Behind Istanbul’s hulking Çağlayan courthouse, in the center of town near the main highway, there is a series of mixed industrial-residential neighborhoods with a handful of restaurants, none of which feel particularly noteworthy.
That was until Kaburgacı Koray opened up shop on the corner of a backstreet, quickly winning over the lawyers and courthouse employees who now have a lunch spot to die for, as well as people from all over town, who, like us, quickly realized that Kaburgacı Koray is perhaps the best kebapçı in Istanbul.
Co-owner and namesake Koray Övünç Yılmaz, who hails from Turkey’s kebab capital of Adana, moved to Istanbul in 2013. When he arrived, he worked as a construction engineer – but the flavors of his hometown were always on his mind.
“Since I am so fond of food, my search for Adana kebab always continued. By 2016, we realized there was a deficiency. We intended to open up for a while but couldn’t find the usta [grill master] we needed,” Yılmaz says. That abruptly changed when Yılmaz and his family were back home on a visit to the kebab Mecca.
“When I asked my dad to grill up some kebab for my son, he sent me to a butcher that we used to go to in our old neighborhood. There, Sedat usta came to mind. His father owned a portable kebab shop in the corner of the field that we played football on when we were kids. He would leave school and go to the counter without taking off his uniform,” Yılmaz recalls. After this realization, he approached Sedat Renksizkaya with a plan to open a restaurant in Istanbul, and the usta agreed. They opened up just last year, but have already become the talk of town.
Renksizkaya, 42, first started working behind a grill at the age of 11, following in the footsteps of his father. He knows the trade like the back of his deft, nimble hands. He is quick to insist that the way Adana kebab is served in Istanbul would be unacceptable in his hometown. Kaburgacı means “rib master” and refers to a school of Adana kebab experts who insist that the best version is made with only high-quality lamb ribs.
“In Adana, bulgur pilaf absolutely does not go alongside kebab. We still see on social media and elsewhere ustalar [ustas] that serve theirs with bulgur. Our meat is originally lamb; beef is definitely out of the question,” Renksizkaya insists. The meat is taken from the side of the rib and a small amount of tail fat is added in addition to salt and red pepper powder. It is served with a nice ezme salata (spicy salsa-esque dip), soğan salata (thinly-sliced onions laced with sumac) and a tablacı salata (chopped tomatoes, onions, and parsley drizzled with olive oil and pomegranate syrup).
Sure enough, this is exactly how it’s done in the kebab capital, and Kaburgacı Koray replicates this to perfection. Also present is a plate of fresh sprigs of parsley and mint with a wedge of lemon, while the meat is served above gloriously greasy slices of freshly-baked flatbread alongside grilled spicy red peppers and tomatoes.
On our first visit, we knew that we had to try the Adana kebab, but were even more curious about the kaburga çöp şiş, skewers of about half a dozen morsels of lamb rib meat and fat. We opted for a full portion of the former and a half portion of the latter. The Adana was exceptional, long and flat, slightly charred and crispy, yet quickly revealing its juicy delicious interior. It could compete with the best in Adana without a doubt. However, it was the kaburga çöp şiş that knocked our socks off. The meat was so succulent, brilliantly savory and perfectly seasoned, it had our taste buds singing the praises of the southern city, from where Kaburgacı Koray obtains all of their meat.
To date, it might be the best kebab dish we have had in Istanbul, or anywhere else. Our four visits have all involved either Adana kebab, kaburga çöp şiş, or both – which means we haven’t had the opportunity to try the other items on the menu, which include grilled liver (from the lamb, of course), chicken wings and chicken şiş. But we have no doubt that those offerings are prepared with the same level of expertise, using the finest products. In fact, one day it might become necessary to order one of these options – since all the meat is shipped over from Adana, it is not uncommon for Kaburgacı Koray to run out of lamb in the middle of the week.
After speaking with Renksizkaya behind the grill for just over five minutes, we start to feel like we’ve sat too close to a large flame-licked fireplace. We ask him if it’s difficult to work all day behind the heat and smoke.
“No!” Renksizkaya says immediately. “We’re used to this because we’ve been doing it since childhood; it’s an ongoing process. The grill gives us a different sense of enjoyment. Since we do our job with love – it’s indispensable – we can say that it is our passion.”
September 20, 2024 Kebapçı Osman Usta 1976
Kebapçı Osman Usta 1976 is located in the crowded neighborhood of Şirinevler, a corner […] Posted in Istanbul
June 17, 2024 Horo Burger
Situated on a pleasant corner in the heart of Kurtuluş is an unlikely yet warmly […] Posted in Istanbul
March 12, 2024 Fast Food
Ramadan fasters in Istanbul may not love the endless daylight hours in summer nor the […] Posted in Istanbul
Published on May 09, 2024
Related stories
September 20, 2024
IstanbulKebapçı Osman Usta 1976 is located in the crowded neighborhood of Şirinevler, a corner of Istanbul that has fascinated us for years. Separated from the idyllic upper-middle class, tree-lined suburb of Ataköy by Istanbul's main highway – but linked with a pedestrian footbridge built above it – Şirinevler is the polar opposite of its southern…
June 17, 2024
IstanbulSituated on a pleasant corner in the heart of Kurtuluş is an unlikely yet warmly welcomed addition to this neighborhood's excellent food scene: Horo Burger, which only features Sloppy Joes on its menu. While the name of this American classic conjures pleasant memories of family dinner for some and horrifying flashbacks from the school cafeteria…
Meet the man behind the famous pit-roasted lamb on the Old City walk!
March 12, 2024
Istanbul | By Malika Browne
IstanbulRamadan fasters in Istanbul may not love the endless daylight hours in summer nor the susuzluk (no water), but when the reward is a leisurely iftar under the trees on Kadınlar Pazarı, the pedestrianized market known as Little Siirt (named after the southeastern Turkish city where many of the local shop and restaurant owners hail…
