19 editor picks across Turkey.
19 street food worth the trip across Turkey, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Turkey guides.
Katmerci Zekeriya Usta throws katmer dough over a marble counter in Gaziantep, then bakes it with kaymak and pistachio in a stone oven at the back.
OrderFıstıklı katmer
TipKatmer is a breakfast pastry here, not a dessert. Come before ten for the freshest batch.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu's takeout counter on Rıhtım, where the Güllü family has cut pistachio baklava by the half kilo since 1949 for a queue that moves fast.
OrderPistachio baklava
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek at the Galata Bridge, the red-and-gold fish-sandwich boats grilling mackerel into half-loaves with lettuce and lemon for whoever.
OrderBalık ekmek (grilled fish sandwich)
Yusuf Ziya rolls burma kadayıf around crushed Antep pistachio in a Gaziantep han on Suburcu Caddesi and sells almost nothing else from the window.
OrderFıstıklı burma kadayıf
TipBuy a small box rather than a tray. The syrup sets hard within a day.
Şampiyon Kokoreç on Sahne Sokak, the 1962 Beyoğlu kokoreççi shaving spiced grilled lamb intestine into sandwich bread for the late-night Balık Pazarı crowd.
OrderKokoreç (grilled lamb intestine)
Dürümcü Recep Usta wraps stewed chickpeas in flatbread in İncili Pınar, and the nohut dürüm is the cheapest full meal in all of central Gaziantep.
OrderNohut dürüm
TipAsk for extra pickled chilli in the wrap. It is the standard local correction to the chickpeas.
Metanet Katmer opens at five in the morning beside the Gaziantep grain market, feeding the same crowd that has just eaten beyran across the road.
OrderKatmer
TipOrder the simit katmer if the classic sells out. It is the same dough with sesame on top.
Ali Usta Kebap ve Baklava opens its grill at six in the morning near Karatarla, so kebab counts as street breakfast in this part of Gaziantep.
OrderAli Nazik
TipClosed Sundays. Order at the grill window rather than sitting down if you are in a hurry.
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi on a Sirkeci side-alley, a wood-oven counter feeding office workers kıymalı pide and lahmacun for under 100 lira at the weekday.
OrderPide and lahmacun
Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, the 1968 stone-oven lahmacun counter that turns a single 15-minute bake into the city's most reliable lahmacun under 80 lira.
OrderLahmacun and pide
Muhsinzade rolls liver and mince straight off the charcoal into flatbread in the Gaziantep bazaar, and the counter opens at six in the morning.
OrderCiğer dürüm
TipEat it standing at the counter. There is no table service and the bench seats fill fast.
Üçler Kebap Lahmacun bakes Antep-style lahmacun on Zübeyde Hanım Bulvarı, thinner and hotter with isot than the versions sold in Urfa further east.
OrderAntep usulü lahmacun
TipTwo pieces per person is normal. Roll them around parsley and eat them straight from the paper.
Akşam Simit bakes sesame simit and morning pastries in İbrahimli, and unlike most Gaziantep simit counters it sits you down with a full teapot.
OrderSimit
TipOrder the katmer alongside the simit if you want the local breakfast in one sitting.
Çiğ Köfteci Yuşa Usta kneads bulgur, isot and spice into meat-free çiğ köfte in Değirmiçem, wrapped into Gaziantep wraps twice the usual size.
OrderÇiğ köfte dürüm
TipThe bulgur is kneaded without meat, so the wrap is plant-based before anything is added to it.
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi on Divanyolu, the 1920 charcoal-grill counter still building the canonical Istanbul köfte plate of flat patties.
OrderKöfte plate with piyaz
Ciğerci Mustafa threads lamb liver and tail fat onto skewers on Bayramoğlu Sokak, the Gaziantep breakfast that surprises most visitors first.
OrderCiğer kebabı
TipOrder onion, parsley and sumac alongside. Locals eat liver with all three, never on its own.
Kızılkayalar at Taksim Square, the 1978 originator of the ıslak burger, a beef patty soaked in garlicky tomato sauce and steamed inside a soft white bun.
OrderIslak hamburger (wet burger)
Özcanlar Pide & Lahmacun Fırını fires pide and sfiha in a stone oven in Kayaönü, a working Gaziantep bakery rather than a stop built for visitors.
OrderKıymalı pide
TipSfiha is the smaller open-topped version. Order a mix and eat them in the order they arrive.
Bambi Cafe at Taksim, an almost-all-night counter doing döner wraps with melted cheese, kumpir baked potatoes and Turkish hamburgers to the post-Beyoğlu.
OrderLate-night döner wrap
Private tour · 5 hours
Discover Gaziantep’s history, art, and cuisine on a guided tour. Visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, taste local street food, and explore the city’s vibrant streets.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Explore Gaziantep’s culinary delights and cultural heritage on a guided walking tour. Sample iconic dishes, visit traditional markets, and learn about the city’s rich history.
3 hours
Join a local family in Gaziantep for a traditional Antep cooking class. Learn how to prepare classic dishes, enjoy a warm welcome, and savor the flavors of Gaziantep.