Monday, March 27, 2023

On Houston, Bereket returns in the form of Ankara Turkish Restaurant

Top photo from Thursday by EVG; other photos yesterday by Stacie Joy

3/28: Updated here.

Ankara Turkish Restaurant debuted last week on the southwest corner of Houston and Orchard. 

This is the first Manhattan outpost for the quick-serve restaurant with two Brooklyn locations. Their menu shows a variety of gyros and skewers combos... and sides like baba ganoush and grape leaves. 

In an exciting development, over the weekend, a "Bereket Is Back" banner arrived in the window (thanks for the tip, Seth!) ...
As you may recall, Bereket Turkish Kebab House anchored the opposite corner of Orchard and Houston for 19 years until its closure in June 2014 to make way for Ben Shaoul's gold-dusted condoplex at 196 Orchard St.  
The loss of the 24/7 Bereket with its legendary red lentil soup was tough. There were rumors Bereket would relocate nearby, but it never actually did.

Until now?!

Workers confirmed that the owner of Ankara was also the owner of Bereket. Unfortunately, we just missed him at the restaurant yesterday. So more on this later. 3/28: We talked with owner Ramazan Turgut here.

Ankara is currently open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 
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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 6:01 AM

    I doubt if it would have the affordability of Bereket. Hope it'd would have the same quality at least.
    Their Shepard salad was the best.

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  2. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 6:55 AM

    I don't think too many places anywhere still have 2014 prices. Everything is more expensive now, including retail rent and food prices.

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  3. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 8:50 AM

    Affordability means in comparison to today's prices, not 2014 prices.
    Anyway, our Bereket days ended way before then, with the death of the 00's Ludlow street.

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  4. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 9:56 AM

    Welcome back!!

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  5. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 10:31 AM

    That lentil soup! I found a recipe for a reasonable facsimile but my version is not as good as Bereket's. Glad they're back in the neighborhood.

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  6. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 11:27 AM

    "Bereket is back" love that sign!

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  7. Simon EMarch 27, 2023 at 11:32 AM

    Fabulous news, I still think about Bereket; I would pitstop there on my way home from a freelance job in ShoeHo regularly for three years.

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  8. NeighborMarch 27, 2023 at 12:20 PM

    Excited for a new opening, the return of a former restaurant (in part), and the removal of the eyesore that this corner had become with tagging. Win-Win-Win

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  9. AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 9:07 PM

    Ah man $12.95 for a lamb gyro?? I remember the old Bereket when fresh gyros right off the grill were 7 bucks and change now it is almost twice as much. I will try them out, but I will probably not be going there regularly like I did with Bereket. Just not affordable.

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  10. AnonymousMarch 28, 2023 at 1:02 PM

    I dearly hope they bring back the baby. We miss him so much.

    ReplyDelete

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