Gaziantep Food Guide: The Best Food I Ate in Turkey

I have eaten my way through a lot of Turkey, and nothing has come close to Gaziantep food. This city in the southeast is where locals will tell you, completely straight-faced, that the rest of Turkey is just warming up. After a few days on the ground I stopped arguing. If you want the best food city in Turkey, this is where I would send you.

Most visitors never make it this far east. They land in Istanbul, hit the coast and fly home. That is a shame, because Gaziantep (everyone just says Antep) has a food culture that feels lived in rather than staged. UNESCO agrees: the city joined its Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy in 2015.

Why Gaziantep food is different

Gaziantep sits at a crossroads between Anatolia and the Levant, and you taste it on every plate. The spice is bolder, the lamb is richer, and pistachios and walnuts show up where you would not expect them. Families have run the same shops for generations, and many places do one thing and do it perfectly.

That focus is what I loved most. There is no twelve page menu. You get a soup, a kebab or a pastry that someone has been refining for decades.

What to eat in Gaziantep

If you are wondering what to eat in Gaziantep, start here:

• Beyran: a spicy lamb soup with rice, traditionally eaten at breakfast. It is hot, peppery and oddly addictive. Eating it at 8 in the morning felt wrong for about two spoonfuls.
• Lahmacun: the Antep version is thin, crisp and loaded with meat and parsley. You squeeze lemon on it, roll it up and eat it with your hands.
• Kebabs: Gaziantep has far more than the doner you know from home. Try kuşbaşı (small cubes of lamb), the cherry kebab when it is in season, and ali nazik, grilled meat on a bed of smoky eggplant and yogurt.
• Katmer: a paper-thin pastry stuffed with pistachio, clotted cream and sugar, baked until crackly. A proper breakfast dessert.
• Yuvarlama: small meatballs in a tangy yogurt and chickpea soup. Comfort food.

Wash it down with menengiç coffee, a creamy, nutty drink made from wild pistachio. It tastes nothing like regular Turkish coffee, so order one even if you think you know the drill.

Gaziantep baklava: the real thing

I thought I knew baklava. I did not. Gaziantep baklava is a different animal from the heavy, syrup-soaked squares I had back in the Netherlands. The layers are impossibly thin, the butter is fragrant, and the pistachios inside are a bright, almost neon green. It is sweet, but it never feels heavy.

Baklava here is sold by weight, and locals eat it as a daily habit rather than a special occasion treat. Old, famous names like Güllüoğlu and İmam Çağdaş are good places to start, but any busy baklava shop will do. Look for the trays where the pastry is still crisp and ask for a small mixed plate. Pair it with a strong tea and the afternoon is sorted.

Where to eat and how to do it

Follow the crowds. In Gaziantep, a queue of locals at 7 in the morning is the best review you will get. This is how I planned my days:

• Breakfast: beyran or katmer, early. Many of the best spots run out by mid-morning.
• Lunch: lahmacun and a kebab in the old town streets around the bazaar.
• Afternoon: baklava and tea, then a walk to settle everything.
• Dinner: a long table of mezes, grilled meat and whatever the waiter recommends.

Order a lot and share. Portions are generous, and the food is better when you try a bit of everything. If you want to go deeper, a guided food tour is worth it, because the best places are tucked into back streets with no sign in English.

Beyond the food: things to do in Gaziantep

You will need something to walk off the baklava, and Gaziantep has more than eating.

The Zeugma Mosaic Museum is one of the best museums I have visited in Turkey. It holds Roman mosaics rescued from the ancient city of Zeugma, including the famous Gypsy Girl. Give it a couple of hours.

Then wander the old bazaar area, especially the copper bazaar, where craftsmen still hammer pots and trays by hand. The sound alone is worth the detour. Walk up to the castle for a view over the rooftops, and keep wandering. The old streets are the best part.

How to get to Gaziantep

Gaziantep has its own airport with regular flights from Istanbul, and the trip takes around two hours. Buses connect it with most big Turkish cities, but the distances are long, so flying saves a lot of time. Once you are there, the old centre is easy to explore on foot, and taxis are cheap enough for everything else.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons. Summers get properly hot, so if you travel then, plan your eating around the cooler mornings and evenings. Check current flight times and prices before you book, since schedules change.

Final thoughts

Gaziantep is the reason I tell people to look beyond the usual Turkish route. It is generous and loud, the food is excellent, and I found hardly any tourist traps. Stay at least two nights, come hungry, and leave room for one more piece of baklava.

Planning a bigger trip? My Turkey guides cover everything from the Aegean coast to the east, and my Istanbul tips are a good place to start before you fly south. For more routes, food stops and practical advice, browse all my Turkey travel stories and let me know where you are headed next.