Long flat skewer of hand-minced lamb, mutton tail-fat and red pepper, grilled over charcoal and served on lavash with grilled tomato, sumac onion and ayran.
Named for the southern Turkish city that perfected it, Adana kebap was registered as a Turkish protected designation in 2005, defining its hand-minced texture and minimum fat ratio. Istanbul lamb-kebab houses have served the dish for a century; the city's Adana-immigrant families keep the southern recipe close to canonical.
3 editor picks for Adana kebap in Istanbul, ranked by editorial score. All Istanbul signature dishes · Adana kebap across every city.
Antiochia ★ 4.5
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., General Yazgan Sokak No:3, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Antiochia in Asmalımescit cooks the kebabs and mezze of Antakya, Turkey's Levant border city, on a tight Beyoğlu side-street menu of southeastern grills.
Siirt Şeref Büryan ★ 4.5
fatih · İtfaiye Caddesi No:4, Kadınlar Pazarı, 34087 Fatih, İstanbul
Siirt Şeref Büryan on İtfaiye Caddesi, a Kadınlar Pazarı corner pulling lamb büryan from a tandır pit oven that fires through the night, the Avcı family.
Develi1912 Samatya ★ 4.4
samatya · Koca Mustafapaşa, Gümüş Yüksük Sokak No:5, Samatya, 34098 Fatih, İstanbul
Develi has fired Gaziantep kebabs at its Samatya address for decades, the canonical Istanbul pistachio kebap stop behind the old Marmara walls.