Zerzevan Restaurant

About Zerzevan Restaurant

Zerzevan Restaurant is a south-eastern Turkish kitchen on Ufuk Üniversitesi Caddesi in Kızılırmak, the office district between Çukurambar and Söğütözü. It takes its name and theme from Zerzevan Castle, and the restaurant presents itself as a place where the heritage of the past meets today's cooking, with a dining room designed to recall the fortress's historic atmosphere. The menu draws on the regional cooking of Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Urfa, Kilis and Kahramanmaraş. Soups include beyran, borani and yuvalama. Regional plates take in Diyarbakır earthenware güveç, keledoş (wheat, chickpeas and green lentils cooked with beef, butter and yoghurt), mumbar and a mixed dolma plate of stuffed onions, dried aubergines and peppers. Pan dishes such as Diyarbakır sac tava, gerdan tava, and Kilis and Maraş tava for two sit alongside a charcoal grill of lamb chops, Adana and Diyarbakır lüle kebabs, liver kebab, ali nazik and pistachio kebab. There are Diyarbakır, Antep and tabak altı lahmacun, pide, a vegetarian section, and desserts including Diyarbakır burma kadayıf, künefe, katmer and baklava. For a broader sampling, a set tasting menu runs through a starter, a hot appetiser, soup, regional dishes and dessert, and a whole orange-marinated duck can be ordered a day ahead for groups of four or more. A spread breakfast (serpme kahvaltı) is also served. The restaurant publishes opening hours of 09:00 to 23:00 every day and takes reservations and orders by phone.