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Eating in Ankara: Pakistani Restaurant Masala

[Update: Unfortunately, this restaurant closed sometime in the fall of 2014. We will miss it a lot!]

Several weekends ago, our friends invited us to go to a Pakistani Restaurant in Ankara called Masala Cafe. It’s nice to escape our neighborhood on the weekends, and we were excited to try something new.

The restaurant was a short taxi ride away in the GOP district of Ankara. Masala had outdoor seating, but we sat indoors. The menu came in a newsletter format with text in English and Turkish.

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

We were really hungry and destroyed the appetizer before I got a picture. We ordered the Keema Samosa, a puffed pastry filled with mince, coriander, and special seasoning. The sauce that came with it was amazingly delicious. It had ginger, but I don’t know enough about Pakistani seasoning to figure out the rest. I wish I could have taken home a huge bottle of that sauce. Yum.

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

With the meal came complimentary chips and a chickpea salad. We also got a Turkish-style salad and rice with our entree:

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

I ordered Ginger Chicken (not spicy) and David ordered Curry Chicken (spicy). This food was so good!!! It was my first ever taste of Pakistani food. I loved the spices on the Ginger Chicken – sweet with just a little bit of a kick!

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

The restaurant had super comfy seating and a pleasant atmosphere. The waiters spoke English, which was helpful. (Very few Turks know English!) We later found out the owners of the restaurant lived in Canada for several years.

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

The restaurant was colorful with plenty of artwork:

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

We finished off our meal with the most delightful tea. It was a little bit sweet and spiced oh, so nicely. The waiter told us the tea helps calm your stomach (for those that got spicy dishes).

 

Masala Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey

 

If you’re ever in Ankara, we definitely recommend Masala! They have great service, very reasonable prices, and fantastic food.

 

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2 Comments

  • Reply Leah

    We went to eat at Masala tonight and were so sad to find out it has closed. 🙁

    September 14, 2013 at 3:59 pm
  • Reply Pakistani food

    Hello,Good to know about your restaurant,your foods are so tasty,may i get some tricks on food making procedures…Thank you and waiting for your blog

    June 4, 2014 at 2:22 am
  • Leave a Reply to Leah Cancel reply