Best Halal Turkish Food in Singapore: What to Order at Anatolia

A practical guide to halal Turkish food in Singapore. Kebabs, mezze, pide, Iskender and baklava, and exactly what to order at Anatolia on Arab Street, by occasion.

Singapore’s best halal Turkish food may be divided into a few types. For grills: Adana kebab, assorted grill plates, lamb shish and Iskender. Mezze: hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammara and filled vine leaves, for sharing. Turkish pide and lahmacun for the bread. Dessert: baklava with kunafa. At 58 Arab Street, Anatolia Restaurant serves all of it with 100% halal ingredients, two minutes from Bugis MRT, open everyday 10am to midnight for dine-in and islandwide delivery.

How to use this guide

If you're looking for halal Turkish food in Singapore and you want an actual answer, and not a history lecture, this is how it's set out. First: Why Turkish cuisine is a perfect match for halal eating. Then what to order at Anatolia depending on who you are eating with. Jump to whatever is useful.

Why Turkish food works for halal diners

Turkish cuisine also has a special place. Traditional Ottoman food was never made with meat or wine like French or Italian cooking was. The proteins were always lamb, chicken and beef. The main techniques are charcoal grilling, slow cooking in clay pots and baking in stone ovens. The flavour comes from yoghurt, lemon, olive oil, tomatoes, eggplant, herbs and chickpeas.

In reality, this implies Turkish food need not be changed in order to become halal. Nothing is taken away or replaced. Anatolia is a cuisine that runs on 100% halal ingredients, thus the entire menu is the same, from the grills to the mezze to the sweets and there is no different menu and no restrictions at the table.

What makes Turkish food different from other Middle Eastern food

People mix Turkish with Lebanese, Arabic and Persian food. There’s a lot of common food, mezze culture, charcoal grilling, tremendous hospitality. But Turkish food has a style all its own.

The charcoal grill is the point

Turkish grills are charcoal ones. Adana kebabs are prepared by hand on a long skewer and cooked over an open flame. The char is not typical background taste. It's the flavour. See the Turkish grills section for the entire selection of skewers and platters.

Mezze is cold-first and built for sharing

Cold open to a Turkish table. Dips come together Baba ghanoush, muhammara, smokey eggplant, pulled through warm bread. Next hot starters. Finally, the mains. If you've dined at a Chinese restaurant in Singapore, the rhythm will seem familiar. Food comes in in the middle and everyone shares.

Pide is bread you build a meal around

Turkish bread is not a side order. Lavash and pide, flatbread cooked with cheese, lamb, chicken or spinach in the shape of a boat, are real servings of the meal. Pide fools first-timers, so let’s get one thing straight: it is not pizza. The dough is softer, the edges are thicker, and the filling is baked in instead of stacked on top.

Dessert runs on syrup and pastry

Baklava is layers of filo with pistachio or walnut soaked in syrup. The Turkish version uses clarified butter instead of oil, which gives the pastry a lighter, flakier bite.  Another must-order is kunafa, crisp shredded pastry with a soft middle, served with syrup. Both are affluent enough to be shared.

Must-try halal Turkish dishes

Adana kebab

Flat skewers of spiced minced lamb or beef cooked over coals till crispy on the exterior and yet juicy in the middle. The heat comes from red chilli flakes mixed into the mince, there but not extreme by Singapore standards. Served with rice, grilled peppers and tomato. This is the purest version of Turkish charcoal cooking and one of the most popular plates at Anatolia.

Mixed grill platter

Several kebab preparations on one plate, usually Adana, shish and another cut, with rice, bread and grilled vegetables. This is the order for a table that cannot agree. The Anatolia Special Grill is the house version, built for groups who want different things but want to eat together.

Iskender kebab

A popular Turkish meal from the city of Burs. Thin doner-style lamb over torn pide, with a thick tomato sauce, completed with browned butter poured at the table, with cool yoghurt on the side. The bread absorbs the sauce and butter as it sits. Nowhere else on the menu is like this. Order Iskender kebab with lamb or chicken.

Turkish pide and lahmacun

Pide is the boat-shaped flatbread baked to order, cheese, lamb, chicken, spinach or halal beef pepperoni. The edges blister while the filling stays soft. Lahmacun is the thin, crisp cousin, seasoned minced meat spread over dough, rolled up with a squeeze of lemon and some salad inside. One pide feeds one as a main, or two as part of a bigger spread.

Cold mezze

This is how all tables should start. Warm bread with hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammara, smokey eggplant and Turkish-style yoghurt dip. For every four to six persons, order two to four cold starters. If you don’t order anything else, start with the hummus.

Turkish lentil soup

Mercimek çorbası (Lentil Soup) is pureed red lentils flavoured with cumin and dried mint, served hot with lemon. Order it before the mezze for the traditional Turkish order. Before the first spoon, squeeze lemon in. Other soups are worth a try in cooler weather.

Baklava and kunafa

End with the baklava, one piece per person is plenty, or share a kunafa hot from the pan. Both are on the dessert menu and both are best enjoyed with Turkish tea.

What to order at Anatolia, by occasion

This is the part most guides skip. Here is how to actually build the order.

First-time diners

Start with two or three cold mezze and lentil soup. Next, serve an Adana kebab or a mixed grill platter. To share, add a pide. Finish with baklava. That takes care of all items of a Turkish lunch in one sitting.

Couples

Cold mezze for two, one Iskender and one lamb pide to share, dessert together. Two persons, one table, a complete Turkish lunch without over-ordering.

Families and large groups

To prevent meals from arriving all at once, place your order in rounds. Soup and four cold mezze make up the first round. Second: two or three hot starters such as falafel, halloumi, and sigara böreği. Mains: two distinct pide and two mixed grills for a table of six to eight. With children and groups that want to converse rather than wait, this rhythm is far more effective. See family dining for larger reservations.

Corporate dining

Shared mezze avoids the awkward who-ordered-what bill calculations, which is why it works for work dinners. Anatolia handles larger groups with advance notification. For set dinners and group spreads, see company eating.

Delivery

Turkish cuisine is easily delivered. The bread reheats well in a dry pan, the dips maintain their texture, and the stews and traditional foods travel peacefully. Order the soup, one standard entrée, plus the cold mezze spread for delivery. Pide should only be added if the window is short. Get free delivery on orders over $100 and choose from the whole menu.

A few prices to anchor on

The Testi kebab, which costs about $78.90 for two runs, is wrapped in a clay pot and cracked open at the table. However, prices are subject to change, so check the live menu before placing an order. Group delivery sets start at about $100. For set group prices, the vegan and vegetarian set dinners offer a complete meatless Turkish buffet. This is neither fine-dining premium nor bar-snack price. It is an appropriate sit-down supper that can be shared by a group without anyone being put off by the cost.

Visiting Anatolia on Arab Street

Come visit us at 58 Arab Street, Singapore 199755, in the Kampong Glam heritage district, just a 2-minute walk from Bugis MRT Exit B. Textile shops, small boutiques and the Sultan Mosque are all along the route, which is part of why the place works as well for an evening out as it does for a weekday lunch.

The kitchen is open daily from 10am to midnight without an afternoon break. That makes Anatolia one of the few restaurants in Bugis where you can sit down at 3pm and receive a complete supper. Book ahead for groups over eight.

Anatolia Restaurant, Kampong Glam

Anatolia on Arab Street serves real Turkish and Lebanese food with charcoal grills, fresh mezze, made-to-order pide, and traditional clay-pot specialties. Chef Sinan runs the kitchen and serves these delicacies as they are consumed back home, with 100% halal ingredients on the entire menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Turkish food halal?

Turkish food is naturally a match with the halal diet as the tradition does not use pork or alcohol as base ingredients. At Anatolia, all dishes are made with 100% halal ingredients; this includes grills, mezze, soups, bread and desserts.

What is the best halal Turkish food to try in Singapore?

Start with cold mezze, then go to the charcoal grills or Iskender kebab for mains, pide for the bread course and baklava to finish. If you choose one meal, the Adana kebab or the mixed grill plate if you are a first-timer or Iskender if you want something more different.

Is Turkish food spicy?

Mostly mild.  The Adana kebab is spiced with chilli flakes, although not as much as a traditional Singapore chilli dish. Mezze, Iskender, pide and soups are not hot.

What is Iskender kebab?

Bursa: Thin döner-style beef stacked over torn pide, finished with browned butter poured at the table, served with yogurt and topped with tomato sauce. As it sits, the bread soaks up the liquid. Available at Anatolia with lamb or chicken.

What should I order for a halal group dinner in Singapore?

Turkish mezze is good for groups as everyone shares the same dishes. Serves 6-8: 4 cold mezze, 2 hot starters, 2 mixed grills and 2 pide. Drop the team a line for bigger or corporate bookings to arrange a set spread.

Does Anatolia deliver halal Turkish food in Singapore?

Yes. The full menu is available for islandwide delivery, with free delivery over $100. Order from the menu page or WhatsApp +65 8227 7270.

Is Turkish food good for vegetarians?

Yeah, a lot of it. Most cold mezze are meat-free and there are specific vegetarian set menus for a full spread without meat. See the vegan and vegetarian menu here.

Where is Anatolia and how do I book?

58 Arab Street, Singapore 199755, two minutes from Bugis MRT Exit B, open daily 10am to midnight. Book online or WhatsApp +65 8227 7270. For groups above eight, reserve ahead.

Conclusion

Turkish food is one of the easiest wins in Singapore's halal dining scene. It is naturally built for it, it is made for sharing, and it covers everything from a quick kebab to a full group feast. Start with mezze, order a grill or an Iskender, share a pide, finish with baklava.

When you are ready, book a table at Anatolia or order delivery. Arab Street, open till midnight, halal all the way through.

Related reading: Turkish Kebab Singapore · Turkish Food Culture: 27 Dishes You Must Know · Best Turkish Coffee and Tea in Singapore