Sehzade Erzurum Cag Kebabi

Sehzade Erzurum Cag Kebabi is one of a handful of restaurants in all of Istanbul serving cag kebabi, a style of horizontal-spit lamb kebab that is the defining dish of Erzurum, the major city of eastern Anatolia near the Armenian and Georgian borders. The preparation is fundamentally different from vertical-spit doner: seasoned leg of lamb is arranged on a horizontal skewer and rotated over wood embers, with the meat sliced in thin portions as it cooks and served on wooden skewers alongside lavash flatbread, onion rings with sumac, and pickled green peppers. The technique preserves moisture and produces a distinct texture that vertical cooking cannot replicate. Located near the Grand Bazaar and the historic Beyazit area, the restaurant occupies a simple, functional space consistent with the working-class character of the neighborhood. The owners are from Erzurum and maintain the dish's preparation according to the region's traditional method. Cag kebabi is both rarer and more labor-intensive than doner, which explains its scarcity in Istanbul despite the popularity of other Anatolian kebab styles. The restaurant serves the kebab as its principal offering alongside simple accompaniments.