32 upscale places in Gaziantep, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in Gaziantep: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Gaziantep food.

İmam Çağdaş ★ 4.8

sahinbey · Şekeroğlu Mahallesi, Uzun Çarşı Caddesi No:49, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

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.

Tip: Sit upstairs, order the Ali Nazik, and buy baklava on the way out rather than eating it at the table.

İmam Çağdaş ★ 4.8

sahinbey · Şekeroğlu Mahallesi, Uzun Çarşı Caddesi No:49, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

İmam Çağdaş is the benchmark kebab house of Gaziantep, running since 1887 and still judged on its Ali Nazik and on its havuç dilimi baklava tray.

Tip: Prices sit above the bazaar average. That is the trade for the address and the age of the kitchen.

Koçak Baklava ★ 4.8

sehitkamil · Mücahitler, Abdulkadir Behçet Cd. No: 44, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Koçak Baklava is the baklava counter most of Gaziantep names first, a bright Şehitkamil salon selling şöbiyet, dolama and midye by the kilo.

Tip: Buy by weight and eat it the same day. Antep baklava is built for hours, not for keeping.

İmam Çağdaş ★ 4.8

sahinbey · Şekeroğlu Mahallesi, Uzun Çarşı Caddesi No:49, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

İmam Çağdaş rolls its own baklava beside the kebab grill on Uzun Çarşı, and the havuç dilimi wedge is the one Gaziantep queues at the counter for it.

Tip: The takeaway counter is separate from the restaurant. Use the street door if you only want a box.

Kebapçı Halil Usta ★ 4.6

sehitkamil · Karşıyaka Mah. Tekel Cad., Ocukoğlu Sk. No:6, 27500 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Kebapçı Halil Usta grills küşleme over charcoal in Şehitkamil, and the Gaziantep lunch crowd empties the tenderloin allocation most days by 15:00.

Tip: Closed Sundays and shuts mid-evening. Book the terrace if you want the cooler upstairs tables in summer.

Kebapçı Halil Usta ★ 4.6

sehitkamil · Karşıyaka Mah. Tekel Cad., Ocukoğlu Sk. No:6, 27500 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Kebapçı Halil Usta charges fine-dining money for one thing in Gaziantep, küşleme, and shuts the grill once the day's lamb tenderloin has gone.

Tip: Arrive by 12:30. The tenderloin allocation is the whole business and it does not last.

Baklavacı Zeki İnal ★ 4.6

alleben · Alleben, Atatürk Blv. No: 38/B, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Baklavacı Zeki İnal is a family baklava workshop on Atatürk Bulvarı in Gaziantep that makes şöbiyet by hand and sells out most days by noon.

Tip: Closed at weekends and often sold out by midday. Go on a weekday morning or do not bother.

Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi ★ 4.5

sehitkamil · Gazi mah. Zübeyde hanım blv No:39, Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

The municipal Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi in Gaziantep cooks a weekly changing set menu of regional pot dishes and runs workshops in the same building.

Tip: Walk in for lunch without a reservation, but book by phone if you want a place on a workshop.

Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi ★ 4.5

sehitkamil · Gazi mah. Zübeyde hanım blv No:39, Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi is the Gaziantep municipality's culinary centre, cooking a weekly set menu from geographical-indication regional produce.

Tip: The building also runs cookery workshops, so the dining room can be busy with course groups.

Tarihi Elmacıpazarı Güllüoğlu ★ 4.5

sahinbey · Karatarla Mah. Elmacı Çıkmazı No:4/A Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Tarihi Elmacıpazarı Güllüoğlu bakes baklava and börek at the edge of the apple market, and it carries the oldest baklava name in all of Gaziantep.

Tip: Ask for the börek in the morning. It comes out of the oven early and sells before lunch.

Bayazhan ★ 4.4

sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Bayazhan pours rakı and grills küşleme inside a Silk Road caravanserai on Atatürk Bulvarı, one of the few licensed rooms in central Gaziantep.

Tip: The upstairs meyhane runs live fasıl music. Reserve the küşleme when you book, it sells out.

Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta ★ 4.4

alleben · Alleben, Kemal Köker Cd. No:25 A, 27500 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta grills nothing but lamb tenderloin on Kemal Köker Caddesi in Gaziantep, and the founder's son now works the charcoal himself.

Tip: Portions are small because the cut is small. Order two if you have walked the bazaar all morning.

Bayazhan ★ 4.4

sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Bayazhan turns a Silk Road caravanserai in Gaziantep into a meyhane, a winter dining room and a bar, with live fasıl music on most nights of the week.

Tip: The non-alcoholic family section is separate from the meyhane. Say which you want when booking.

Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta ★ 4.4

alleben · Alleben, Kemal Köker Cd. No:25 A, 27500 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta is a single-dish kitchen in Gaziantep, grilling lamb tenderloin over charcoal and serving it with churned yayık ayran.

Tip: Small portions, high price per gram. That is what the cut costs, not a tourist mark-up.

Çelebioğulları Baklava ★ 4.4

sehitkamil · İncili Pınar Mahallesi, Gazi Muhtar Paşa Blv. No:25 D:C, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Çelebioğulları Baklava runs a large Gaziantep salon on Gazi Muhtar Paşa and is one of the few local names making vegan and gluten-free trays.

Tip: The special-diet trays are made in a separate line and usually need ordering ahead.

Bayazhan ★ 4.4

sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Bayazhan keeps a bar and an upstairs meyhane inside a Gaziantep caravanserai, with live traditional music running on most nights of the week.

Tip: Weekends need a reservation. The family section is alcohol-free, so specify which floor.

Bayazhan ★ 4.4

sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Bayazhan runs the most serious drinks list in central Gaziantep, a caravanserai meyhane pouring wine and rakı with live fasıl under stone arches.

Tip: Ask for the meyhane floor rather than the family section if you want the drinks list.

Çelebioğulları Baklava ★ 4.4

sehitkamil · İncili Pınar Mahallesi, Gazi Muhtar Paşa Blv. No:25 D:C, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Çelebioğulları Baklava keeps its Gazi Muhtar Paşa salon open to midnight, so a late Gaziantep baklava run does not depend on the bazaar counters.

Tip: The salon has proper seating. Order a mixed plate with tea rather than a box to go.

Bayazhan ★ 4.4

sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Bayazhan keeps its caravanserai meyhane in Gaziantep running to midnight with live fasıl, rakı and a küşleme allocation that sells out early.

Tip: Reserve the küşleme when you book. After ten o'clock the grill is usually out of it.

Orkide Pastanesi ★ 4.3

sehitkamil · Değirmiçem, Gazi Muhtar Paşa Blv. No:17, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Orkide Pastanesi is the modern counterpoint to the Gaziantep baklava houses, a patisserie doing chocolates, cakes and a katmer with ice cream.

Tip: The ice-cream katmer is a modern reworking. Try the classic version elsewhere first.

Orkide Pastanesi ★ 4.3

sehitkamil · Değirmiçem, Gazi Muhtar Paşa Blv. No:17, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Orkide Pastanesi is the Gaziantep patisserie chain locals send visitors to, with chocolates, cakes and a breakfast spread on Gazi Muhtar Paşa.

Tip: The breakfast is the value order. The chocolate counter is better for gifts than for dessert.

Orkide Pastanesi ★ 4.3

sehitkamil · Değirmiçem, Gazi Muhtar Paşa Blv. No:17, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Orkide Pastanesi lays out a broad and affordable breakfast on Gazi Muhtar Paşa, the Gaziantep patisserie locals send visitors to before any other.

Tip: The chocolate counter is better for gifts than for breakfast. Order the spread instead.

Boğazköy ★ 4.0

yeditepe · Yeditepe, 85203 Nolu Sk No:22, 27470 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Boğazköy cooks an international menu near Gaziantep University, which is where the city goes when it wants a night off from kebab and baklava.

Tip: Reviewers rate weekdays over Sundays. Book a garden table in summer, the room fills with students.

Boğazköy ★ 4.0

yeditepe · Yeditepe, 85203 Nolu Sk No:22, 27470 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Boğazköy is the closest Gaziantep gets to a modern international restaurant, a large room near the university with brisket, pasta and pizza.

Tip: Weekday dinner is the calmest service. Sunday reviews are noticeably weaker.

Boğazköy ★ 4.0

yeditepe · Yeditepe, 85203 Nolu Sk No:22, 27470 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Boğazköy is the campus-side crowd-pleaser in Gaziantep, a big room of pasta, pizza and slow-grilled beef brisket beside Gaziantep University.

Tip: Sushi appears on limited days only. Ring ahead if the sushi is the reason for your visit.

Mahlas Meyhane ★ 4.0

sahinbey · Karagöz, Şakir Sk. no:9, 27100 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Mahlas Meyhane pours rakı inside a restored Antep courtyard house in Karagöz, and its meze tray is the most local drinking food in Gaziantep.

Tip: Wood and stone keep the room cool. It is the better summer option of the old-city meyhanes.

Mahlas Meyhane ★ 4.0

sahinbey · Karagöz, Şakir Sk. no:9, 27100 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Mahlas Meyhane occupies a restored Antep house in Karagöz, one of the few Gaziantep rooms pouring wine and rakı against a full Antep meze table.

Tip: The stone courtyard is the room to ask for. Meze arrive as a tray, so choose before they land.

Gece Gündüz Bistro ★ 3.9

sahinbey · Bey Sk. Atatürk Blv Öğretmenler Evi Karşısı 27010 Gaziantep

Gece Gündüz Bistro is Gaziantep's modern meyhane, a Bey Mahallesi courtyard with fasıl bands, DJ percussion and a cook-your-own grill table.

Tip: The ocakbaşı tables let you grill your own meat. Say so when booking, they are limited.

Gece Gündüz Bistro ★ 3.9

sahinbey · Bey Sk. Atatürk Blv Öğretmenler Evi Karşısı 27010 Gaziantep

Gece Gündüz Bistro runs fasıl bands and a cook-your-own grill until one in the morning, the busiest late licensed room in central Gaziantep.

Tip: Book the ocakbaşı tables in advance. They are the only ones where you grill your own.

Akınal Gar Restaurant ★ 3.8

sehitkamil · İstasyon Meydanı TCDD Gar Binası, 27060 Gaziantep

Akınal Gar Restaurant drinks and dines inside the TCDD station building in Gaziantep, a licensed room with platform views and a long meze list.

Tip: Trains still run past the windows. Ask for a table on the platform side.

Akınal Gar Restaurant ★ 3.8

sehitkamil · İstasyon Meydanı TCDD Gar Binası, 27060 Gaziantep

Akınal Gar Restaurant sits inside the old Gaziantep railway station building, a licensed dining room with meze and a nostalgic platform view.

Tip: The setting is the draw. Come for a long meze table rather than a quick drink.

Akınal Gar Restaurant ★ 3.8

sehitkamil · İstasyon Meydanı TCDD Gar Binası, 27060 Gaziantep

Akınal Gar Restaurant serves meze inside the working railway station building in Gaziantep, a licensed room hiding behind the platform doors.

Tip: Ask for the platform side. Trains still pass the windows through the evening.