Anatolia

A good sign: they’re packed on a Friday night.
We had a reservation, so our table was right.
Used the Unilocal coupon for a free appetizer,
they suggested bread too, then we were wiser!
I highly suggest the puffed bread starter dish–
it was so huge and fulfilled our hungry wish!
The main courses were giant, I suggest you share–
then order the first dessert– tasty like baklava– beware!
It’s a bit pricey and the restaurant is loud,
but for good Turkish dishes, Anatolia abounds!

Anatolia has a great selection of vegetarian and vegan appetizers and has them marked accordingly. As a bonus. I checked in with Unilocal and got a free babaghnoush :)
The Lavas… a big, hot, poofy plate of warm bready love & is a great accompaniment to all of the appetizers.
Karisik Kebab (mixed grill) is meat-​a-​palooza of perfectly seasoned and grilled meat, both chicken, lamb and beef. Two lamb chops (YUMMMM) came on the plate and next time, it’s total chops for this redhead!
omg…Dessert should have come with a Warning Label! Kunefe is a warm, buttery plate of shredded dough stuffed with a mild cheese, then drizzled with a light homemade syrup.
Anatolia has it all: Friendly & efficient service, excellent food and a nice environment.
Yay!

my second time here and we ordered an appetizer of feta wrapped in phyllo dough, — marvelous! Always love lavas bread and hummus.
FANTASTIC service too!
A wonderful meal. And the baklava was the best I’ve ever had!

absolutely loved the food here! the servers was super nice and really like that we seat outside and enjoy a nice weather.
the food here is well season and flavored, good portions and really reasonable prices.
Highly recommended.

We have been here twice and wish we could go more often.
Start with the lavas bread and the hummus. We usually split one plate as we get pretty filled up with the bread. Both times we have ordered the beef kebab. It is so moist and tender and perfectly seasoned. And the rice it comes with is soooooo good. I asked once what was in it but they just said it was a mix of different grains. It’s the perfect rice!
Their house red wine is the perfect balance to your meal.

Prepare to be wowed by this fantastic Mediterranean dining experience! On this night my party of four ordered the following:
Appetizers: Hummus, Babaghanoush, Tabouli, and Haydari (Thick cream of yogurt mixed with walnuts, spinach, garlic and garnished with fresh dill.)
Entrees: Marinated Grilled Baby Lamb Chops, Mixed Grill, and Chicken Adana
To accompany the appetizers, we also ordered Lavas, an enormous puff of bread which is delivered straight to the table warm from the oven. I’ve eaten a lot of hummus in my day, but the silken texture of Anatolia’s hummus is still in my mouth! Eaten together, the four appetizers were a fantastic complement to each other. My order of marinated baby lamb chops — four small, thin, tender chops — were well-​seasoned and grilled perfectly to order: medium rare. Entrees are served with delicious rice pilaf, a small red potato, and wonderful grilled veggies: mushrooms, an onion wedge, a chunk of zuchinni, and peppers. The other diners were very happy with their choice of entrees, and both the mixed grill and chicken adana looked & smelled delicious. Dessert was offered, but because appetizer & entrée portions were so generous, no one in our party had room for it.
Service: Our waiter was attentive — never far out of earshot, yet not intrusive. Our appetizers were delivered to the table very quickly after ordering and our entrees were served hot — straight off the grill.
Ambiance: Because it was a gorgeous evening, we chose to dine outdoors — not much of an experience, given that the parking lot of The Marketplace strip mall in Dr. Phillips is just yards away. But there was a musician playing live dinner music on a keyboard, adding to the experience.
Price range: Moderate/​moderately expensive. At $ 32.00, my baby lamb chops were the most expensive entrée on the menu, however, the cost of my dinner was offset by a Unilocal free appetizer check-​in offer. The mixed grill was $ 21/​per person (min. 2 people), and the chicken adana was $ 16.50.
One member of our party attempted to order a mixed drink, but was gently advised that the restaurant serves only beer & wine. To accompany my meal, I ordered a nice glass of CA chardonnay, priced at $ 6. My companions had soft drinks.
This was my third visit to Anatolia, but it won’t be my last!

Went based on a Unilocal review after a long day at Universal Studios. We have 4 young kids, one with a food allergy, so I was a little nervous. However, I don’t care for chain restaurants, and turkish food tends to be simply prepared and delicious, so I decided to give it a shot.
I’d definitely go back — we ordered calimari, 2 kebab dishes (gyro meat and swordfish), and lamb stew. The wait staff were sensitive to our son’s allergies, and everything was absolutely fantastic (especially the swordfish).
You who eat at sit-​down chains like Ch*li’s or whatever while on vacation should be ashamed. Give this a try!

While in Orlando on vacation we wanted to check out the local flavor, and were walking by, when we noticed the outdoor seating.
We love Mediterranean.
But …there was only a table and space outside for 3…
The waiter said no problem.
He shifted things around and we sat. It was beautiful outside.
And perhaps that is part of the reason we had such a delightful time.
Our waiter was GOKHAN!
What a character. He earned his tip.
We started off with tea. The tea is okay, but the glass it comes in is totally middle eastern style. My friend wanted to take a full set home, but controlled herself.
We had the lava bread and the falafel plate that came with hummus. They serve you olives in oil (very good) and some cabbage. A very good start.
Then we had the Shwarma. Basically gyro meat with vegetables. But the flavor was great…
I cannot tell you what our friends had… A lamb dish?
We ended it off with Turkish Coffee for them… ohmygawd! And regular for me… and a small piece of delicious baklava for all.

The food here is good, but nothing that really wowed me. Prices are a little expensive for what you get.
Fried calamari was the best I’ve had in a while, and moussaka was cheesy goodness.

Yum!

I don’t give many 5 stars and I almost never give one based on a single visit, but I have to for Anatolia.
I was in Orlando but I did not want something for tourists or affiliated with the mouse kingdom, so I looked on Unilocal for interesting things and Anatolia was the winner. Loved being able to make the reservation through Unilocal as well.
Was greeted by the host in this smallish restaurant with plenty of seating outside. The smell of wonderful things meets you at the door as well. The waitress, who seemed related to the host, was pleasant helpful and knew her job. She answered our questions about wine and we tried one of the turkish wines, I now want a case of it. Each table is given some pickled cabbage and olives that were lovely and a nice touch.
We started with the Lava bread. This was amazing, think like a giant bubble of warm and wonderful bread. It was great. We got the mixed grill, different kababs, lamb chops, chicken, the works. This was recomend by the waitress when we told her it was our first time but were familiar with the style of food. Each thing was cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly, tender and amazing. Nearly transcendental and that is what I usually need in order to give 5 stars. The grilled vegetables and the bhulger wheat side dish was also spot on. Makes me want to make the drive over to orlando this weekend just to have those lamb chops again. But I also want to explore the other items.

Can’t overstate how excellent the meats were. First class lamb chops. Gyro meat was absolutely the best I’ve had. Also excellent bread and hummus. Beautiful décor and atmosphere, easily overlooked in a little mall.
Extra bonus points for NO TELEVISIONS… hooray!

In a word … WOW!
The word average do not cross my mind at ANY point of my experience here. From the appeasers right through dinner and dessert.
Being raised in the Middle east and Europe, I can tell you that this is just about as good as it can get. I ate till i couldn’t eat any more and as i got in my car to drive away, All i could think about was more of this delicious food.
The waiter was very friendly and informative. Even took the time to warn us about not finishing all the appetizer as there was a lot coming on the mixed platter we ordered. He was not kidding!
All in all, this is one hidden jewel in Orlando which i will make a point to visit every chance i get.

Oh, Anatolia, how I wish I could take you back to Austin, TX with me.
Best meal I have had ALL year!!!
Walking to the restaurant being serenaded by the beautiful, live music on the patio put me instantly in a great mood. The staff was all very personable and inviting. I just felt happy being here.
This is all before anything food-​related occurred!!!
Ohhhhhhh, THE FOOD!!!
Best Calamari I have ever had in the United States. PERIOD!!!
This is how you prepare calamari. If you have not won an award for it, it’s criminal!
Next I had the DONER/​GYRO/​SHWARMA with YOGURT
Huge portion that I could have easily shared with someone. I loved the grilled vegetables. So simple, yet so satisfying.
Everything was perfection. I cannot wait for my next trip to Orlando because I will DEFINITELY return.
Thanks for an awesome evening! :)

Excellent dining experience !
Ended up doing a Unilocal search for greek. This placed turned up so we decided to give it a try.
My friend from Jordan called my cell while we were there, told him where we were, he said oh you picked an excellent place.
Uploaded some pics to Unilocal.
We would go here again !! A little pricey, but the quality was worth the price.

Ahh Anatolia… possibly one of my favorite places in town!
My mom and I decided to have lunch at Anatolia this past Sunday. We both have been there several times, so we have our favorites and we don’t even need a menu anymore, we know what to order as soon as we park our butts.
The restaurant is relatively small, they have a semi open kitchen, and they offer indoor and outdoor seating. We generally prefer sitting outside, but all of the tables were occupied. When we went inside one of the waitresses recognized me from the last couple of times I was there and she greeted me in a very kind way, complimenting me on my dress and letting us choose where to seat. She also remembered I ordered an iced tea last time and she asked if I wanted the same.
When she returned with our beverages we proceed with our appetizer order: Lavash bread (the big fluffy delicious hollow bread), hummus, Tamara (caviar pâté), and their amazingggg white bean salad. For our entrees I ordered the Moussaka and my mom got the Sauté Shrimp.
Everything was absolutely amazing, by the time we were done with our appetizers we were completely full and took our entrees to go. Later on, when we had the entrees for dinner at home we were please with our dishes. We have had both dishes before in the past and it tasted just as delicious.
I look forward to returning and having another great meal!

When Visiting Orlando — Find Anatolia…
Anatolia’s is the type of restaurant you visit and say «damn…I wish they had one of these in my area». I’m sure we actually do have such a place with great Mediterranean food (heavy on the Middle Eastern flavors) and a nice café atmosphere in San Jose, but I just haven’t found it yet.
On a recent vacation to theme parks in Orlando with another couple, we spent 6 nights at the Crown Plaza in the southwest part of the city… about 5 minutes from Universal Studios and 20 minutes from DisneyWorld. The main street nearby… Sand Lake Road… seemed to have more attractive non-​mass chain restaurants in a 1 mile strip than any similar piece of property I remember viewing. One dinner was at TooJay’s, a really good «deli», which raised the question «why can’t one of these survive in Silicon Valley?» But that’s another story.
The first night, we walked by Anatolia on our way to TooJay’s and said «we can’t miss any place which smells that good». Sure enough, we tried Anatolia and it was so good we went again just 2 nights later. And both times… on a Tuesday and Thursday no less… the restaurant was buzzing with customers.
This review really isn’t for people who live in Orlando because they probably know it already. Instead, it’s mainly for visitors who are suddenly faced with choosing a restaurant from a million choices.
Anatolia is part of small shopping center in an upscale area near the intersection of Sand Lake Road and Dr. Phillips Blvd. It’s around the corner from a Morton’s Steakhouse and set among a variety of ethnic neighborhood restaurants, like TooJay’s. There are 15 – 20 tables for 4 inside with room for another 20 people outside, so the feeling is that of a café.
The menu at Anatolia is not large, but there’s something for even a picky eater. You can literally make a meal with a bunch of appetizers and salads or go the traditional route with an entrée and smaller dish. In all honesty, I’ve got the menu on my screen as I write this review and the drool from both my mouth and mind is causing sparks to fly from the keyboard!
Everything we tried in our 2 dinner tour was very good or great. Appetizers included babagannus, eggplant, hummus, sigara boregi (phylo dough with feta cheese and herbs), falafel and calamari (among the best ever). Entrees were chicken adana, swordfish kabab, beef sauté, mousaka and vegetable sauté. Each meal was accompanied by hot and soft «puffy» bread called Lavas which was excellent for dipping, especially the babagannus, eggplant and hummus. One night, we added 2 orders of a nice rice pudding. The food looked, smelled and tasted like a slice of Mediterranean heaven.
The Wine List was of reasonable size, selection and cost. Here in California, we’re exposed (in a tasteful way) to wines everyday, but the list at Anatolia was similar in scope and price to most places in San Jose. We tried a zinfandel from Rosenblum for $ 26 the first night and went back for more the 2^nd night.
Service was friendly and helpful which is nice when the menu seems like a foreign language. They weren’t overly-​solicitous, but warm and knowledgeable. And the bathrooms were fairly modern and clean!
One of the best aspects of Anatolia is the value. Some previous reviews on Unilocal described the prices as «high». It’s all relative. We ate big amounts of great food both nights and paid $ 55 – 60 per couple before tax and tip.
Bottom line: Move Anatolia to San Jose.
Pros: What’s not to like?
Cons: It’s in Florida and we live in California
Ratings:
Overall: 5
Food Quality: 5
Food Quantity: 5
Menu: 5
Wine List: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Bathrooms: 4

I love the décor, very classy with warm lights. The service.. .well.. .
We came kinda late, so it seemed as if everyone was preoccupied with leaving basically. Even so, there was live music with instruments I have not seen before, which was definitely a plus.
So, we only came for dessert and Turkish coffee. The pistachio baklava was delish, although the servings were very small.
I have had Turkish coffee before so knew what to expect. Not like what Americas are used to basically. Very small cups and not sweet at all. Very different taste, however I enjoyed it simply because the cups were super cute and it made my tummy feel really great!

Anatolia was delicious! My bf and I wanted to go and have a nice dinner for NYE and wanted to try something different and I mentioned how I always see Anatolia.
So we decided to go and the lavas bread was so yummy! We also decided to get the mix grill for two and everything on that plate was delicious! The lamb chop and the chicken were my favs.
I can’t wait to go back :)

I’m a tough critic of restaurants when it comes to PERFECT — but short of perfect, Neil, the owner of this restaurant has put his best foot forward into the category of truly great!
We stumbled upon Anatolia while looking for another restaurant and in a quest for food that genuinely qualifies as vegetarian in Orlando (not an easy task — have you looked around Orlando???). Just having been turned away from Thai because we were a bit late (10pm) we were cruising on out of the shopping complex and slipping by the starbucks when the word Turkish stood out from the sign. I thought there were some serious possibilities of meeting the vegetarian filter here, so we stopped.
What a surprise — on a thursday night, Anatolia at 10pm had not only food for us, but also a Turkish Guitar player, several groups of people in the outdoor seating and a relaxed and beautiful atmosphere. Coming inside however is what really did it for me. Anatolia is beautiful — slate floors, a tiled back wall, esthetically gorgeous colors and draping across the front windows, as well as comfortable chairs — can’t underestimate the value of beautiful and comfortable seating as you sit down to a delicious feast of Turkish/​Mediterranean food.
So to get started — Lavas — house made bread that rose almost 6 inches above the plate — stuffed grape leaves that left me wishing for more (and 4 in a serving only made me happier) — Lentil soup that was delicate and flavorful — then of course the main course — a delicious combination of beef and lamb kebabs while my partner in crime had zucchini squash pancakes as well. It was all delicious — and then of course some wonderfully strong Turkish tea to top it all off.
Neil, the owner came by and spoke with us, all the wait staff were very attentive and came by frequently to see how we were while not being overbearing. Wait, before I forget, out Turkish guitar playing friend — he was fantastic as well. He has a great voice, has taught himself to play by ear and provided the perfect mood setting to our experience.
If there’s anything missing to make this a five star experience it’s simply that we didn’t manage to have dessert and I can’t throw that fifth star in there without it. If I could give a ½ star addition I would.
To give you some concept though — we were so happy with Anatolia that we went back the next night — and were exactly as happy as the first night. I’m posting some pictures as soon as I add this business so that everyone else can see what I enjoyed so much!