Turkish Delight

Turkish Delight is Anchorage's only Turkish restaurant, and it has been since siblings Engin and Zeynep Kilic took over ownership in December 2022. What they run today is a full-service dining room built around Ottoman kitchen traditions: a structured progression of cold meze, warm meze, soup, and grilled mains that reflects Istanbul closer than what most American cities have access to.

The menu earns its reputation in layers. Cold meze — hummus, ezme, roasted eggplant salata, dolma — function as a meal in themselves or as an extended opening act. Signature mains include Hunkar Begendi ("Sultan's Delight"), slow-cooked beef in tomato sauce over grilled eggplant puree, which the kitchen treats as its house dish. The kebab range spans Adana (spiced ground beef and lamb skewer), Sis Kebap (grilled tenderloin chunks), doner from the vertical spit, and Pirzola lamb chops. Desserts run deep: baklava, kunefe (fresh cheese in shredded phyllo), kadayif stuffed with Antep pistachios, and Maras Dondurma — the stretchy Turkish ice cream made with salep and mastic gum. Persian appetizers round out the menu alongside vegetarian and vegan options throughout.

The restaurant received national attention in late 2024, appearing in Far & Wide's list of 25 Best Turkish Restaurants in the United States — significant recognition for an Anchorage establishment. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 700-plus reviews; Yelp holds 310 reviews as of early 2026.

Hours run Tuesday through Friday for lunch (11 AM–2 PM) and dinner (4:30–9 PM), with Saturday and Sunday running continuous noon to 9 PM. The restaurant is closed Mondays. Reservations are available and advisable for dinner service. The suite address at 2210 E Northern Lights Blvd sits in the Midtown corridor, easy to reach from most of Anchorage. Catering and DoorDash delivery are available for those who can't get in.

For a city with limited representation of Turkish and Ottoman cooking, Turkish Delight fills a specific gap that both visitors and locals have taken note of.