Kalbur Balık

Kalbur Balık has been my go-to place with friends for fish and meze whenever I get the chance since 1990. It's one of the rare establishments in Ankara that has maintained its quality, standards, and service to this day. I'd like to thank Mehmet Bey and his team.

The best fish restaurant in Ankara

A place that confuses your mood. The mezes are perhaps the most delicious you'll eat in Ankara. The recipes are created in a way that emphasizes quality ingredients with simplicity. These aren't recipes where ingredients are haphazardly added to create flavor. The flavor comes from this simplicity and the use of quality ingredients. We were satisfied with everything we ate. Only the shish kebab was just an ordinary shish kebab. Portions are generally small, and most items are sold individually. Now, let's get to the part that will confuse your mood and annoy you amidst all this delicious food: the owner's behavior. As delicious as the mezes are, the owner's attitude is equally irritating. No matter how much you try to communicate politely, you are met with a contrary, rude, and impolite attitude. A illustrative example of a few incidents I experienced was when we were discussing whether to order one or two of the Adana kebabs in front of the refrigerator. The owner, a grumpy old gentleman, said, "If you like it and ask for more, I won't send any more." This confirmed the negative reviews I had read about him. Moreover, it was 4 PM when we were talking, the restaurant was 85% empty, and there was absolutely no one waiting to order. Because we were curious about the taste and didn't want to waste time searching for another place in the evening traffic, we reluctantly accepted his idiotic behavior as a side dish with our appetizers. In short, depending on your tolerance level, you might give it a chance once for the taste, but after that, you wouldn't even walk down the street.

Most of those who leave positive reviews here are clearly people accustomed to being humiliated and lacking basic human decency. …