Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Turkey Istanbul Siirt Şeref Büryan
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Siirt Şeref Büryan

Come for the whole sides of slow-roasted lamb, stay for the regional Kurdish specialties.

Istanbul, Turkey

Added By
Anya von Bremzen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
While the büryan kebabi are the stars of the show here, but the menu is full of other gems.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Order your kebab with bones and cracklings.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Perde pilavi get blasted by the heat of the wood-fired oven.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
A perde pilaf consists of nut-and currant-studded rice wrapped in buttery pastry.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
The hummus here has a velvety smooth texture.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
The interior of the restaurant has gotten glammed up over the years.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Whole sides of lamb are roasted until incredibly tender.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
The warm, house-baked pide soaks up all the juices.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
A wood-fired oven adds a tinge of smoke to dishes.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Mumbar, or stuffed intestines, may not be much to look at, but taste delicious.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
This kebab happens to be one of the most glorious carnivorous treats in town.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Associated primarily with southeastern Turkey, and not native to Istanbul, the city’s kebab culture was nurtured by migrants from various Anatolian regions. It’s become amazingly rich in regional genres and inflections. 

There’s the luscious patlican (eggplant) kebap from the city of Sanliurfa; hand-chopped meatballs of skewered lamb from the Turkish grill mecca of Gaziantep; tepsi (tray) kebaps that involve zero skewers from the Hatay region near the Syrian border, and from Erzurum Province, cağ kebabı of lamb roasted on a rotating horizontal spit. 

The most delicious carnivorous treat in the city, however, might be büryan kebabi from the mostly Kurdish and Arabic-speaking regions of Siirt and Bitlis near Lake Van in Turkey’s far east. This scrumptious specialty involves slowly roasting whole sides of small sheep (or goat in Siirt) suspended from hooks over a wood-fired clay tandoor oven that’s usually set below ground. The result: crackling skin giving way to tender, moist meat, each order hacked into portions, weighed, and served over wood-fired pide (flatbread) that soaks up the meat juices.  

Istanbul’s büryan epicenter is the Kurdish area known as Kadinlar Pazari (“ladies bazaar”) in the shadow of the majestic 4th century Valens Aqueduct in the Fatih district. On the bustling market street here, which is “exotic” even to most Istanbullus, butcher windows showcase graphic sheep’s innards and grinning heads, open-air grocery sections are piled high with dried fruit and herb-flecked tangy cheeses, and specialty shops hawk expensive regional honeys. 

While almost every restaurant offers büryan kebabi (either from Bitlis or Siirt) meat connoisseurs flock to Siirt Şeref Büryan, a classic that has recently moved to new digs with a three-floor interior that feels simultaneously flashy and somber. The lamb büryan here is perfect, offered by weight (with or without bones) on fabulous pide warm from the oven. 

But Seref also excels in other regional specialties, whether tangy pomegranate-laced salads, or mumbar (stuffed intestines), which look a bit scary but prove addictive with their filling of aromatic spiced rice, or içli köfte (lamb-stuffed bulgur dumplings), here poached and served over yogurt. And you definitely want an order of perde (literally, “curtain”) pilaf, another Kurdish treat featuring a buttery dough case filled with nut-and currant-studded rice that cascades out of the pastry when the waiter raps the whole thing apart.  

Related Tags

Restaurants Food Meat

Know Before You Go

Come for an early lunch when the lamb is freshly roasted and order it yagli (with cracklings and fat). 

Community Contributors

Added By

Anya von Bremzen

Published

April 2, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Siirt Şeref Büryan
Zeyrek, Zeyrek Mahallesi, Ömer Efendi Cad, Serdab Sok. No:34
Istanbul, 34083
Turkey
41.017211, 28.95338
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Column of Marcian

Istanbul, Turkey

miles away

Buuzecedi

Istanbul, Turkey

miles away

Haliç Metro Bridge

Istanbul, Turkey

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Istanbul

Istanbul

Turkey

Places 51
Stories 15

Nearby Places

Column of Marcian

Istanbul, Turkey

miles away

Buuzecedi

Istanbul, Turkey

miles away

Haliç Metro Bridge

Istanbul, Turkey

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Istanbul

Istanbul

Turkey

Places 51
Stories 15

Related Places

  • Tripe is fried to a crisp.

    Rome, Italy

    L’Osteria della Trippa

    Everything from fried brains to stewed lungs are on the menu at this nose-to-tail spot.

  • A slice of cake is the perfect coda to a meal at Piatto Romano.

    Rome, Italy

    Piatto Romano

    Once the home of a renowned slaughterhouse, formerly working-class Testaccio is still the place to go for Roman offal dishes.

  • Garbage Plate

    Rochester, New York

    Garbage Plates at Nick Tahou Hots

    Rochester's signature culinary delicacy.

  • The Absolutely Ridiculous Burger

    Southgate, Michigan

    Absolutely Ridiculous Burger

    The world's largest commercially available hamburger is complete with 15 pounds of lettuce, 30 pounds of bacon, and 36 pounds of cheese.

  • Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.

    Rome, Italy

    C'è Pasta... E Pasta!

    Fried artichokes and other Roman–Jewish classics are executed with care at this no-frills cafeteria.

  • Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.

    Rome, Italy

    Giano Restaurant

    Inventive Sicilian specialties are executed with flair at this restaurant overseen by chef Ciccio Sultano.

  • The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.

    Rome, Italy

    Cesare al Pellegrino

    Chef Leonardo Vignoli subtly updates Roman classics in a storied space.

  • Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.

    Rome, Italy

    Flavio al Velavevodetto

    For one of Rome’s finest renditions of cacio e pepe, head straight to this osteria.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.