Elazığ has a strong regional kitchen. The signature dish is içli köfte — bulgur dumplings stuffed with spiced lamb, fried — done particularly well here. Look out also for gömme, a bread baked in hot ashes, and patila, a sweet pastry from the Harput tradition.
The restaurants along Gazi Caddesi are reliable; for the local specialities, try one of the small Harput-style ocakbaşı grills in the side streets. Fresh fish from Hazar Lake appears on menus through summer. Most restaurants outside the main hotels do not serve alcohol; the city has a substantial conservative population.