Eating in Gaziantep is the point of the visit, and the city's restaurants take themselves seriously. The specialties are: baklava (the local version uses fresh pistachios and a much thinner, crisper pastry than anywhere else — the best shops are open from early morning until the day's batch is sold out); beyran (a spicy lamb and rice soup eaten for breakfast, pale amber from rendered fat, intensely flavoured); katmer (flaky pastry filled with pistachios and cream, also a breakfast item); and various kebabs particular to the city, especially the spicy minced lamb Ali Nazik variety served with smoky aubergine.
The old bazaar area near the castle has the densest concentration of traditional restaurants. İmam Çağdaş on Uzun Çarşı is the most famous baklava maker, open since 1887, and worth the queue. For beyran at breakfast, Metanet near the castle is a city institution. For a broader spread of Gaziantep cuisine in a restored han (caravanserai), the restaurants around the Atatürk Cultural Centre area offer the most atmospheric setting.