Estergon Restoran

About Estergon Restoran

Estergon Restoran is the Turkish-cuisine restaurant inside the Estergon Türk Kültür Merkezi, the castle-like cultural centre run by Keçiören Municipality on the hill at Güçlükaya. The centre opened on 29 May 2005 and takes its name from the historic Esztergom (Estergon) fortress on the Danube; its octagonal body is modelled on the Red Tower of Alanya Castle and its marble crown gate on the entrance of Konya's Karatay Medrese. The municipality's own description calls the restaurant floor the "Estergon Restorant Türk Mutfağı" level. It was built with very wide windows between short columns decorated with Seljuk-style braided motifs, so that diners get a panoramic view across Ankara. Seating areas are arranged in different decorative compositions, including a platform raised 40 cm off the floor for sitting in the traditional way, and by the entrance a large Anatolian-style "yük dolabı" cupboard stands beside a hearth where Turkish coffee is brewed over a wood fire. Stained-glass windows in Seljuk, Ottoman and Tiffany styles add colour to the room. Above the restaurant is a 1,000 square metre open viewing terrace with a two-storey kümbet (Seljuk-style domed tower) at its centre. The rest of the building holds an arasta of craft shops, a copy of a Topkapı Palace fountain and the municipality's ethnography museum, so a meal here combines easily with a look around the centre. Practical notes: the cultural centre's published visiting hours are 08:30 to 19:00. The restaurant is a municipal facility and has closed for public holidays in the past, so it is worth calling ahead.