Ankawa, Erbil
An indoor garden, after dark.
Café by day, lounge by night — tucked behind a living wall on Ankawa's main street, where coffee, shisha and slow conversation share the same room.
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Café by day, lounge by night — tucked behind a living wall on Ankawa's main street, where coffee, shisha and slow conversation share the same room.
Gantha started from one instinct: Ankawa didn't need another café with a coffee machine and grey walls. It needed somewhere plants outnumber the light fixtures — where a stone-clad entrance opens onto living walls, hanging greenery, and rooms that shift from a bright, plant-lined bar by day to a low-lit, botanical-wallpapered lounge by night.
Two floors, one mezzanine looking down over it all, and a menu built for lingering — espresso and pastries at noon, shisha and cocktails after dark.
A walk through Gantha, floor by floor — the bar, the mezzanine, and the lounge below.
The outdoor tent stays warm under patio heaters, string lights, and a firepit glow — a slower, open-air alternative to the main dining floor. Shisha service runs alongside the full drinks menu, so a coffee catch-up can turn into a night one without changing rooms.
Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Akitu, and Eid — the space gets a full seasonal transformation for the occasions that call for one.
Ankawa Main Street, Erbil 44001, Iraq
Open daily, morning through late night