26 Must-Try Gaziantep Foods (2024)
Last updated August 2023
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If you’re a fan of Turkish food and want to know where to find the best grub in the whole of Turkey, then you have to head East to Gaziantep.
I’ll be honest - Gaziantep had been on my list of places to visit for one big reason: their world-famous Gaziantep baklava.
As a lover of all things sweet and a self-appointed baklava connoisseur (my only qualification being that I’ve eaten boxes and boxes of the stuff), I simply had to visit the Capital of Baklava.
However, after a few days of exploring Turkey’s culinary capital, it was clear that there was so much more to Gaziantep’s food than just baklava.
Gaziantep is famous for its rich and diverse cuisine, incredible local produce and creative use of spices.
Nowhere else will you find over 30 varieties of kebabs, 20 different types of pastries, 30 types of soup, 50 varieties of vegetable dishes...and that's just for starters!
You’ll also find lots and lots of pistachios…
Such is the popularity of Gaziantep cuisine Unesco awarded the city the title of Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015!
There’s even a yearly Gaziantep festival of gastronomy, Gastro Antep, dedicated to showcasing the area’s food and culinary traditions.
With this much variety, it can be hard to decide what dishes to try on your gastronomic adventure in Gaziantep. But worry not!
We spent over a week eating our way through a range of Gaziantep foods and came up with a list of 26 dishes that you simply have to try in this amazing city.
We’ve also included where to eat in Gaziantep so you will know exactly where to go for each amazing dish.
Gaziantep’s food scene is more than enough reason to visit Eastern Turkey, but if you want a break from eating Gaziantep food, check out our article about all the cool things to see and do in this area.
So jump on in and explore 26 Must Try Gaziantep Foods!
You might also be interested in these other foodie articles:
🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
🥑 Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul
🏠 Where to Stay: Best Hotels in Gaziantep Turkey
There are a range of Gaziantep hotels to suit all budgets. We stayed right in the centre of Gaziantep at Ali Bey Konaği (⭐ 9.0), a century old mansion with a gorgeous view of Gaziantep Castle.
We love this Gaziantep hotel because the rooms are so cosy and have a lot of character - everything is furnished in a traditional Gaziantep style.
All the staff are so friendly and helpful and the tasty homemade Gaziantep breakfast was something we looked forward to each day. Location-wise this hotel is unbeatable - everything that we needed to see and do in Gaziantep was basically a 10-minute walk.
Photo courtesy of Ali Bey Konaği via Booking.com
We found that the internet at the hotel could be a little patchy. Also some of the doorways in the rooms can be a little low, so you might have to get used to bending down a little bit if you are tall (not a problem for us as we are tiny!)
Here are some other alternatives for places to stay which would suit any budget:
Photo courtesy of Hotel Kaleli via Booking.com
TOP BUDGET PICK: Hotel Kaleli (⭐ 8.4)
The rooms in this budget Gaziantep hotel are clean, bright and comfortable. All the rooms include ensuite bathrooms, air conditioning, free WiFi and flat-screen TVs. Restaurants, museums and historical sights are all within walking distance and there is a historical hamam close to the hotel.
Photo courtesy of Hampton By Hilton Gaziantep via Booking.com
BEST MID-RANGE CHOICE: Hampton By Hilton Gaziantep (⭐ 8.7)
Located in the centre of Gaziantep, this hotel features spacious, comfortable rooms with free WiFi, airconditioning and flatscreen TVs. There is also a fitness centre where you can work off all that delicious Gaziantep food! The old city, shops and restaurants are just 10-15 minutes walk away.
Photo courtesy of Divan Gaziantep via Booking.com
TOP LUXURY PICK: Divan Gaziantep (⭐ 8.3)
This hotel has gorgeous rooms with city views, air conditioning, free WiFi and flat screen TVs. Guests can also enjoy the indoor pool, spa and wellness centre, a fully equipped gym and a delicious and varied buffet breakfast.
📍 Map of Gaziantep - Best Restaurants to try Gaziantep Foods
Click here for an interactive Google map of Gaziantep Turkey showing all the different restaurants we mention in this article.
🍽 26 Must Try Gaziantep Foods
Gaziantep Sweets
Gaziantep is the place to indulge your sweet tooth, so that’s where we should begin!
1) Gaziantep Katmer
A Turkish friend told us about Gaziantep fıstıklı katmer (pistachio katmer) before our trip and his description literally made our mouths water, so we knew we had to try it.
Commonly eaten for breakfast, Antep katmer is made from thinly stretched filo pastry dough that is then generously dotted with kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) followed by a sprinkling of sugar and chopped pistachios. The pastry is then folded into a square and baked in a wood-fired oven.
The process of making katmer really reminded us of roti canai, a traditional Malaysian breakfast: the pastry is flipped in the air in just the same way until it is as thin and transparent as tracing paper.
Katmer is best straight from the oven - crispy on the outside, with a sweet melt-in-the-mouth filling of clotted cream and pistachios. Despite it being so rich, you could easily have more than one!
You’ll find a bakery selling Gaziantep katmeri on every corner of the city, but the best place to try katmer in Gaziantep is at Katmerci Zekeriya Usta.
This small shop in the backstreets of Gaziantep is a family business that has been making Antep Katmeri for three generations (there are even photographs of the owner’s father and great grandad on the walls!).
The owner, Mehmet Özsimitci was more than happy to explain the history of the bakery and show us the step-by-step process of making katmer.
The katmer here was so delicious that we actually went back several times during our stay (we actually cheated on Zekeriya Usta once by trying another place and regretted it - it simply didn’t compare!)
So if you’re after katmer Gaziantep style, then make sure you come here - it’s the best restaurant in Gaziantep for this dish.
2) Gaziantep Künefe
We’ve tried lots of different types of künefe (one of our favourites being a Syrian version that we mention in our article about Istanbul’s best street food), but Gaziantep’s künefe is definitely a must-try dish.
Made with shredded kadayıf dough soaked in a sweet syrup and then layered with unsalted cheese before being baked to golden brown perfection, Antep künefe stands out for its liberal use of (you guessed it) pistachios.
Some restaurants even add a generous dollop of kaymak (clotted cream) onto the top of this already very indulgent dessert!
Künefe can sometimes be too heavy or sickly sweet but the ones we tried in Gaziantep were amazing! The kadayıf was crispy and blended together perfectly with the melted cheese and pistachios.
Our favourite place for künefe is Gaziantep Cumba Künefe. They sell lots of different varieties of künefe, including one that has walnuts, pistachios, village cheese and cream!
3) Sütlaç (Zerdeli Sütlaç)
Sütlaç, a sweet and creamy rice pudding, is a common dessert across Turkey. Rice is boiled with milk, sugar and vanilla and then after it’s cooled, is decorated with a dusting of cinnamon and chopped walnuts or hazelnuts. Simply delicious!
Gaziantep sütlaç is slightly different. On top of the ‘regular’ rice pudding, you’ll find another layer of rice pudding made to a slightly different recipe. This rice is cooked with water, saffron or turmeric, rose water and sugar and is a vibrant yellow colour.
Whilst sütlaç is quite heavy and commonly eaten in winter, we found zerdeli sütlaç really refreshing and actually the perfect dessert for a hot day. You can find variations of this dessert in Mardin and in Iran and Iraq too!
There are a number of places that serve zerdeli sütlaç in Gaziantep so it’s pretty easy to find. Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı does a great one!
READ NEXT: The Ultimate Turkey Itinerary 10 Days
Gaziantep Baklava
If, like me, you’re a fan of baklava Gaziantep will be like a dream come true for you.
Whilst many countries have baklava as part of their cuisine, the baklava in this region stands out due to the liberal use of Gaziantep pistachios. In fact, when people ask “what is Gaziantep famous for?”, the answer is almost always pistachio-stuffed baklava.
Antep pistachios are world-renowned - they even have pistachio sculptures! The pistachios that are used in Gaziantep’s baklava are picked early in the season in August: at this stage, these younger nuts retain their bright green colour and sweet flavour.
As the pistachios are so flavoursome, the baklava made in Gaziantep doesn’t require any other additions so you won’t see ingredients such as rosewater, cardamom or cinnamon as you would in baklava from Iran, Greece or Armenia. Aside from the incredible taste, this is one of the reasons it’s considered to be the best baklava in the world.
We tried so many varieties of Gaziantep baklava that we decided to include them separately in this list because they are all very different! The next three are our favourites:
4) Şöbiyet Baklava
Şöbiyet Baklava is probably the most indulgent type of baklava that we tried on our trip. To make this type of baklava, the many thin layers of filo dough are filled with kaymak (water buffalo clotted cream) and a generous layer of chopped pistachios, before being baked in the oven.
The end result is a rich baklava that isn’t actually too sweet, because of the clotted cream. It also goes perfectly with a strong cup of Turkish çay!
We tried şöbiyet at Gaziantep’s most famous baklava restaurant, Kocak Baklava, and it was simply divine - you’ll certainly find some of the best food in Gaziantep here! Another great place to try this delicacy is at Haci Usta Baklavari.
5) Burma Kadayıf
Another famous Antep food is burma kadayıf. Literally translated as ‘twisted’, this type of baklava is made from shredded filo dough (known as kadayıf), that looks a little bit like super-thin noodles.
The kadayıf dough is wrapped tightly around chopped pistachio nuts in a long rectangular shape and is then baked in the oven. When it is golden brown, a warm syrup made of lemon juice, water and sugar is poured over it and the baklava is decorated with crushed pistachios.
Crispy and sweet, this baklava is extremely delicious. I’ve tried various versions of this dessert in other provinces in Turkey and the Gaziantep version is definitely the best!
Erçelebi Baklava has amazing kadayıf and the owners are really friendly too. They let me take lots of photos of their baklava and even let me in behind the counter!
6) Fıstıklı Sarma Baklava
Fıstıklı sarma barely resembles baklava as I know it, but damn does it taste good.
The bright green colour of this baklava tells you straightaway that the mighty Gaziantep pistachio is the main ingredient in this Turkish sweet.
Unlike other baklavas that use multiple layers of filo pastry dough (giving you that satisfying light crispiness when you bite into it), fistikli sarma is made using a single sheet of extremely thin filo pastry.
The pastry sheet is wrapped around a pistachio paste known as fıstık ezmesi (which is similar in texture to marzipan) and is made from powdered pistachios, sugar and water.
The fact that the dough is wrapped around the pistachio filling is why this baklava is called fıstıklı sarma - ‘sarma’ means wrapping, so the name of this baklava translates as pistachio wrap.
Melted butter is poured onto the baklava and then it’s baked in the oven.
If you are a lover of pistachios, this baklava is definitely going to give you the pistachio and sugar hit you need! We tried this at Erçelebi Baklava and loved every bite.
Gaziantep Gaziantep, could I love you any more?
Savoury Gaziantep Foods
As I mentioned earlier, there is so much more to Gaziantep food than just baklava or sweets.
The cuisine here is so varied that it would be impossible to try everything in just one trip (I am not sure you could eat all the dishes even in a lifetime) but here are some classic Gaziantep dishes that you definitely should try.
7) Ali Nazik Kebap
If you’re after traditional and authentic Gaziantep yemekler (Gaziantep food), then the kebaps are a great place to start. Ali Nazik is probably the most famous Gaziantep kebap and for good reason - it’s bloody delicious!
Chunks of perfectly cooked lamb or skewered ground beef flavoured with red pepper paste and spices are served on a bed of chargrilled smoky aubergine puree (very like babaghanoush) combined with garlicky yogurt. My mouth is watering already - in Gaziantep Turkey food doesn’t get much better than this!
Ali Nazik is typically sold with pilaf rice or bread and salad. Yum!
There are a couple of stories about where this kebab came from. In one, dating back to the 16th century, the Ottoman king Yavuz Sultan Selim visited Gaziantep and was served the best local dishes, including this kebab.
Sultan Selim liked his kebab so much that when he finished his meal, he asked “Whose ‘gentle hand’ (‘eli nazik’ in Turkish) made this?” The name apparently stuck and from then on the dish was called Ali Nazik.
Like kebabs? Then read our guide to Istanbul’s street food next!
Vincent was super excited to try this kebab!
Ali Nazik’s other origin story simply comes from the old Ottoman Turkish language used to describe the dish.
In Ottoman Turkish ‘ala’ meant ‘beautiful’ and ‘nazik’ meant food. Over time, ‘ala’ changed into ‘ali’ and the meaning of the words changed too: in modern Turkish ‘nazik’ means ‘polite’. So the name of the dish actually means ‘polite Ali’.
So where can you try Ali Nazik Kebab in Gaziantep? Whilst you can find it in most Gaziantep restaurants, we’d recommend Imam Çağdaş Kebap. This popular Gaziantep restaurant specialises in serving authentic local dishes as well as incredible baklava and is the place to try Ali Nazik.
The vegetarian version of Ali Nazik: garlicky yogurt, melted butter and smokey aubergines.
We were in a strange situation because we visited Gaziantep during Covid restrictions so we ended up taking food away and eating outside, but the flavour and quality of the food was amazing.
The staff at Imam Çağdaş also understood that I was a vegetarian so they also did a vegetarian version of this famous dish for me (basically the yogurt and smoky eggplant) and it was delicious!
If you only get to try one Gaziantep kebab, make it this one!
8) Patlican Kebap
Patlican kebab (aubergine kebab) is one of the most popular Turkish foods. Whilst you can find this dish all over Turkey, this dish actually originated in Gaziantep.
To make patlican kebab, ground beef or lamb is mixed with grated onion, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, black pepper, cumin, salt, paprika and egg. The beef/lamb mixture is then shaped into meatballs and put onto skewers with alternating slices of aubergine.
The skewers are drizzled with a sauce made from tomato paste, oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper and then baked in the oven or grilled.
The end result is perfectly cooked, tender meatballs and slightly chargrilled, smoky aubergine - a marriage made in heaven!
Tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic are also grilled/baked at the same time as the patlican kebab, so you always get served a kind of vegetable medley with your meat (always good to keep up with your 5-a-day!).
There are many Gaziantep restaurants that serve this dish but again we’d say that the version we tried at Imam Çağdaş Kebab is the best.
They’ll also grill the aubergine and vegetables on their own so vegetarians can try an animal-free version of the kebab!
I know it’s not exactly the same but I took what I could get!
9) Simit Kebap
If you are a lover of the mighty kebab Gaziantep is definitely the place to be.
As you might be able to tell by now, there’s a never-ending range of Gaziantep yemekleri (Gaziantep dishes) and a mind-boggling number of variations on the kebab alone.
Simit kebab is another type of skewered meaty goodness that is found mainly in Gaziantep and is influenced by Turkish cuisine in the South Eastern Anatolian and Mediterranean regions.
Ground lamb is combined with fine bulgur (known as ‘simit’), lamb tail fat, red pepper flakes, cumin, mint, garlic, black pepper and that essential Gaziantep ingredient: pistachios.
The ground lamb mixture is then shaped into long rolls and grilled on skewers or cooked in the oven. It’s usually served with lavaş bread (thin flatbreads) and roasted vegetables.
With all these ingredients it’s not surprising that a simit kebab is packed full of flavour! Make sure to try it at Gazi Köşk Kebab, a fantastic Gaziantep cafe serving traditional local food or at the wonderful Imam Çağdaş Kebab.
10) Küşleme Kebap
We can’t possibly go through every type of kebap Gaziantep has to offer but we just had to include küşleme kepap.
Made using chunks of non-marinated lamb tenderloin, küşleme is cooked on a charcoal grill. Unlike other kebabs and meat dishes in Gaziantep, it is served in small portions because the cut of lamb that is used only provides a very small amount of meat.
Since kusleme kebab is prepared using the best cut of meat, it’s very soft and tender with a strong ‘meaty’ flavour and unlike a lot of Gaziantep’s food is not heavily spiced. For meat lovers, the kusleme kebap is basically heaven.
One of the best restaurants in Gaziantep to try küşleme kebab is Kebapçı Halil Usta - they also do other kebabs so you can have a real feast!
11) Gaziantep Doner
Ah, the mighty döner kebap! Chances are that if you’ve been in Turkey for even the shortest amount of time you’ve had a few of these babies already.
So what’s so special about Gaziantep döner?
Whether it’s chicken, lamb or beef, the döner meat in Gaziantep was always beautifully seasoned and perfectly roasted with just the right touch of spiciness. And speaking of spiciness, Vincent had his Gaziantep doner with a side of pickled chillies!
The fluffy pide ekmek for the döner wrap (dürüm) is also rubbed against the rotating doner kebab (or the elephant’s leg as we like to call it) so the meat juices soak into the bread. Simply delicious!
You can try Gaziantep doner from pretty much anywhere in the city but we’d recommend the delicious and friendly Ustabaşı Döner.
12) Lahmacun
Another dish that you can find all over Turkey, but where the best version is undoubtedly in Gaziantep, is lahmacun.
Sometimes referred to as the Turkish version of pizza, Gaziantep lahmacun is an extremely thin flatbread topped with ground beef or lamb mince, tomatoes, peppers, onion, parsley, chilli flakes, garlic, tomato paste, black pepper and salt. You can even add crumbled cheese if you want!
Cooked in a wood-fired oven (it’s so thin that it cooks in minutes), lahmacun is best eaten fresh and straight out of the oven: just squeeze some lemon juice on it plus a scattering of parsley and you’re good to go!
Lahmacun is the ultimate Turkish street food: most people roll up lahmacun and eat it like a wrap or a burrito whilst on their way somewhere. For this reason, we don’t think that lahmacun is similar to pizza at all - Turkish pide is way more like a pizza for us!
It’s also common to eat a couple of lahmacun as a starter in many restaurants: the bread is so light that you don’t actually get full up on it.
As one of the most common Gaziantep foods, you’ll find lahmacun everywhere you go, but we’d recommend trying it at Kadir Usta Kepap ve Lahmacun, Tadım Lokantası or Üçler Kebap Lahmacun.
Tip: Some restaurants will give you a choice of spicy lahmacun or non-spicy lahmacun. Chilli lovers should definitely try the spicy version!
13) Beyran Çorbası
Soup is an important part of the Turkish diet and I am sure that you won’t be surprised to learn that Gaziantep cuisine has its very own distinctive soups.
If you are a lover of spicy food then you definitely have to try beyran soup! A common breakfast dish, especially during the winter, the preparation of beyran is unusual as it’s actually cooked and served in individual portions.
The basic ingredients of beyran are shredded roasted lamb meat and rice cooked in lamb broth.
Melted lamb fat, chilli flakes, chilli paste, lots of garlic, black pepper and salt are then added to this mixture. Everything is cooked in a copper bowl over a flame: the heat results in a fatty, rich and delicious broth.
Preparing beyran really is a labour of love: the lamb is sometimes cooked for 12 hours before it is considered perfect for the soup.
Beyran çorba is particularly popular in winter because locals believe that the garlic, lamb and the spiciness of the soup help to build strong immunity against colds and viruses. So this soup is sometimes called ‘hasta çorbası’ or ‘sick soup’!
The best beyran Gaziantep has to offer is at Metanet Lokantası. This restaurant opens at 5am and is extremely busy by 7am: prepare to queue if you wake up late! It’s also common for the beyran to sell out here, so make sure that you come early if you want to try it.
Another option for a good beyran is at Gaziantep Sakıp Usta, which opens at 6am (a good option if you want more of a lie-in!)
14) Yuvalama Çorbası
Another soup that’s central to Gaziantep culinary culture is yuvalama çorba. Traditionally prepared for Bayram (Eid-al-Fitr) celebrations at the end of Ramadan, this soup is extremely time-consuming to make but a favourite in many Turkish homes.
Gaziantep yuvalama soup consists of meatballs made from ground beef or lamb, rice flour, salt and grated onion in a broth of yogurt, olive oil, eggs, chickpeas, diced beef, salt and black pepper. Mint oil is usually drizzled on the soup when it is served.
The most time-consuming element of making this soup is the teeny yuvalama köfte (meatballs) - each one should only be the size of a chickpea. During Bayram, family, relatives and neighbours get involved in making the köfte for the soup.
The yuvalama çorbası at Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı is absolutely delicious. It’s also a great place to try other traditional Gaziantep dishes like dolma and beyran.
15) Ezogelin Çorbası
We jokingly referred to our adventures in Eastern Turkey as the ‘Ezogelin Tour’, primarily because we ate this soup so many times during our three-month trip.
After more than two years in the country and many different types of soup later, I can still say that the hearty ezogelin çorba is my favourite Turkish soup.
Made with red lentils, onion, tomato paste, bulgur, rice butter, mint, salt and red chilli flakes, ezogelin soup is the thing to chase away the winter blues.
The bulgur, rice and lentils make this soup quite rich and filling - when we’ve arrived late in a city, a bowl of ezogelin with a squeeze of lemon juice and some bread is just what we need before we hit the sack.
Ezogelin corba actually originated in Gaziantep: the soup is named after a woman named Zöhre (and nicknamed Ezo) who lived in the village of Dokuzyol near Gaziantep.
Unhappily married to an abusive man, Ezo was allowed to divorce but pretty soon her father decided that she must marry again.
The legend goes that Ezo had to charm her new prospective mother-in-law by showing off her cooking skills and so she made a soup. Unfortunately, that marriage didn’t work out either, but the name of the soup stayed.
Today ezogelin çorbası is served to brides-to-be on their wedding day to symbolise the uncertainty of marriage and adversity that might be ahead.
Luckily you don’t have to be a bride or groom or cook this soup for your mother-in-law in order to try it: it’s available as a dish at most lokantas and restaurants in Gaziantep!
16) Içli Köfte
Içli köfte (also known as kibbeh in Middle Eastern cuisine) are delectable stuffed meatballs that are served as street food or appetisers in Gaziantep.
Gaziantep içli köfte is made using a mixture of ground lamb or beef, onions, walnuts, black pepper and salt.
The yummy meatball mixture is then rolled in a crust made from bulgur, semolina, flour, tomato and pepper paste plus more ground beef/lamb and then deep-fried until it’s a rich golden colour.
The great thing about Antep içli köfte is that the filling sometimes has pistachios, potatoes or pine nuts in it instead of just the regular walnuts.
Içli köfte are perfectly balanced: crispy on the outside with a soft and juicy centre. You’ll probably find that one isn’t enough.
Check out the içli köfte at Ayıntap Içli Köfte - they handmake all their meatballs and serve içli köfte with all sorts of fillings!
Vegetarian Food in Gaziantep
I am not gonna lie - travelling in Eastern Turkey as a vegetarian is hard.
There were some places where I was told that everything had a “little bit of meat”.
Luckily Gaziantep has some great vegetarian options that shouldn’t be missed by carnivores either!
17) Çiğ Köfte
Of course you can get çiğ köfte everywhere in Turkey but some claim that the dish actually originated in Gaziantep (others say it comes from nearby Sanlıurfa).
Çiğ köfte used to be a vegetarian’s nightmare: traditionally made from raw ground lamb or beef, it was made into a vegan dish in 2008 when the Turkish Health Ministry banned the raw meat version.
Now you can only get the ‘original’ in certain restaurants, mostly during the winter time, or if you are invited to someone’s house.
Today most çiğ köfte is made from fine bulgur mixed with tomato and pepper paste, chopped onions, mint, parsley and various spices. Like other dishes, the Gaziantep version of çiğ köfte is blow-your-mind tasty!
I usually have it in a dürüm wrap with salad inside but you can also get the çiğ köfte meatballs with the salad on the side.
Çiğ köfte is available pretty much everywhere in Gaziantep - the chains Komagene and Öses Çiğ Köfte are generally good places to try it.
18) Nohut Dürüm
A common Turkish fast food that is popular with students (one of our Turkish friends said that he actually can’t eat it anymore because it was all he could afford to eat as a student in Gaziantep), Gaziantep nohut dürüm is a delicious option for vegetarians/vegans.
Antep nohut dürüm is a local speciality - it’s really hard to find outside of Gaziantep (so far I’ve only found it in a few places in Istanbul and it definitely doesn’t taste the same).
Chickpeas are boiled and mixed with onions, green pepper, parsley, sumac, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, black pepper, olive oil and pomegranate syrup. The mixture is then rolled up in a pide ekmek or thin lavash bread.
The Gaziantep restaurants that serve nohut dürüm have lots of different options - you can get a spicy chickpea mixture or add in fried potatoes or aubergines. And meat lovers don’t need to worry either - there’s also nohut durum with fried liver, chicken or Turkish sausage!
Vincent might love meat but he also loves a good nohut dürüm!
Yeşil Dürümçü has the best nohut dürüm Gaziantep has to offer - I think we went there four or five times! We also liked Dürümçü Recep Usta is also pretty good - we had our nohut dürüm with homemade ayran (a salty yogurt drink).
Nohut dürüm is Gaziantep street food at its best!
Tip: Some nohut dürüm places also boil the chickpeas in bone broth, so it’s worth double checking that the chickpea wrap that you’re ordering really is ‘et siz’ (meat free) and that there’s no ‘et suyu’ (meat stock) in it.
19) Ökçe
I actually ended up trying ökçe accidentally! It was on offer at our favourite nohut dürüm place so after double-checking it was meat-free, I decided to give it a go. And boy was I in for a treat!
Ökçe is basically a Turkish vegetable fritter, made by mixing green onions, green garlic, parsley, 3-4 eggs, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, chilli pepper, flour and baking powder together. Once thoroughly combined, the mixture is divided into small patties and fried until golden brown.
The perfect ökçe is crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I loved the garlic and parsley flavour of the fritters and after my first bite, I definitely wanted more than one!
If you’ve been in Turkey for a while, you might think that Antep ökçe is the same as another fritter in Turkish cuisine: müçver. However, while the recipes are indeed similar, müçver is different as the mixture contains courgette or potatoes.
We’d recommend trying the ökçe at Yeşil Dürümçü - it’s best in the morning when it’s been freshly made.
20) Antep Dolması
Walking around Gaziantep (and Sanlıurfa) it’s common to see long strings of dried vegetables hanging in front of market stalls. Aubergines, courgettes, red peppers, chillies, gourds, squashes, okra - just name a vegetable and you’ll find that somebody, somewhere has dried it.
Dried vegetables have a huge importance in Turkish cuisine. Many are used for stuffed vegetable dishes known as dolma whilst others are used in stews and soups.
Antep dolma is made by mixing rice with fried garlic and onions, tomato paste, mint, chilli paste, chilli powder, black pepper, salt and sumac. The dried vegetables are boiled for a few minutes and stuffed with the rice mixture.
The stuffed dolma are then placed in a cooking liquid made from pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, sumac and water and boiled until soft.
The end result is incredibly tender, deliciously flavoured vegetables filled with a mouthwatering spiced rice mixture. I’ve actually never been a big fan of stuffed vine leaves (yaprak sarma) but after eating Gaziantep dolma I can definitely say I love stuffed vegetables!
We mainly tried Antep dolma in lokantas but for a proper restaurant experience, you could try it at the upmarket Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi.
Tip: Some dolmas combine mincemeat with the rice or cook the rice in chicken broth, so if you are vegetarian/vegan do check that dolma is ‘et siz’ (meat free).
21) Firik Pilav
Firik pilav is a unique Gaziantep dish that you can find in most restaurants. Firik (also known as freekeh) is made from green durum wheat that has been repeatedly roasted, sun dried and thrashed. It’s so high in fibre that it’s actually considered to be a super food!
We tried firik pilavı in a few lokantas and it was a great side dish: nutty and filling, it is the perfect accompaniment to meat or vegetable dishes.
Firik pilav is made by frying firik bulgur with onions, pepper paste, salt and black pepper and then boiling it in hot water. Some recipes add butter, aubergine and chickpeas. And in Gaziantep, the firik has pistachios too!
Tip: Some firik is made using chicken or mutton stock so if you are vegetarian ask whether there is ‘et suyu’ (meat stock) in the dish. You’ll also find firik served with beef or chicken pieces on top.
READ NEXT: The Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
Gaziantep Drinks
22) Menengiç Kahvesi (Menengiç Coffee)
This might be a little confusing, but Gaziantep’s most famous drink menengiç kahvesi (aka menengiç coffee) isn’t actually coffee at all.
Gaziantep menengiç kahvesi is made from roasted wild pistachios (also known as terebinth berries) which are ground into a ‘coffee’.
It’s then brewed in a similar way to Turkish coffee - the ground coffee is mixed with water or milk in a cesve (a long-handled coffee pot) until it gets foam on top.
Menengiç coffee is heavenly: rich and creamy with a slightly nutty and chocolatey taste. And as it’s caffeine-free you can drink cups and cups of it! Sometimes it’s served with a topping of ground pistachios which makes it seem more like a dessert than a drink.
The most famous place in Gaziantep to try menengiç kahve is Tahmis Kahvesi, a 400-year-old coffee shop. Served with a bowl of nuts and seeds, it’s the perfect place to relax after a day of sightseeing (and eating).
23) Dibek Kahvesi (Dibek Coffee)
Photo courtesy of Kahveci Seddar Bey
Another drink that’s widely available around Turkey but served in a unique way in Gaziantep is dibek coffee.
The name ‘dibek’ actually refers to a specific method of grinding coffee beans with a mallet in a large mortar. Coffee ground in this way actually has a thicker and creamier consistency than regular Turkish coffee and is also slightly lighter in colour.
Like many other Turkish food and drinks, dibek is supposed to have lots of health benefits from reducing cholesterol and improving digestion to getting rid of bad breath.
In many places dibek is also mixed with other ingredients like mastic gum, cream, salep or chocolate and so like menengiç, is quite a rich drink.
Kahveci Seddar Bey in Gümrük Han serves various kinds of dibek kahve, but the most unique thing about the coffee here is how it is presented.
The slogan of Kahveci Seddar Bey is ‘cift renk cift tat’ which loosely translates as ‘double colour, double taste’. Two different coffees are served in the same cup, so the coffee actually looks like it is split down the middle with one light and one dark side!
This Gaziantep dibek kahvesi is delicious but quite strong - definitely not something to have late at night before bed!
24) Meyan Kökü Şerbeti (Turkish Cola)
Sold by street vendors dressed in traditional garb and carrying gold-coloured samovars on their backs, meyan şerbeti is made with powdered liquorice root mixed with water, cinnamon, cloves and rose water.
It’s very dark and slightly foamy - one of the reasons the vendors call it ‘Turkish Cola’.
I am not gonna lie: this drink is definitely an acquired taste, but if you are in Gaziantep we think you should try it!
Meyan serbeti doesn’t taste anything remotely like cola - it has a strong licorice flavour that’s slightly bitter. The vendor told us that the best way to drink it is all at once, like a shot.
Gaziantep meyan şerbeti is supposed to have health benefits too such as strengthening the immune system and relieving chesty coughs. I can imagine it being especially popular during the Covid-19 pandemic!
You’ll find meyan koku serbeti being sold by street vendors all over Gaziantep, especially during the summer and in Ramadan.
25) Karadut Suyu (Mulberry Juice)
I love, love, love this drink! Made from black mulberries, dut suyu is a refreshing, sweet juice that is the perfect drink for Gaziantep’s scorching summer days.
This black mulberry juice is beloved by Gazinatep locals and like meyan şerbeti (Turkish cola) has health benefits: apparently it can help to relieve fatigue and the fruit also has natural antibiotic properties.
One of the most famous karadut suyu shops is Şerbetçi Gara Mehmet. The friendly owner, Mehmet Yılmaz has had his shop since 1978 and is proud of his natural, homemade mulberry juice that contains only three ingredients: black mulberries, water and sugar.
He sells Osmanı şerbeti (Ottoman sherbet) and meyan şerbeti too!
26) Zahter Çayı (Zahter Tea)
A type of mountain thyme, zahter is commonly used on breads, salads and mixed with olive oil in the Middle East. In Gaziantep, they use it to make zahter çay (sometimes called zaatar tea), a refreshing herbal beverage.
Zahter cayı doesn’t contain any caffeine and is thought to help with coughs and colds and prevent infections.
Zahter tea is pretty common in Gaziantep but we’d recommend trying it at Tahmis Kahvesi as the atmosphere in this historical tea house is lovely too.
🙋 What Else Is There To Do In Gaziantep?
If it isn’t obvious already, visiting Gaziantep just for the food is a damn good reason for coming to this southeastern Anatolian city. However, there are some Gaziantep attractions (that don’t involve eating) that make a longer visit to this city worthwhile.
Check out our article about the Best Things to Do in Gaziantep - you’ll find loads of things to do that’ll help you walk off all that katmer!
Gaziantep Tours
If you are visiting Gaziantep for the first time and prefer to see the city on a guided tour, then I’ve got you! Here are some of the best tours of the city and also for Southeastern Turkey:
The Gaziantep City Highlights and Gastronomy Walking Tour
The Gaziantep City Highlights and Gastronomy Walking Tour from Get Your Guide is a brilliant way to familiarise yourself with the city in a short amount time and understand the history behind Gaziantep’s cuisine.
This Gaziantep food tour includes a visit to Zeugma Mosaic Museum plus some of Gaziantep’s most popular places and an introduction to the many unique dishes from the region from a professional local guide.
All-inclusive Private Guided Tour of Gaziantep City by Viator
This all-inclusive Private Guided Tour of Gaziantep City by Viator is the perfect choice for travellers who want a more in-depth tour of Gaziantep’s main sites.
The 8-hour all-inclusive guided tour begins in the old city centre with an exploration of Gaziantep’s famous closed bazaar, followed by visits to Gaziantep Castle,** Gaziantep Culinary Museum**, the Hamam Museum, Zeuga Mosaic Museum and finally the Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology.
You’ll also get the chance to sample Gaziantep’s famous pistachio baklava!
Lunch, dinner, free bottled water, entrance fees and hotel pick-up are included in this tour. You basically don’t have to worry about anything!
From Istanbul: Southeast Turkey 8 Day Trip With Food and Hotel
We spent three months slowly travelling around eastern Turkey and visiting every province that we possibly could. However, if you don’t have the luxury of time, then this 8-day tour of Southeastern Turkey from Tripadvisor is a great option.
Beginning with a half-day tour of the main tourist sites in Istanbul, the tour then takes you on an adventure to Antakya (the ancient city of Antioch) in Hatay province, home to one of the oldest churches in Christianity.
Next will be the ancient sights, foods and museums of Gaziantep followed by a trip to Mount Nemrut, famous for the gigantic statues at its summit from the burial tomb of King Antiochus. The tour ends in Şanlıurfa where you will get the chance to visit the oldest temple in the world, Göbeklitepe, ancient temples in nearby Sogmatar and the ruins of the first Islamic university in Harran.
You'll get to see so much in such a short space of time!
This tour includes a private guide, all meals, domestic flights, bus tickets and private van transfers, accommodation and an airport transfer on arrival in Istanbul.
❓ FAQs About Gaziantep
Is Gaziantep Safe?
Yes, Gaziantep is safe to visit.
Due to its proximity to the Syrian border, some places such as the UK’s FCDO and the US State Department have previously issued advice to say that this area is unsafe to visit.
However, this advice has since been revised just to include areas that are 10km/6 miles from the Syrian border. Check your country’s travel advice before making a trip and ensure that your travel insurance covers travel to this part of Turkey.
Our experience of visiting Gaziantep was a warm, friendly place with amazing food. We never felt unsafe.
We’ve also travelled to Diyarbakir and Antakya which are deemed unsafe by the UK government and had a wonderful time there too - that’s our choice though!
Best Time to Visit Gaziantep
We visited Gaziantep in January and honestly, I think we got really lucky with the weather - every day was just warm and sunny. It felt much more like spring than winter! It was so warm that we could actually eat in the park when there were Covid restrictions.
Usually, Gaziantep weather in winter is around 10°C/50°F during the day and drops to around -2°C/29°F at night. Snow is common during the months of December - March.
We think the best time to visit is from mid-April through to May and June or September/October when the Gaziantep temperature is warm but still comfortable. Daytime temperatures in April are around 20°C (68°F) whilst May and June are 26°C and 31°C (78°F and 89°F) respectively.
Summer in Gaziantep is ridiculously hot - we’d recommend not visiting during July and August unless you love stifling heat.
In September and October daytime temperatures are around 31°C and 24°C (88°F and 75°F) respectively.
Gaziantep in winter was much more like spring!
How to Get to Gaziantep
By Plane:
You can fly directly to Gaziantep from Istanbul with Pegasus or Turkish Airlines in 1 hour 40 minutes.
Check out flights on Kiwi.com here.
By Bus:
As we were travelling in Eastern Turkey already, we took a bus from Sanlıurfa to Gaziantep Otogar which took around 2 hours. There are many bus companies that go directly to Gaziantep from most provinces in Turkey and it’s easy to book a bus ticket in person or at the bus station.
We usually book long-distance buses online through Busbud as the prices of the buses are exactly the same as at any bus station and it’s much more convenient.
Click here for bus tickets and prices on Busbud.
Renting a Car:
If you love driving, then good news - renting a car in Turkey is cheap and convenient. The roads are in excellent condition and the views in many areas are simply breathtaking. And once you get outside of Istanbul and it's crazy traffic, driving is a pleasure!
It’s also a great option if you want to visit other cities in the Southeast - you can pick up a car in one city and drop it off somewhere else (although most companies charge to drop a car off in a different city).
Rental Cars is the world’s biggest online rental car service. A part of Booking.com, they work with 900 rental car companies in 60,000 locations across the world. You’ll find really competitive prices for rental cars here and they also offer 24/7 customer service.
Click here for car hire options prices on Rental Cars.
Another option is Local Rent, who work with only the best local car rental suppliers. What is unique about this company is that you can choose the exact car you want to rent (make, model, colour, year etc.) and that’s what Local Rent will provide you with.
With excellent customer service, low deposit fees and fantastic coverage across Turkey (you can basically rent a car from them anywhere in Turkey), this company is a fabulous choice.
Click here for car hire options and prices on Local Rent.
Award winning car rental comparison website Discover Cars is another great option for renting a car in Turkey.
With a high score of 4.5 on Trustpilot, this company has fantastic customer service, a variety of insurance options, good prices and prides itself on transparency: they include all taxes, fees, and extras in their quoted price so there won’t be any surprises!
Discover Cars also mainly works with big rental car suppliers such as Hertz, Europcar, and Avis.
Click here for car hire options and prices on Discover Cars.
I might have been persuaded to open my own baklava store during my visit.
I hope that this guide to Gaziantep foods was helpful and gives you an idea of some of the wonderful things you can try during your visit to this extraordinary city.
The food that we ate in Gaziantep was some of the best we have tried in the whole of Turkey. However, as there are so many more dishes to try we’ll be venturing back to Gaziantep pretty soon! We promise to update you on the new dishes that we discover.
If you enjoy Turkish cuisine, are a foodie or are wondering why people make such a fuss about baklava, make sure you visit Gaziantep. You won’t regret it!
📝 Other Articles on Turkey
Before you go, make sure to check out some of our other posts on Turkey/Türkiye:
🖼️ 14 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep
🏔 Cappadocia in Winter: 7 Reasons to Visit & 16 Amazing Things to Do
🗓 The Ultimate Turkey Itinerary 10 Days
🇹🇷 The Best Places to Visit in Turkey
🏠 The Best Areas to Stay in Istanbul - Coolest Neighbourhoods and Top Hotels
🍲 The Best Istanbul Food Tours
🌟 22 Best Hotels in Istanbul With a View
🌷 Visit the Istanbul Tulip Festival
🎪 18 Best Festivals in Istanbul
🎄 Christmas in Istanbul: All You Need to Know for a Magical Stay
🛫 How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre
🥦 Vegan Istanbul: The Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants
🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
⛄ 9 Awesome Reasons to Spend Winter in Istanbul
🥑 Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul
✅ 12 Things You Need To Do in Istanbul
🔍 Exploring Balat Istanbul: An Insider's Guide to One of Istanbul's Most Unique Neighbourhoods
🧆 The Best Street Food in Istanbul
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