I am picked up at the airport in Kayseri, Turkey by Travel Atelier guide Bunyamin Ozmen. It’s close to noon, so we head for the Old Greek House for lunch in the village of Mustafapasa.
The restaurant is housed in a 19th century stone mansion. Its first owner was a Greek artist by the name of Yorha Vasil. The house was sold to the Ozturk family in 1938 and for years the family used it as a home. In 1992, they converted the Old Greek House into a restaurant.
When I walk in I find myself in a very large room. At one end the room opens up to the sky and grape vines serve as a beautiful natural curtain.
As if magic, the food begins to arrive at our table shortly after we choose our seats; delicious Turkish food served to share.
Just as we are finishing our meal, several tourists come into the restaurant and start taking photos of everything. Bunyamin explains that in 2002 a television series began filming here and in 2003 a movie of the same name was also filmed here.
Asmali Konak (Mansion with Hanging Vines) not only brought fans to the restaurant, but to all of Cappadocia. The plot, I learn, involves the Karadağs, a wealthy family that owns vast estates in Cappadocia. Their heir Seymen goes to study in New York where he meets Bahar, the daughter of a family from İstanbul. They fall in love, get married and move to the Karadağs’ ancestral home, the Asmalı Konak. Fifty four episodes and the finale, a feature film, were centered around the mansion.
In addition to the restaurant, the Old Greek House offers 14 guest rooms for overnight stays.
