16 editor picks in Eski Antep, Gaziantep.
16 turkish spots in Eski Antep, editor-picked by TableJourney. All of Eski Antep's food · All turkish in Gaziantep.
İmam Çağdaş has cooked kebab and rolled its own baklava on Uzun Çarşı in Gaziantep since 1887, and the founding family still works both counters.
OrderAli Nazik, then a plate of havuç dilimi baklava from the same counter.
TipSit upstairs, order the Ali Nazik, and buy baklava on the way out rather than eating it at the table.
İmam Çağdaş is the benchmark kebab house of Gaziantep, running since 1887 and still judged on its Ali Nazik and on its havuç dilimi baklava tray.
OrderAli Nazik and a plate of havuç dilimi to finish.
TipPrices sit above the bazaar average. That is the trade for the address and the age of the kitchen.
Metanet Lokantası in Gaziantep opens at 05:00 and sells beyran until the pot runs dry, which is why locals queue before the bazaar wakes up.
OrderBeyran, the lamb and rice broth the kitchen has simmered overnight.
TipGet there before 09:00. The beyran is gone by early afternoon and the kitchen will not make a second batch.
Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası sits at the exit of the coppersmiths' bazaar in Gaziantep, opposite the Suriye Pasajı, and the family has run it since the 1920s.
OrderPatlıcan kebabı with firik pilav, the smoked green-wheat rice.
TipThere is often no printed menu. Ask what the grill has and let the waiter build the order for you.
Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası is the esnaf lokanta of the Gaziantep bazaar, serving kebab, pide and bottomless soup to coppersmiths and shoppers alike.
OrderKuşbaşı kebab with firik pilav and the free soup refill.
TipComplimentary fruit and soup arrive unasked. Do not over-order the starters.
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı cooks the home dishes the kebab houses skip, from yuvalama to alaca çorba, a short walk downhill from Gaziantep Castle.
OrderYuvalama, the yoghurt and chickpea soup Gaziantep eats at feast time.
TipHalf portions are available, which is the way to taste four regional dishes in one sitting.
Bayazhan pours rakı and grills küşleme inside a Silk Road caravanserai on Atatürk Bulvarı, one of the few licensed rooms in central Gaziantep.
OrderKüşleme, which the kitchen portions in limited numbers each night.
TipThe upstairs meyhane runs live fasıl music. Reserve the küşleme when you book, it sells out.
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı plates regional home cooking near the castle, and half portions make it the easiest place in Gaziantep to taste widely.
OrderEkşili köfte, the sour meatball soup.
TipVegetarian dishes are listed separately. The kuru patlıcan dolması is meat-free on request.
Bayazhan turns a Silk Road caravanserai in Gaziantep into a meyhane, a winter dining room and a bar, with live fasıl music on most nights of the week.
OrderKüşleme, reserved in advance because the nightly allocation is small.
TipThe non-alcoholic family section is separate from the meyhane. Say which you want when booking.
Hışvahan serves Antep cooking inside a restored 16th-century han beneath Gaziantep Castle, which now works as a hotel, restaurant and shop in one.
OrderAnalı kızlı, the twin-dumpling soup, followed by the semolina halva.
TipDevelik is the dining room and Susamhane the event space. Ask for a courtyard table in spring.
Hışvahan is the most formal room in Gaziantep, an Ottoman han restored into a hotel and restaurant that plates Antep dishes under stone vaults.
OrderPeynirli güveçte irmik helvası, the cheese and semolina halva.
TipBook for dinner rather than lunch. The courtyard lighting is the reason to be here after dark.
Ali Usta Kebap ve Baklava opens at 06:00 near Karatarla in Gaziantep and works a kebab grill and a baklava counter out of the same narrow doorway.
OrderAli Nazik, smoked aubergine under garlic yoghurt and lamb.
TipClosed Sundays. Early lunch is quieter than the 13:00 rush from the surrounding workshops.
Ali Usta Kebap ve Baklava runs a kebab grill and a baklava tray side by side in central Gaziantep, open from six in the morning six days a week.
OrderAli Nazik at breakfast, which is normal here.
TipThe baklava counter sells by weight. Half a kilo is enough for four people.
Muhsinzade grills chicken şiş and lamb liver over charcoal in the Külekçi bazaar lanes of Gaziantep, opening at 06:00 for the traders around it.
OrderChicken şiş off the charcoal, wrapped with firik pilav.
TipShut by early evening. This is a breakfast and lunch counter, not a dinner room.
Muhsinzade is a charcoal counter in the Gaziantep bazaar where traders eat şiş and dürüm standing up, from six in the morning until early evening.
OrderA liver and mince dürüm wrapped in bazaar flatbread.
TipNo English menu. Point at the skewers you want and the owner will build the plate.
Ciğerci Mustafa grills lamb liver on Bayramoğlu Sokak in Gaziantep, where the local breakfast is skewers, flatbread and a glass of tea at dawn.
OrderLiver skewers with tail fat, eaten with raw onion and zahter.
TipLiver is a morning dish here. Order the tail fat alternating on the skewer, that is the local way.
3 hours
Join a local family in Gaziantep for a traditional Antep cooking class. Learn how to prepare classic dishes, enjoy a warm welcome, and savor the flavors of Gaziantep.
Private tour · 5 hours
Discover Gaziantep’s history, art, and cuisine on a guided tour. Visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, taste local street food, and explore the city’s vibrant streets.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Explore Gaziantep’s culinary delights and cultural heritage on a guided walking tour. Sample iconic dishes, visit traditional markets, and learn about the city’s rich history.