We at RestaurantsCT.com want to encourage readers to contribute to our website. We need your eyes, ears and taste buds to help us track restaurant openings and closings. In this instance, what I’m looking for are Turkish restaurants.
With the demise of Taste of Istanbul in Norwich, most of Connecticut’s Turkish restaurants appear to be located in New Haven County. The exceptions are Mavi in Bloomfield (which is not strictly Turkish but Italian/Greek/Albanian/Turkish) and Bereket Turkish Restaurant in Bridgeport. The remaining Turkish restaurants I’m aware of are Saray Turkish Restaurant and Turkish Kebab House in West Haven, Istanbul Café in New Haven and Anatolia Restaurant in Waterbury. I have visited every one of these restaurants except Mavi.
I recently tried Anatolia Restaurant in Waterbury with a friend and was quite taken with it. Bob and I began with a small cold appetizer sampler, the various dips served with warm pieces of bread. While the Turkish names for the dips may differ in spelling from their Middle Eastern counterparts and may look to the uninitiated like word puzzles to unscramble (humus, kisir, babaganus, ispanak, shaksuka, antep ezme and haydari), each was fresh, wholesome and delicious.
For our entrée, we shared a mixed grill kebab, which included adana kebab, lamb shish kebab, chicken shish kebab and doner kebab. Anatolia even offers swordfish kebab, but it’s not included in the mixed grill special. Served with grilled tomato, grilled pepper and rice, the meats were so scrumptious I felt compelled to warn my friend not to take more than his fair share or I’d “have shish keBob.” Following the same ghoulish humor vein, Anatolia’s doner kebab is a tasty mixture of ground lamb and veal marinated with a blend of seasonings and cooked on a rotating spit—it has absolutely nothing to do with the infamous Donner party. Nor does it have anything to do with any of Santa’s reindeer (although I remember, as a kid growing up in Oregon, eating stringy reindeer or caribou meat, which was popular with the Scandinavian community there).
Our desserts we took to go. My baklava was terrific, not as cloyingly sweet as some versions are. My friend also liked his sutlac (rice pudding), but it was too soupy to travel well.
Owner Mahsun Yigit clearly takes real pride in his restaurant. He cooks everything from scratch—and it shows. Yigit says that, unlike his colleagues in the greater New Haven area, he doesn’t have a Turkish population to support him and must depend on non-Turkish customers. Well, even though I live thirty minutes away, he can depend on me!
Anatolia Restaurant, 586 Plank Road, Waterbury, 203-591-8450
Stopped in at Anatolia for a quick lunch this week. I had passed it dozens of times before, often thinking that I would like to try it. I’m glad I did. It is charmingly decorated and offers a whole new genre of food to uninitiates, like me. All items on the menu are well described and pictures help make the decision easier. I had the mixed Kebob and was very pleased with my choice. It was nicely presented hot and delicious. It was all I could do to finish it. I was impressed with the friendly waitress and the cleanliness of the restaurant. This is a great place to try out when you are looking for something different. I hope they develop a loyal clientele and are around Waterbury for a long time. I’m going back.
Wonderful food… delicious!!! Very nice service, cuisine, and atmosphere. Had a work lunch there which inspired me to bring a date. Now its one of your faves.
We had a most enjoyable meal in this restaurant. Our Server was absolutely delightful and the food was very good. We would go back in a heart beat.