The restaurant with the long name “Gaziantep Közde Künefe Kebap Salonu” is currently my favorite spot in all of Istanbul. The city of Gaziantep, which is in its name, is considered the gastronomic center of all Turkish cuisine, and the restaurant strongly honors this legacy with the quality of its food.
Gaziantep Közde Künefe Kebap Salonu is one of those places where I would love to taste the menu from the first item to the last. And since I was guiding my parents and sister during my last visit to Istanbul, we took on this task together. The food at this place is not only perfectly seasoned but also cheap. For example, these grilled chicken wings with bulgur, grilled vegetables, and flatbread cost 75 TRY (4 EUR).
We gradually tasted most of the kebabs, beyran and ezogelin soups, the cheese dessert künefe, or the perfectly prepared fresh ayran. The spicy ezme salad made of peppers and tomatoes, which is served as a side dish to meat meals, was one of the best I have eaten in Turkey here.
The vegetable salad costs 30 TRY (1.60 EUR) here. The salad is not only perfectly seasoned but also looks great.
The service in the restaurant was fast and helpful, appetizers or bread were always on the table just a few moments after ordering. They toast the fresh bread on a charcoal grill here before serving.
You can choose the kebab and other meats directly from the street; it is prepared on skewers in advance, everything is displayed in a refrigerated case behind the window. If you walk past the restaurant multiple times during the day, it is interesting to watch how the amount of displayed food decreases as the restaurant serves more and more satisfied diners.
It is possible to sit inside the establishment, but there are also a few tables on the street. A reservation is not necessary; we always came without one and were seated immediately. You cannot pay by card in the restaurant. If I could recommend only one single place for food in all of Istanbul, it would be this one.
Bon appétit!
For more information about Gaziantep Közde Künefe Kebap Salonu, click on the map link:
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