Taste of Turkey: Culinary Walk Through Istanbul's European and Asian Sides
5.0
33 Ratings
Fatih
Embark on a culinary adventure through Istanbul's European and Asian sides, tasting traditional Turkish dishes and exploring local food markets. Indulge in a delicious Turkish breakfast, savor Iskender Kebab and Baklava, and learn about the rich food culture from your knowledgeable guide.
Duration:
4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Eminönü - Turks love eating and since a traditional Turkish breakfast is the ultimate way to start the day, our food journey starts browsing and gathering our local bites from the specialty breakfast shops. We will taste and get a bit of everything, from iconic street food Simit to pastries. A proper Turkish breakfast cannot be contemplated without cheese. Like cheese, a Turkish breakfast without olives is considered incomplete. Menemen is a Turkish breakfast classic made with scrambled eggs, red and green peppers, tomatoes, and onions. So we choose and prepare our own spread, filled with anything your heart desires.
What's Included
- All the foods, drinks and snacks
- Professional guide
- Ferry ride from Europe to Asia and back to Europe
- Small Group
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratitude
Additional Information
Embark on a culinary journey through Turkish gastronomy in this small group food tour in Istanbul, extending from the European side to the Asian side. The tour commences with a customary Turkish breakfast comprised of simit, menemen, olives, local cheese, and an array of pastries, along with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. The adventure continues as you jump aboard a ferry to Kadıköy on the Asian side. Here, distinguished restaurants and food markets await you with more traditional Turkish delicacies. Key highlights of the tour range from the Iskender Kebab (a doner kebab with yoghurt and tomato sauce), içli köfte (a type of meatball in a shell), and pide (ground meat and vegetable stuffed flatbread), rounded off with the renowned Turkish dessert - Baklava (a dessert made up of layers of pastry filled with pistachios or nuts.) Throughout the tour, your guide will provide invaluable knowledge about Turkish food traditions and local gastronomy.
- This tour is required to be booked by a minimum 2 participants.
Location
Hamdi Restaurant - Eminönü
Kalçin Sokak
Your guide will meet you outside the entrance to Hamdi Restaurant in Eminönü which is right next to Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı). Located on the street where the tram lines (T1) run through Galata Bridge, approximately 2-minute walk from Eminönü Tram Stop.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(33 Ratings)
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Wendy
Apr 23, 2024
Must do foodie tour!! - What a great start to our time in Istanbul. We tasted so many delicious foods we probably would never have tried on our own, had the best juice ever and tried authentic Turkish tea and coffee. Our guide was lovely and clearly passionate about Istanbul and it was a pleasure to have Casey and Nic from USA join us on the tour. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend our first full day in Turkey. This tour is a must do!!! 10/10
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cassandradr9984jb
Apr 23, 2024
10/10! Must try for all foodies! - We loved this tour, highly recommend if you get the chance!! The guide was knowledgeable in more than just the food and very personable. The group size was perfect and we saw so much of city during our tour and got to visit more local shops. A must try!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathryn_e
Feb 19, 2024
Excellent tour - Excellent tour with Erol. He was very knowledgeable and fit many tastings into our 4 hour tour. We particularly enjoyed our tour on the Asian side of Istanbul, where many small restaurants specialized in 1-2 delicious dishes. We were able to enjoy breakfast foods, coffee and tea, side dishes such as authentic pickles, lunch and dessert. We would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Joeknight99
Feb 16, 2024
Excellent 4 hour tour of Istanbul food and drink - This was an excellent tour, we tasted many excellent Turkish dishes, as well as Turkish coffee and tea. It was at a great pace too, lasting about 4 hours, which was a good amount of time.
Erol was an excellent tour guide. He not only taught us about the food but also about history of the city, the transition from Constantinople to Ottoman, and about the region too, which we found very interesting. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
527zoranv
Dec 17, 2023
Heartwarming cultural journey on a cold, windy day - What a fabulous trek through the old city around Eminonu and across the Asian side in Kadikoy. Our guide Erol was very friendly and personable, knowledgeable and passionate about tying the historical and cultural aspects into his food selections. Out of the local pics that one wouldn’t find on their own, our fave was kokorec…although everything was really delicious. Also loved chatting with him about random topics :) We highly recommend this tour and Erol, You definitely won’t be disappointed and will enjoy each well curated stop on this delicious journey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C1781rpleahk
Dec 15, 2023
Book the Best For Istanbul - Gamze! - Incredible day with Gamze Iskin ! We booked the food tour, however, Gamze’s understanding went well beyond food. She taught us about Turkish history, culture, traditions, and was an absolute pleasure to be with! She was patient with our shopping, our many questions and very flexible to our timing needs and requests. She went above and beyond and was delightful and we truly appreciated the opportunity to spend the day with her. You cannot find a better person to accompany you through the streets of Istanbul. Thank you Gamze!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve_h
Oct 16, 2023
Great food and fun experience. - This was a great experience, probably one of the best food tours we have ever had. This was a small group, was scheduled for just 4 of us and the guide ( one person couldn't make it so it was just three of us). The guide was very good and making this a very great experience, we felt like we had a great new turkish friend by the end. There was a ton of food to try and it never felt rushed. The ferry ride over to the Asian side was a fun way to explore a different part of istanbul. The variety of food to try was great. I don't think we would have known to try so many things without having taken this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Terrymm2797rx
Sep 19, 2023
Food and History tour - 6 of us did a good tour with Gazme and she was beyond fantastic. She was fun, so knowledgeable, so personable, funny, easy going, professional and committed to ensuring we had the best day and learned as much as possible. She went way beyond what we signed up for. I would highly recommend the tour with Gazme as the guide. We all loved our time with her.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louisemurray94
Sep 19, 2023
Unforgettable Food Tour - This tour was absolutely incredible. Gamze our guide was full of energy with so many fascinating insights into Turkish food and local history. We sampled so many delicious foods all over the city, and learnt so much about the Turkish culture. Our trip with her has been the highlight of our two months traveling!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connector11822660471
Sep 8, 2023
Delicious experience - Highly recommend this tour. You will get to sample foods you probably would not sample without a food tour. Erol the tour guide was personable and friendly. He was very knowledgeable and took us to a variety of different places, explaining the history of the foods, about the many regions in Turkey where certain foods come from, interesting information about the sights and also providing useful tips and recommendations along the way. We tasted traditional foods like traditional Turkish breakfast, Künefe, Kokoreç Manti, Menemen, and Pickel. Recommend not to eat breakfast as you will start off with a authentic Turkish breakfast, you will also have Turkish coffee at a local Turkish coffee place and have a small lunch and dessert. Many other samplings along the way. Highly recommend Erol and this food tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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