Anatolia Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Virginia

I'm posting this review in the hopes that the owner will read this and make some changes.

I'll start off with the positives. The restaurant is in a nice neighborhood and there was ample parking. When we arrived, we were greeted pleasantly from a lady behind the bar. We could see she was busy and she was hustling the entire time we were there. The staff were also all wearing mask as far as we could tell. But that's about it for the positives. Now for the negatives. Brace yourself, this is gonna be a long one.

Let's start with the menu. We were initially interested in going here because it's represented as authentic Armenian food. I've never been to Armenia and can't speak to the food's authenticity. However, the menu seems like typical Mediterranean fare. There were only a few things on the menu that were not typical. That's just the beginning.

The prices here are astronomical (more about that later)! And the food is not worth the premium. I can get something similar (and honestly better tasting) at a place like Mezeh for much less. The chicken shawarma was under seasoned. The manti was watery. We were brought bread that smelled and tasted burnt.

Now to the service... and it's not going to get any better. We arrived at around 7:30 on a Friday night. We were seated fairly promptly. However we were not brought menus or offered water until 5 minutes after we arrived. The water was straight lukewarm tap water with a few ice cubes in it. And I know this one is nitpicking, but they hadn't even taken the stickers off the bottoms of the glasses. 10 minutes later and she finally comes to take our order. We order a lemonade and a pomegranate tea for beverages. We order our entrees and a ask if they have a kid's menu. She says we can order a lunch serving which we do. Another 5-10 minutes pass before the beverages come out. The tea was good, but the lemonade must have been powdered lemonade because there was some mix/sugar at the bottom of my glass. We finish our drinks and sit there for another 20-25 minutes without any acknowledgement or refills or anything. Finally she comes by and says the food is coming out soon. Now as I said before the server not slacking. She is hosting and serving the entire restaurant where there should be at least one if two more servers. But another 15 passes and it's now almost 8:30. We've been there for an hour and I'm literally 30 seconds from walking out and... out comes the food. So we eat because we honestly don't have the energy to fight, it's late and we're hungry. We eat and as stated before the food was pretty disappointing.

So we finish up and ask for the check, and here's the sticker shock. $3.50 for powdered lemonade?! Are you kidding me? I can buy the whole container and make gallons of lemonade for that price. No comps or acknowledgement except for a "Thanks for being patient". She also forgot to make the chicken shawarma a lunch portion. Total for 2 entrees, a soup, an appetizer and 2 regular beverages? $80+ That 50% more or double what you pay for something similar at a similar restaurant. We pay and leave.

We don't plan on returning but we do hope they can make some staffing and menu/price changes. We never want to see a business fail, but I'm not sure how you can stay in business running a...

Anatolia is the crowning achievement of the family that began the legendary Istanbul Restaurant formerly on the Jamestown Road on the way to the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry to Surry County.

Now operated by the husband/wife team of chefs, it has a splendid Turkish menu, with everything from soup and salads through cold and hot mezzas to house specials and kebobs—and of course homemade desserts.

We enjoyed the Manti and the Stuffed Eggplant this evening, and felt that the presentation was as splendid as the food itself! Each dinner includes a salad, the main dish, and vegetables (or pasta in the case of the Manti), and a rice pilaf. Not a morsel was left on our plates, which is pretty remarkable. We simply loved everything, and the portions seemed perfect for dinner.

There is an extensive winelist, but this evening we sampled two beers, a very respectable and medium-bodied Turkish beer Efes, and a comparatively dry Armenian beer. The rich and slightly sweet Greek beer Zeus is also offered, and all three would complement the dinners extremely well, I think.

I want to thank the owners for venturing into the more readily accessible New Towne area of Williamsburg, and for their very deeply considered and excellent menu. Every aspect of every dish reflects both love and attention to every detail, and the results are most impressive.

Update for a second visit September 6, 2019: Sheila and I enjoyed another splendid meal here last night, and upon rereading my initial review I can’t imagine why all of you who have read my initial review did not “like” my review, for if you followed my advice and dined at Anatolia, I know you LOVED the food!

On this occasion Sheila, who had tasted the gorgeous Stuffed Eggplant I had ordered before, was able to dine upon it; this time I ordered the delicious Kefteh for myself. At Anatolia the Kefteh is made with ground beef rather than ground lamb, as is often done nowadays; either way when properly prepared—as you may depend on always at Anatolia—it is a delicious and aesthetically pleasing dish. As before, the dinner portions were generous: this time we were both able to take some home, although admittedly it is very hard to stop eating Anatolia’s dishes . . . .

Sheila had a glass of the dry red Turkish wine she had enjoyed on our first visit; on this occasion the chefs had added the Efes Malt version of Efes beer, which seems to add body to the basic beer and moves the flavor more toward that of the Greek beer Zeos. But all of the Mediterranean beers offered at Anatolia are excellent complements to Anatolia’s wonderful dishes, so a beer drinker cannot make a wrong choice—even Lebanon’s famed Beirut beer...

Don't hesitate to visit Anatolia's!! You'll be welcomed as family and treated to delicious food, wines, desserts, and hospitality that is among the best!!

We were visiting Williamsburg for a long weekend and saw an advertisement for Anatolia's. Having an Armenian heritage, we decided to visit there for our "last meal in town" on Saturday night. We stopped by the farmers market @ Market Square (another event not to miss) that morning and Anatolia's had a booth there. We mentioned that we had plans to eat there that evening and Sevan introduced himself and said he'd have a table waiting for us and to ask for him. His inviting nature and warm smile confirmed we made a good choice for our dinner. When we arrived that evening, his wait staff, Tu I believe was her name, was welcoming, engaging, personable, and incredibly attentive. When we mentioned we saw their booth at the farmers market she replied, "Oh, you're the ones...Sevan has been talking about you. Let me get him".

Needless to say, the dinner was delicious and the hospitality top notch. Sevan and his staff made us feel at home and the meals reminded me of my Grandmothers feasts during family dinners from long ago. The lamb was outstanding as were the kebob and shawarma. From appetizers to desserts, everyone was so satisfied and we talked about the experience all evening and during our 7 hour ride home the next day.

I highly recommend you visit Anaolia's. If you're not familiar with Armenian or Turkish food....don't be discouraged. If you like flavorful food with delicious ingredients....you'll be treated royally and your taste buds will appreciate the adventure too!

Thank you Sevan for the wonderful time. You made our evening absolutely memorable in all the delightful ways. We've already talked with friends about returning to Williamsburg....JUST to dine with you again!! Job well done, cheers to you, and Shnorrhakalutsjun...