Adana is a major province and city in southern Turkey, set on the fertile Çukurova plain where the Seyhan River flows toward the Mediterranean. As Turkey's fifth-largest city, it pairs ancient Cilician history with a famously fiery food culture, anchored by the six-minaret Sabancı Merkez Camii, the Roman Taşköprü bridge, and the world-renowned spicy Adana kebab. Beyond the city, the province spreads across Roman ruins, Hittite carvings, mountain viaducts, and the reservoir lakes of the Seyhan and Çatalan dams.
Adana is widely regarded as Turkey's culinary capital, a reputation built on fiery charcoal grilling and the bounty of the surrounding Cukurova plain. The city's signature dish, the Adana kebab, is hand-minced lamb seasoned and pressed onto wide iron skewers and grilled over charcoal, and it carries a registered geographical indication. Beyond kebab, the food culture runs around the clock: charcoal liver (ciger) for breakfast, offal specialties such as sirdan and mumbar after dark, and tangy fermented salgam to cut the richness of grilled meat. The city is equally famous for its sweets, including syrup-soaked halka tatlisi, the rosewater-and-shaved-ice bici bici, candied-pumpkin kabak tatlisi and candied-carrot cezerye. Several of these specialties hold official geographical-indication status, and the cuisine is celebrated each spring at the Orange Blossom Carnival and the city's food festivities.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Adana.
Adana Kebab
Hand-minced lamb seasoned and pressed onto a wide iron skewer, charcoal-grilled and served on lavas with sumac onions, grilled peppers and tomatoes; a registered geographical indication
Where to try: Kebab houses across Seyhan and around Kazancilar Carsisi
Price: TRY 250-500
Ciger (Liver Kebab)
Cubes of lamb liver skewered and charcoal-grilled, eaten with herbs and sumac onions, traditionally an Adana breakfast
Where to try: Cigerciler Sokagi near the Buyuk Saat clock tower
Price: TRY 200-400
Sirdan Dolmasi
Lamb stomach stuffed with seasoned rice and spices, boiled and sold from street stalls, especially in the evenings
Where to try: Evening street vendors around the old town and Kazancilar
Price: TRY 60-150 each
Mumbar Dolmasi
Cleaned lamb intestine stuffed with spiced rice, a rich, garlicky offal specialty
Where to try: Old-town offal vendors and esnaf lokantasi
Price: TRY 120-250
Anali Kizli
A labour-intensive dish of two kinds of bulgur meatballs (large meat-filled 'mothers' and small plain 'daughters') with chickpeas in a tomato-pepper broth
Where to try: Home-style esnaf lokantasi; rarely on standard kebab menus
Price: TRY 120-220
Icli Kofte
A bulgur shell kneaded to a paste, stuffed with spiced minced meat and walnuts, then boiled or fried and served with lemon
Where to try: Local lokantas and home kitchens citywide
Price: TRY 40-90 each
Bici Bici
A pink, cooling summer dessert of cornstarch jelly, rosewater syrup and powdered sugar served over shaved ice; a registered geographical indication
Where to try: Old-town dessert stalls (spring and summer)
Price: TRY 80-150
Halka Tatlisi
Ring-shaped fried dough soaked in syrup, crisp outside and soft within and best eaten warm; holds a geographical indication
Where to try: Old-town confectioners around the Buyuk Saat clock tower
Price: TRY 60-150
Kabak Tatlisi
Candied pumpkin simmered in syrup, traditionally served with crushed walnuts and sometimes tahini or clotted cream
Where to try: Traditional dessert shops and lokantas, autumn and winter
Price: TRY 90-180
Cezerye
A soft confection of candied carrots and nuts rolled in coconut, a signature Adana sweet to take home
Where to try: Old-town sweet shops and historic helvacis
Price: TRY 300-600 per kg
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Kahvalti Breakfast
Liver Kebab
Sirdan Specialist
Seafood
Food tours & tastings in Adana
Eat your way through Adana with a guide.
Browse food experiences in AdanaWe may earn a commission from bookings made through these links.
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Sirdan
Rice-stuffed lamb stomach sold from stalls, an iconic Adana late-night and evening street snack
Find it at: Kazancilar and old-town corners after sunset
Ciger Skewers
Charcoal-grilled liver eaten streetside from dawn, a beloved breakfast tradition
Find it at: Cigerciler Sokagi, Seyhan
Acili Ekmek
Soft flatbread topped with chili, red-pepper paste and sesame, a grab-and-go breakfast
Find it at: Bakeries throughout Seyhan old town
Sikma
Thin buttered flatbread rolled around cheese-and-onion or spiced potato and pan-fried, served with ayran and pickles
Find it at: Street stalls and durumcu shops in the old town
Halka Tatlisi
Warm syrup-soaked fried dough rings sold fresh from the fryer
Find it at: Old-town confectioners near the Buyuk Saat clock tower
Bici Bici
Shaved-ice rosewater dessert sold from carts and stalls in the warm months
Find it at: Old town and park-side stalls, spring and summer
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Kazancilar Carsisi (Coppersmiths Bazaar)
Adana's historic old-town bazaar in Seyhan, ringed by legendary kebab and liver spots, sweet shops and artisan coppersmiths, and the heart of the city's street-food culture
Hours: Roughly 8AM-7PM daily; food stalls busiest mid-morning to evening
Yesiloba Pazari (Neighborhood Weekly Market)
A large weekly neighbourhood market in Seyhan selling Cukurova-plain produce, citrus, peppers, herbs, pickles and salgam, a window onto the raw ingredients of Adana cooking
Hours: One full weekday, typically 7AM-6PM (varies by week)
Old-Town Confectioners and Helvaci Shops
A cluster of historic sweet makers around the Buyuk Saat clock tower selling cezerye, tas kadayifi, Turkish delight and tahini specialties
Hours: Approx 9AM-8PM daily
Seyhan Riverside and Merkez Park Food Stalls
Seasonal vendors along the Seyhan River near Merkez Park and the Taskopru bridge selling drinks, bici bici and snacks, busiest on warm evenings and weekends
Hours: Afternoons and evenings, spring through autumn
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Adana kebab itself is not very spicy; the heat comes from the grilled green peppers and pul biber served alongside
Pair kebab and offal dishes with a glass of salgam, which locals consider essential to cut the richness
Come hungry in the morning, as charcoal liver (ciger) is a celebrated Adana breakfast rather than only a dinner dish
Sirdan and mumbar are best sought in the evening, when street vendors set up around the old town
Save room for dessert, ordering halka tatlisi warm and trying bici bici in the hot months
Cash is handy at street stalls and small lokantas, though card payment is common in restaurants
- Vegetarian
- Limited but possible; Adana cuisine is heavily meat-focused, but vegetarians can rely on mezze, salads, sikma with cheese or potato, pickles and the city's many desserts. Dedicated vegetarian venues are uncommon
- Halal
- Overwhelmingly halal; as across Turkey, meat served in Adana restaurants and street stalls is halal by default, while alcohol is available in some restaurants and meyhanes but is not central to traditional food culture
- Gluten free
- Challenging; bulgur, lavas, flatbreads and wheat-based desserts are everywhere, and although grilled meats and salads are naturally gluten-free, cross-contamination is likely and dedicated options are scarce
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | TRY 250-600 per person (approx USD 5-13) | Street food and casual eats such as a plate of Adana kebab with bread, sirdan from a stall, a ciger breakfast or sweets; Adana is famous for high-quality, low-cost eating |
| Mid-range | TRY 600-1200 per person (approx USD 13-26) | A full sit-down meal at a popular kebab house with mezze, salad, salgam and dessert, or a guided street-food tasting |
| Upscale | TRY 1200-2500+ per person (approx USD 26-55+) | Multi-course meals at higher-end riverside or specialty restaurants, hands-on cooking masterclasses, or private guided food experiences |