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.
Turkish₺₺₺sahinbeyDaily 09:00-24:00
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.
Anatolian₺₺₺sehitkamilDaily 11:30-22:30
The municipal Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi in Gaziantep cooks a weekly changing set menu of regional pot dishes and runs workshops in the same building.
Signature: Haftalık set menü, Tencere yemekleri, Yuvalama
Order: The weekly set menu, built around geographical-indication ingredients.
Tip: Walk in for lunch without a reservation, but book by phone if you want a place on a workshop.
Turkish₺₺₺allebenMon-Sat 10:00-20:30; closed Sun
Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta grills nothing but lamb tenderloin on Kemal Köker Caddesi in Gaziantep, and the founder's son now works the charcoal himself.
Signature: Küşleme, Yayık ayranı
Order: Küşleme with a glass of churned yayık ayran to cut the fat.
Tip: Portions are small because the cut is small. Order two if you have walked the bazaar all morning.