Turkish Go-To Ankara Is Rebranding As a Levantine Restaurant That Serves Raki Cocktails

Ankara, the Turkish restaurant in Dupont Circle known for kebabs, brunch, and happy hour, is closing for two weeks as part of a plan to rebrand as a Levantine venue showing off a cross-section of flavors from a region that includes Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. When it reopens as Ala (1320 19th Street NW) on Monday, March 1, the restaurant will serve a range of hot and cold meze, grilled dishes, and rare Palestinian wines.

Ankara ended a six-year run Monday, February 15. The menu at “Ala” says the name comes from a Turkish saying that translates to a mix of all the colors.

“We love the name because we also have colorful expressions of cooking and mixology,” says Jenay Doganay, the general manager and bar manager.

Ala will be open for indoor and outdoor dining across a heated patio, along with takeout and delivery on a la carte dishes. The new menu includes sections for charcuterie such as smoked cured mackerel with sumac cream; salads such as pomegranate-flecked tabbouleh, and spreads like harissa hummus. That’s followed by meze including falafel patties with beet sauce, fried halloumi with pine honey, and Egyptian dukkah and manakish flatbreads dressed with za’atar. Desserts include caraway ice cream and pistachio baklava with rose cream and petals.

A brunch with bottomless food and drinks will be $39. For dinner, a “ziyafet” (feast) features two hot and two cold plates for $36 per person, with cocktail and wine pairings available for $19 more.

The wine list features labels from Georgia and Armenia and a 2018 Sauvignon Blanc from Taybeh Winery in Palestine that Doganay calls an “impossible” get. “We managed to find a distributor,” she says. There will also be ouzo from Greece and a strong showing for anise-flavored spirits arak and raki.

Ala/official photo

Ankara expanded upstairs right before the pandemic with a private events space. The second-level extension will come in handy while D.C. restricts seating capacity.

Ala’s reinvention follows the rapid rise of another restaurant that describes itself as Levantine, Albi in Navy Yard. Esquire named the high-end standout from chef Michael Rafidi one of the best new restaurants in the country last year.

• At Albi, a Rising D.C. Chef Offers a Modern, Personal Take on Middle Eastern Cooking [EDC]