19 editor picks across Turkey.
19 budget eating worth the trip across Turkey, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Turkey guides.
Metanet Lokantası charges soup money for the dish Gaziantep is proudest of, and a beyran with bread is a full breakfast for one very modest price.
OrderBeyran çorbası
TipOrder half a portion if you plan on katmer afterwards. The broth is richer than it looks.
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek at the Galata Bridge, the red-and-gold fish boats grilling mackerel into half-loaves with lettuce and lemon for around 100 lira.
OrderGrilled fish sandwich
Hayvore off Istiklal, a Black Sea steam-table cooking hamsi pilav, muhlama and bean stews where a full lunch with pide and ayran lands under 300 lira.
OrderBlack Sea steam-table lunch
Dürümcü Recep Usta fills you up on chickpeas and flatbread in Gaziantep for the price of a coffee elsewhere, which is why the queue never thins.
OrderNohut dürüm
TipOne wrap is a light lunch, two is a full meal. Add ayran rather than a second wrap.
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi in Sirkeci, where a kıymalı pide costs under 180 lira and beats every tourist trap on the historic peninsula for the same money.
OrderWood-oven pide
Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, an 80-lira lahmacun from a stone oven, three to a person at the lunch peak, in a market-edge counter open since 1968.
OrderLahmacun
Muhsinzade sells charcoal-grilled dürüm in the Gaziantep bazaar at trader prices, which is what keeps the benches full from six in the morning.
OrderCiğer ve kıyma dürüm
TipOrder the mixed liver and mince wrap for the best value on the board.
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.
OrderLahmacun
TipLahmacun is priced per piece. Skip the şiş if you are keeping the bill down.
İmamoğlu Baklava undercuts the big Gaziantep names from a small shop on Eski Saray Caddesi, and the trays turn over fast enough to stay fresh.
OrderBaklava
TipBuy a quarter kilo. At these prices the temptation to over-buy is the real risk.
Akşam Simit runs the cheapest sit-down breakfast in İbrahimli, a Gaziantep bakery counter where the teapot arrives full and then gets refilled.
OrderSimit and pastry
TipThe pastry counter restocks through the morning. Later batches are as good as the first.
Çiğ Köfteci Yuşa Usta sells meat-free çiğ köfte wraps in Değirmiçem at student prices, and the portions run to twice the usual Gaziantep size.
OrderÇiğ köfte dürüm
TipThe bulgur is kneaded without meat, so the wrap is plant-based before anything is added to it.
Bahar Restaurant inside a Grand Bazaar han, an esnaf lokanta where merchants line up by 12:30 for stewed lamb, kuru fasulye and pilav for around 200 lira.
OrderEsnaf lokanta plate
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi on Divanyolu, the 1920 charcoal-grill bench where four köfte, a piyaz, a soup and an ayran still come in under 280 lira.
OrderKöfte and piyaz plate
Ciğerci Mustafa charges bazaar prices for lamb liver skewers in Gaziantep, and a skewer with bread and salad lands well under most kebab bills.
OrderCiğer kebabı
TipLiver runs out by early afternoon. Go at breakfast when it is freshest and cheapest.
Katmerci Murat prices its katmer below the famous Gaziantep names on Atatürk Bulvarı while still loading the pastry with kaymak and pistachio.
OrderKatmer
TipSplit one katmer between two, the portion is bigger than it looks.
Özcanlar Pide & Lahmacun Fırını is a neighbourhood oven in Kayaönü where a metre of Gaziantep pide costs less than a single kebab plate downtown.
OrderKıymalı pide
TipOrder by the metre for a group. It is cheaper than buying individual portions.
Kızılkayalar at Taksim, the 1978 ıslak hamburger counter still selling under 80 lira for a steamed bun in garlicky tomato sauce, three for a meal.
OrderIslak hamburger (wet burger)
Tostçu Kadir Usta opens at half past five in Sanayi and grills toasted sandwiches for the Gaziantep workshop shift before most cafes have opened.
OrderTost
TipClosed Sundays and shut by half past one. This is a morning counter, not a lunch stop.
Evirgeç Mantı Evi plates home cooking on Atatürk Bulvarı, and Gaziantep mantı with yoghurt is one of the cheaper sit-down meals in the centre.
OrderAntep mantısı
TipCheck the daily board before ordering. The listed menu runs wider than the day's cooking.
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.
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.
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.