A thin flatbread topped with minced lamb, tomato, parsley and isot, fired hot and fast so the edges blister. The Antep version is thinner and spicier than the Urfa one and is eaten rolled.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Gaziantep counts around twenty kinds of lahmacun, and the local argument with Şanlıurfa is about thickness and heat. The Antep version rolls the dough thinner, uses more isot in the mince and takes less time in the oven, so it comes out crisp rather than pliable. It is street food and a starter rather than a meal: kebab houses send lahmacun out free while the grill works, and dedicated bakeries sell it by the piece to be eaten standing. The mince is traditionally hand-chopped with tail fat rather than machine-ground, which is what keeps it juicy on such a thin base.
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. Spread the meat thinly enough to see the dough through it. A thick layer steams the base instead of crisping it.
Üçler Kebap Lahmacun keeps lahmacun cheap on Zübeyde Hanım Bulvarı, so a Gaziantep lunch of two pieces and an ayran barely dents a day's budget.
Try: Lahmacun
Tip: Lahmacun is priced per piece. Skip the şiş if you are keeping the bill down.
İmam Çağdaş rolls its own baklava beside the kebab grill on Uzun Çarşı, and the havuç dilimi wedge is the one Gaziantep queues at the counter for it.
Tip: The takeaway counter is separate from the restaurant. Use the street door if you only want a box.
Worth the queue: Havuç dilimi
Özcanlar Pide & Lahmacun Fırını is a neighbourhood oven in Kayaönü where a metre of Gaziantep pide costs less than a single kebab plate downtown.
Try: Kıymalı pide
Tip: Order by the metre for a group. It is cheaper than buying individual portions.
More cities are in research. Want antep usulü lahmacun covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.