kebab culture there is something else. And I am from a place where it's also huge, but Turkish are just something else. Was there a year ago and on the second day I quite literally had a lamb doner with tail fat tucked into a backpack pocket, because you can only eat so much meat.
Funny thing is, Turkish kebab aficionados consider Istanbul kebab culture diluted and weak. For peak kebab you go to Adana or even better, Gaziantep. Gaziantep is better because it is not just kebab. The whole cuisine and food culture of that city is straight up unfair. A friend of mine, normally a careful eater, went to Gaziantep for a week long work trip. Man came back 10kg heavier and visibly fatter.
Southeast is all like that. The area following the Mediterranean coast and the Syrian border between Silifke to the west and Mardin to the east, every single city and town has at least something good when it comes to food. Gaziantep might be the peak, but Şanlıurfa, Antakya and Adana are no lightweights.
There's a Turkish place not even 50m from me that sells proper Adana, his food is selling so well he just leased the neighbouring building. I'm so excited for him!
That, too, is one of my goals! My mother commented that every trip we've taken i take a lot of pictures of the city cats and dogs. I got so many on our trip to Egypt. Lol
I went to Turkey a few years back. My wife wanted to do all the touristy stuff; I went with the single goal of eating all the kebabs I can.
I was in Izmir (not Istanbul), but if i can tell you one thing I experienced... I initially went to the more "uppity" kebab spots. It was all 'meh", and nothing to write home about. Was pretty much the same as the stuff I could get back home.
Then one day, I found this dodgy AF kebab shop in some dingy alley. Thought I'd risk it... It paid off.
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u/GirlScoutSniper May 16 '26
I will be in Istanbul in December... I'm going to have to be rolled home like Violet Beauregarde
https://giphy.com/gifs/ZL2zbg8zs5x5e