Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Ankara Turkish Restaurant has closed on the southwest corner of Houston and Orchard.
A "closed for construction" sign is on the front door. However, an employee confirmed that the closure is permanent and that the business has been sold.
The former owners said they believe a new shawarma spot will take over the space, though it will not be Turkish or operated by the same family.
The Houston Street space is now mostly empty...
A neighboring business told EVG that Ankara had been struggling and had negotiated a rent reduction, though apparently it wasn't enough to keep the restaurant going.
Ankara opened here in March 2023, marking the return of Ramazan Turgut to the Lower East Side, the owner of longtime neighborhood favorite Bereket Turkish Kebab House.
Bereket had been directly across Houston Street for 19 years before closing in June 2014 to make way for Ben Shaoul's gold-dusted residential development.
When Ankara debuted at 183 E. Houston St., Turgut told EVG that the menu remained essentially the same as Bereket's — including the much-loved vegetarian red lentil soup. He also said that, although he was using the Ankara name, he wanted people to know that "it's still Bereket."
So, for fans of that red lentil soup, this one is a blow.
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