For six years, Dupont Circle’s Ankara specialized in well-known Turkish classics, like pide and a litany of kebabs. But the traditional cuisine started to feel more restrictive than celebratory as time passed. “We decided to do something more creative, but you can’t do that if your name is Ankara,” says general manager Jenay Doganay. “It’s Turkish, so you have to be Turkish.”
This March, restaurant was reborn as Ala, its menu embracing an array of cuisine from the Levant, the region broadly containing the swath of countries stretching from Egypt to Greece.
To capitalize on the uptick of workers returning to nearby offices and increasing foot traffic, Ala Coffee + More debuted in mid-September as a grab ‘n’ go breakfast and lunch café with a mini market. “It’s still our culture, but different than we used to be,” says Doganay, who is Turkish and immigrated to the States several years ago. “It gives you more wiggle room to do more stuff.”
The pastry case is full of breakfast favorites infused with Levantine flavors. One croissant is piped full of whipped labneh and dusted with za’atar spice, while another is encrusted with cinnamon and caraway seeds, then split open to be filled with halvah (sesame candy). A walnut maple scone gets a savory boost from tahini. “Whenever we have Turkish guests, I have to tell them, ‘This is not what you’re getting at home,’” says Doganay. “They want to eat what they used to get from their grandmas, so we just tell them, ‘This is not it.’ We just want to set their expectations.”
Some of the most Instagrammed items are the cro’gels, a modernistic mashup of bagel shaped croissants. They’re the basis for a Caprese-minded sandwich featuring feta, cilantro-forward zhoug sauce, and tomato, as well as one with smoked mackerel and labneh that recalls the classic combination of lox and cream cheese.
There are lots of savory small bites on hand: harissa spiked hummus, za’atar enhanced labneh, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), grilled pita, and tabbouleh made with freekeh, rather than the usual bulgur wheat.
Using Julius Meinl coffee from Austria, the café offers the usual suspects – drip coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos, and cold brew – as well as lavender and chai-spiced iced coffee. For a Levant lift, there’s traditional Turkish coffee from the brand Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi. “It’s super strong,” says Doganay. “It’s what you need in the morning.”
Loose leaf teas, including black currant and ginger-lemongrass, are prepared in a French press to allow the flavors to fully steep. There’s also Turkish black tea. “Like our coffee, it’s strong,” says Doganay.
The market area offers an eclectic mix of goods. For those hoping to add Levantine flair to their home cooking, spices such as za’atar, urfa biber pepper, dukkah, sumac, and ras el hanout are available. A small freezer is packed with ice creams showcasing flavors from the region: orange blossom, rose, quince, Turkish coffee with pistachio, and halva. Sweet tooths can also pick up halva, baklava, Turkish delight, or kadaifi. Wine varietals from Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Armenia crowd the center table.
Ala joins a growing number of restaurants representing the Levantine region that opened in the last few years, including chef Michael Rafidi’s Albi and Yellow café in Navy Yard, Ilili on the Wharf, and Cleveland Park’s Sababa.
Ala Coffee + More is located at 1320 19th St NW (entrance on Sunderland Pl. NW). Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
