Clockwise from left: Galata Tower in Beyoglu; traditional Turkish tea; Istiklal Avenue; chicken skewers with herbs and tomatoes |
BEST OF THE REST
Kıyık Et Lokantası, Edirne The Thracian region of Türkiye, in the north west of the country, is renowned for the quality of its livestock and grilled meat. The region’ s largest city, Edirne, was once an Ottoman capital. A must-visit is Kıyık Et Lokantası, run by Ali Ilte, a master of his trade who will cook your köfte or lamb chops and then sit at your table for a chat while you eat. He serves some of the best grilled meat in the entire country.
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images: stockfood; awl images |
For most people here, kebab amounts to something kissed by the grill after being spiked with a skewer, or sis, which is where the term‘ shish kebab’ comes from. This can be Adana, named after the city of Adana, from where the beloved kebab has its roots. It’ s ideally made from lamb cut with a large mincing knife, known as a zırh. Tail fat is added to the mix, and the result is meat so juicy and tender that it practically falls apart when sliced with a fork and wrapped it in a piece of fresh flatbread. There’ s also ciger sis, morsels of grilled liver carefully separated and sliced into cubes before being pierced by the skewer, and tavuk sis, chunks of chicken breast or thigh marinated in olive oil, tomato paste and spices before being thrown over the flames.
ZÜBEYIR OCAKBASI MASTERS OF GRILLED MEAT
These classics and more, including tarak, tantalizingly delicious lamb ribs, can be found at Zübeyir Ocakbası, right in the heart of Istanbul’ s Beyoglu district. This hotspot might be in close proximity to many likeminded establishments, but it stands out as the best in its class. It’ s a traditional grill house that offers ample indoor and outdoor seating but also adheres to the classic concept of the ocakbası, where customers sit around the grill, watch the master flip the skewers over charcoal and even have a cordial chat with him as he works his magic.
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“ These days, there are ocakbası restaurants that are sprawled over large spaces, but originally the idea came about because of a lack of space or funds to open a large-scale restaurant. It’ s supposed to be intimate, both in space and feeling. Another distinction is that at the ocakbası, the grill master is in interaction with those sitting by the grill. You expect to come out of the ocakbası smelling like kebab and having shared the meal with other meat-lovers,” Cemre says.
This is exactly what you can expect at Zübeyir, which serves some of the best kebab in Istanbul. It was opened just shy of 20 years ago by two brothers from Türkiye’ s eastern province of Van, and the mezes served before the kebab arrives are specialties of their hometown.
BASTA STREET FOOD DÜRÜM ELEVATED KEBAB WRAPS
Chef Kaan Sakarya was a founder of Nicole, a Michelin-starred restaurant celebrated as one of the top fine-dining spots in Istanbul. The inspiration for his next project, a small street food bar called Basta, which serves‘ elevated’ kebab wraps, came from his visits to Babel Ocakbası. One night, after a long shift at the restaurant, Zübeyir was closed, so he and his team opted to step into Babel, which keeps the grill open until one or two in the morning.“ Once or twice a week, we went to relieve
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Istah Kebap, Adana There’ s no denying that Adana is the kebab capital of Türkiye. There are dozens of excellent places in the city, but among the best is Istah, which has been open since 1950 in the center of the city’ s old bazaar. The tiny shop produces massive flavors, and if you have to choose one place to go in Türkiye’ s kebab heartland, this is it. The city’ s namesake kebab is a must here.
Güngör Kebap, Malatya Malatya was one of the cities that sustained massive damage in the earthquakes of February 2023. This resulted in the destruction of Güngör Kebap in the heart of the old city, but it’ s since reopened in a new location in the Samanlı neighborhood. The kebab, made in the Adana style, is sliced with a zırh( large knife), and is one of the best kebabs you’ ll ever try.
Kebapçı Halil Usta, Gaziantep The southeastern city of Gaziantep is widely known as Türkiye’ s gastronomy capital, so it’ s no surprise that it has one of the country’ s best kebab restaurants. At Kebapçı Halil Usta, the specialty is küsleme( lamb filet), a type of kebab that’ s not easily found elsewhere. A house salad is served with every order.
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winter 2025 • 53 |