Where to eat yağlama in Kayseri?

Kayseri yağlama

Kayseri cuisine is remarkably skilled at combining dough and meat to create new flavours, and yağlama (layered flatbreads with spiced minced meat) is one of these wonderful dishes. Many people describe it as lahmacun stacked on top of each other and sliced. But yağlama is more than lahmacun…

Thin flatbreads (şebit) meet a special minced meat mixture, are brushed with fat, stacked on top of each other and sliced. Yağlama is served with garlic yoghurt, without which it should never be eaten. Ask anyone in Kayseri and they’ll tell you yağlama is eaten by hand: you pick it up by the end, roll it up, dip it in the garlic yoghurt and take a bite. And then? You’ll be licking your fingers, of course.

Since you can’t take this unique Kayseri speciality home with you, make the most of it by eating plenty while you’re here.

Where to eat yağlama in Kayseri?

As with mantı (tiny Turkish dumplings), the first places that come to mind for yağlama in Kayseri are Kaşık-la, Elmacıoğlu İskender, Çemen’s Gurme and Konak Restoran. Apart from these 4 options, there is one more place famous for its home cooking:

Saray Çiftliği Ev Yemeğim

If you want to feel as if you’re in any home in Kayseri, this place is for you. In Kayseri, where the cuisine is dominated by meat and dough, Saray Çiftliği was actually founded to bring something different to the scene. They started out with vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil, but over time they added local dishes such as mantı, yağlama and yağ mantısı alongside them. As the owners are of Circassian origin, Circassian dishes also feature on the menu. It’s a warm place that deserves a spot among your options for homemade yağlama. Note that it is closed on Sundays.

Reservations: 0 352 222 33 85

Alamet-i Farika

One of the rare places where Kayseri’s historic fabric meets its rich cuisine. It opened after the restoration of a 180-year-old building. Tasting Kayseri dishes amid dim lighting, romantic curtains and old windows is a special pleasure. It has also been awarded best local cuisine 3 times. You can’t leave this award-winning restaurant without eating yağlama, and the rich menu you can enjoy alongside it will make you impatient to tuck in.

Reservations: 0 352 232 10 80