryaman suburb.
- 2 Aspava Restoran Ankara A flagship of the Aspava grill-house tradition the city is known for.
- 3 Anzelha Eryaman Etimesgut A high-volume döner and grill spot in the Eryaman suburb.
- 4 Gulcimen Aspava Emek Çankaya Another central Aspava branch, in the Emek quarter of Çankaya.
This guide is e.restaurant's own editorial. Listing data comes from open global sources; where a restaurant is named, any star rating shown is Google's public rating, labelled and linked to the listing, and is kept separate from e.restaurant diner reviews. See our methodology for how we build and stand behind our listings.