Day-by-day eating plans for Gaziantep. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Gaziantep weekend: beyran, küşleme, baklava ★ 4.8

First-time visitor, two days2 days

Two days built around the city's own clock: soup before dawn, kebab at lunch, pastry all afternoon and a han courtyard after dark.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: bazaar morning, küşleme lunch, meyhane night

    Morning
    Metanet Lokantası on Kozluca Caddesi at 06:00 for beyran, then across the road to Metanet Katmer for katmer with kaymak and pistachio.
    Afternoon
    Walk the Almacı Pazarı lanes for isot and pekmez and the Zincirli Bedesten, then lunch at Kebapçı Halil Usta for küşleme before the tenderloin runs out.
    Evening
    Coffee at Tarihi Tahmis Kahvesi, then dinner and live fasıl at Bayazhan in its caravanserai courtyard.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: katmer, Uzun Çarşı, late künefe

    Morning
    Katmerci Zekeriya Usta at 08:00 to watch the dough thrown, then a dibek coffee at Kahveci Seddar Bey in the Gümrük Hanı courtyard.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at İmam Çağdaş on Uzun Çarşı for Ali Nazik and havuç dilimi, then a baklava comparison at Koçak Baklava in Şehitkamil.
    Evening
    Dinner at Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı for yuvalama, then a late tray at Cumba Künefe on Ali Nadi Ünler Bulvarı.

Gaziantep in one day: the pistachio route ★ 4.5

Short stopover, one day1 day

A single day spent almost entirely on pastry, from the katmer counters at dawn to the charcoal kadayıf rooms at midnight.

  1. Day 1: Katmer, baklava, kadayıf, künefe

    Morning
    Beyoğlu Katmercim on Kozluca Caddesi for katmer made in front of you, then Baklavacı Zeki İnal for handmade şöbiyet, which is usually gone by midday and only on a weekday, since the shop closes Saturday and Sunday.
    Afternoon
    Yusuf Ziya on Suburcu Caddesi for burma kadayıf while the trays are still warm, then Tarihi Elmacıpazarı Güllüoğlu at the edge of the apple market.
    Evening
    Çelebioğulları Baklava on Gazi Muhtar Paşa for a mixed plate with tea, then Erçelebi Kömürde Kadayıf for charcoal-fired kadayıf at midnight.

Gaziantep in three days: home cooking and the hans ★ 4.6

Return visitor, three days3 days

Past the kebab headlines into the yoghurt soups, the ev yemekleri rooms, the han courtyards and a day trip east to Nizip.

  1. Day 1: Old city: liver breakfast, home cooking, courtyard coffee

    Morning
    Ciğerci Mustafa on Bayramoğlu Sokak for liver skewers, the Gaziantep breakfast most visitors never try.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası behind the coppersmiths, then coffee in the courtyard at Papirüs Cafe in Bey Mahallesi.
    Evening
    Dinner at Hışvahan under the stone vaults of a 16th-century han, ordering analı kızlı and the semolina halva.

  2. Day 2: Şehitkamil: patisserie breakfast, mantı, late künefe

    Morning
    Breakfast at Orkide Pastanesi on Gazi Muhtar Paşa Bulvarı, then a walk through Elmacı Pazarı for spices and nuts.
    Afternoon
    Mantı and pirpirim at Evirgeç Mantı Evi on Atatürk Bulvarı, then Dayının Yeri in Değirmiçem for billuriye made to order.
    Evening
    Küşleme at Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta, then a late tray at Künefe Han in Pancarlı.

  3. Day 3: Nizip and Zeugma, then a last bazaar lunch

    Morning
    Drive east to Nizip for the Zeugma ruins above the Euphrates and an olive-oil stop in the groves around the town.
    Afternoon
    Back in the city for a late bazaar lunch at Muhsinzade Türk Şiş Kebap in the Külekçi lanes.
    Evening
    Beyran at Sakıp Usta on Kemal Köker Caddesi, which serves it late, then a nightcap at Mahlas Meyhane in Karagöz.
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