By Ashley McCuen
Special to the Reporter
Lively Turkish music plays through the open doors of Alanya Café. A steady flow of smiling and chatting customers come and go, as owners, Ozcan “John” and Eylem Saribas, greet many by name.
Eylem bakes Turkish pastries every morning, including baklava and burma, and places them in a front display case. Layered beef and lamb for döner sandwiches spin on the rotisserie in the back.
In February 2014, John and Eylem opened Alanya Café in downtown Kirkland, a restaurant which combines friendly service with authentic Turkish cuisine.
Fifteen years ago when John and Eylen married and moved to Washington from Turkey, they weren’t expecting to open a restaurant. After having their son and daughter, Eylem worked as a chef on the Microsoft campus. They soon decided that owning a restaurant would be a worthwhile dream.
In October 2013, they purchased the building and settled on a name, Alanya Café, which is named after the Turkish resort town where they honeymooned.
Among homemade Turkish spiced tea, traditionally served Turkish coffee and numerous Turkish pastries, Alanya Café offers their most well-loved dish, döner kebab. It’s the authenticity of the döner that has put the café on the map. It’s the dish that people know, and the fact that it’s made fresh for each order is what separates it from other gyro restaurants, Eylem said.
“I know what gyros are, and this is better. The quality of the meat is significantly better,” said Susan Price, a regular Alanya Café customer.
John prepares the meat for three hours every day, which gives the dish its authentic quality. He uses beef and lamb from local butchers, layering it one by one onto his döner kebab rotisserie.
“When you cut into the meat, you get both. If you just do beef, it will be so dry. If you just do lamb, it will be so heavy,” John said.
Having worked in restaurants in Turkey and Europe, John knows how to prepare quality meat for the döner kebabs. Using a large knife purchased in Turkey, he shaves the layered meat for each individual meal.
Likewise, Eylem takes time to prepare the vegetables and various ingredients, going to wholesale companies to hand-pick the food in order to ensure premium quality.
“I make everything daily, just enough for that day,” Eylem said.
As the owners and only working staff of the café, John and Eylem arrive at the café around 9 a.m. seven days a week. Eylem Saribas explains that once they open, they’ll remain open until the last customer is served, even if that customer arrives five minutes to closing time.
The dedication and commitment is tough, but according to John and Eylem, it is worth it. They feel proud to serve people the cuisine they know best, and most of all, as they both expressed of the café, “It’s our own.”
Alanya Café is located at 1 Lake Street in downtown Kirkland.
