Turkish₺₺₺sahinbeyDaily 08:00-22:00
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.
Signature: Ali Nazik kebabı, Soğanlı lahmacun, Havuç dilimi baklava
Order: Ali Nazik, then a plate of havuç dilimi baklava from the same counter.
Tip: Sit upstairs, order the Ali Nazik, and buy baklava on the way out rather than eating it at the table.
Turkish₺₺sahinbeyDaily 05:00-17:00
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.
Signature: Beyran çorbası, Lahmacun, Patlıcan kebabı
Order: Beyran, the lamb and rice broth the kitchen has simmered overnight.
Tip: Get there before 09:00. The beyran is gone by early afternoon and the kitchen will not make a second batch.
Turkish₺₺₺sehitkamilMon-Sat 10:30-18:30; closed Sun
Kebapçı Halil Usta grills küşleme over charcoal in Şehitkamil, and the Gaziantep lunch crowd empties the tenderloin allocation most days by 15:00.
Signature: Küşleme, Simit kebabı, Kaşık salatası
Order: Küşleme, the unmarinated lamb tenderloin grilled over charcoal.
Tip: Closed Sundays and shuts mid-evening. Book the terrace if you want the cooler upstairs tables in summer.
Turkish₺₺sahinbey
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.
Signature: Patlıcan kebabı, Firik pilavı, İçli köfte
Order: Patlıcan kebabı with firik pilav, the smoked green-wheat rice.
Tip: There is often no printed menu. Ask what the grill has and let the waiter build the order for you.
Anatolian₺₺sahinbeyDaily 08:00-21:00
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı cooks the home dishes the kebab houses skip, from yuvalama to alaca çorba, a short walk downhill from Gaziantep Castle.
Signature: Yuvalama, Alaca çorba, Kuru patlıcan dolması
Order: Yuvalama, the yoghurt and chickpea soup Gaziantep eats at feast time.
Tip: Half portions are available, which is the way to taste four regional dishes in one sitting.
Turkish₺₺₺₺sahinbeyDaily 08:00-24:00
Hışvahan serves Antep cooking inside a restored 16th-century han beneath Gaziantep Castle, which now works as a hotel, restaurant and shop in one.
Signature: Yuvalama, Analı kızlı, Peynirli güveçte irmik helvası
Order: Analı kızlı, the twin-dumpling soup, followed by the semolina halva.
Tip: Develik is the dining room and Susamhane the event space. Ask for a courtyard table in spring.