Tasting Notes
Sakıp Usta is on Kemal Köker Street in Alleben, open from before dawn until the early hours. It started in 1972 and is now run by the second generation, in a large modern building that seats families and tour groups. Locals come for beyran in the morning and for kebabs later in the day.
Beyran and paça
Beyran is the Gaziantep breakfast dish: lamb neck boiled until it falls off the bone, shredded and added to rice cooked in the broth, then finished in a very hot copper bowl with garlic, black pepper and red chilli. It is served full or half size. Paça soups made from lamb trotters, tongue or head meat come in many variations, along with a thickened terbiyeli soup and lentil soup.
Kavurma, kebabs and katmer
Mumbar kavurma, sautéed stuffed lamb intestines, is a registered local speciality; brain, tongue and meat kavurma are also offered. The kebab list covers the city's classics: küşleme, Ali Nazik, altı ezme, simit kebabı, liver skewers and a spicy Adana. For dessert there are several katmer, baklava by the portion or the kilo, and künefe for up to six people.
“Come early in the morning for a bowl of beyran with extra garlic and chilli, then share a katmer before you leave.”
LR Kitchen — field note