İmam Çağdaş is a turkish restaurant in Sahinbey, Gaziantep.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Ali Nazik kebabı, Soğanlı lahmacun, Havuç dilimi baklava
Must 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.
Address: Şekeroğlu Mahallesi, Uzun Çarşı Caddesi No:49, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bayazhan pours rakı and grills küşleme inside a Silk Road caravanserai on Atatürk Bulvarı, one of the few licensed rooms in central Gaziantep.
Signature: Küşleme, Patlıcan kebabı, Antep mezeleri
Order: Küşleme, which the kitchen portions in limited numbers each night.
Tip: The upstairs meyhane runs live fasıl music. Reserve the küşleme when you book, it sells out.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bayazhan pours rakı and grills küşleme inside a Silk Road caravanserai on Atatürk Bulvarı, one of the few licensed rooms in central Gaziantep.
Signature: Küşleme, Patlıcan kebabı, Antep mezeleri
Order: Küşleme, which the kitchen portions in limited numbers each night.
Tip: The upstairs meyhane runs live fasıl music. Reserve the küşleme when you book, it sells out.
