About the author : Anatolia
Rakı is not a shot and it is not an aperitif. It is an evening, and it does not work without a meze table in front of it.
What is rakı?
Rakı is a grape-based spirit flavoured with aniseed. Poured over ice and topped with water it turns cloudy white — which is why it is called aslan sütü, lion’s milk. What matters more than the brand is the ritual around it: rakı is drunk slowly, over hours, alongside cold mezes and then grilled meat, with the glass topped up rather than emptied. In Turkey a rakı sofrası — a rakı table — is a social form, not a drinks order. Nobody drinks it standing up and nobody drinks it quickly.
How we prepare it at Anatolia Grill
We pour three: Yeni Rakı, the classic and the reference point; Tekirdağ Altın Seri, softer and more refined; and Beyler Beyi Göbek, a handcrafted göbek rakı distilled from the middle of the run, which is why it costs what it does. All three come in 700 ml and 350 ml bottles, and Yeni Rakı and Tekirdağ are also available in 80 ml miniatures if you want to try one without committing to a bottle. Order the Mixed Appetizers plate at 299 CZK with it — that is how it is meant to be done.
On our menu
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Yeni Rakı | 80 ml | 179 CZK |
| Tekirdağ Altın Seri | 80 ml | 199 CZK |
| Beyler Beyi Göbek | 80 ml | 209 CZK |
| Yeni Rakı | 350 ml | 799 CZK |
| Tekirdağ Altın Seri | 350 ml | 960 CZK |
| Beyler Beyi Göbek | 350 ml | 999 CZK |
| Yeni Rakı | 700 ml | 1650 CZK |
| Tekirdağ Altın Seri | 700 ml | 1890 CZK |
| Beyler Beyi Göbek | 700 ml | 2190 CZK |
Frequently asked questions
Where can I drink rakı in Prague?
At Anatolia Grill Restaurant, Na Poříčí 1933/36, Praha 1. We stock three Turkish rakıs in 80 ml, 350 ml and 700 ml, and serve them with a full meze menu, every day until midnight.
How do you drink rakı properly?
Pour it into a tall narrow glass, add cold water — usually about half and half — and ice last. Drink it slowly with cold mezes, then grilled meat. It is never taken as a shot.
What does rakı taste like?
Strongly of aniseed, similar in family to Greek ouzo and French pastis, but distilled from grapes and typically drier.
What should I eat with rakı?
Cold mezes first — haydari, acılı ezme, köpoğlu and melon with white cheese are the classics — then grilled lamb. Our Mixed Appetizers plate at 299 CZK is built for exactly this.
Visit Anatolia Grill Restaurant
We are on Na Poříčí, a few minutes’ walk from Náměstí Republiky, in the centre of Prague. The kitchen is open every day from 08:00 to 00:00, so breakfast, a late lunch and a midnight plate are all on the table.
- Address: Na Poříčí 1933/36, 110 00 Praha 1 – Nové Město
- Open: every day, 08:00 – 00:00
- Restaurant: +420 777 946 662 | Meat Market: +420 727 974 844
See the full Anatolia Grill menu, book a table by phone, visit the Anatolia Meat Market next door, or order online for delivery and pickup.