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Kurtulus Tour: Culinary Delights and Artisan Visits
5.0
25 Ratings
Şişli
Embark on a culinary adventure through Istanbul’s Kurtulus neighborhood. Indulge in delicious breakfasts, heavenly dairy delights, meze samples, kebabs, street food, and more!
Embark on a culinary adventure through Istanbul’s Kurtulus neighborhood. Indulge in delicious breakfasts, heavenly dairy delights, meze samples, kebabs, street food, and more!
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Kurtulus - Far from the tourist trail, get a taste of one of the last bastions of classic Istanbul flavors, including bread fresh from the tandir oven, a mind-boggling assortment of meze, sizzling kebab, old school ice cream and much more. On this full-day food tour, we will dig deep into the culinary traditions of one of Istanbul’s most culturally diverse and food-centric neighborhoods.
- Kurtulus - Far from the tourist trail, get a taste of one of the last bastions of classic Istanbul flavors, including bread fresh from the tandir oven, a mind-boggling assortment of meze, sizzling kebab, old school ice cream and much more. On this full-day food tour, we will dig deep into the culinary traditions of one of Istanbul’s most culturally diverse and food-centric neighborhoods.
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snacks
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snacks
What's Not Included
- Private transportation
- Private transportation
Additional Information
Our Kurtulus tour starts with an exclusive visit to a sports club belonging to that historic community, where we’ll have our first breakfast, followed by a stop for the heavenly dairy delights of Erzincan. We’ll walk off breakfast with visits to local artisans
- artichoke peelers, cuckoo clock repairmen, Armenian book venders
- as then begin grazing on…
Our Kurtulus tour starts with an exclusive visit to a sports club belonging to that historic community, where we’ll have our first breakfast, followed by a stop for the heavenly dairy delights of Erzincan. We’ll walk off breakfast with visits to local artisans
- artichoke peelers, cuckoo clock repairmen, Armenian book venders
- as then begin grazing on our way to lunch. There will be stunning meze samples, including top-grade stuffed vine leaves and topik, a classic Armenian speciality. Down the street, kebabs at a real-deal grill house will arrive sizzling, fresh from the fire. Along the way, we’ll sample street food from the Mediterranean port city of Mersin and share a couple plates of the daily special in a cozy family-run lokanta. Depending on the season, there may be boza, a fermented millet drink with Ottoman roots, or Turkish-style ice cream at a beloved dairy bar run by the third generation of a local family.
Location
Açık Yol Sk. No:2
Açık Yol Sokak
The meeting point is in front of the Carrefour Supermarket, Feriköy, Açık Yol Sk. 2-6, 34377 Şişli.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(25 Ratings)
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979narelles
Jul 8, 2025
Tasting the real Istanbul - This tour through the backstreets of one of the oldest multicultural neighborhoods in Istanbul was a total highlight of our trip. It had the perfect mix of delicious food, hidden history and local charm. Our guide Gonca was so friendly and knowledgeable, and knew the area inside out, sharing stories and her own history that brought the streets to life. We sampled such a wide range of food that we might never have thought to choose, but instantly loved and all with a history and story behind it.
If you want to taste real flavours and see a different, more personal side of Istanbul this is the way to do it. Thank you Gonca.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mollybe2702qs
Jul 2, 2025
Recommend! - Great food tour in a neightborhood you wouldn't typically visit as a tourist in Istanbul. We tried a ton of great food and learned a lot in the process.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
363hailinl
May 28, 2025
A wonderfully insightful and delicious tour of a neighbourhood we wouldn't have explored otherwise - Our guide Ugur was very knowledgeable, personable and gave us a wonderfully insightful and delicious tour of a neighbourhood we wouldn't have explored otherwise. Thank you! Can't wait to go on more Culinary Backstreets food tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
872katyat
May 22, 2025
Excellent and not like a regular tour! - Benoît is incredible!! He is so knowledgeable and patient and it’s wonderful to have learned so much from him as he clearly loves what he does.
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37leighm
May 19, 2025
The best guided tour I’ve been on - Gonca was a terrific guide. She knows a LOT about food and its origins. I learned so much about Turkish culture and what influenced it. And the food was great. We had access to some amazing places
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K_chevaple
May 19, 2025
Exploring a new neighborhood with food and history - Excellent small group with lots of variety and history of the neighborhood. A very different experience to simply wondering around by yourself and trying food because our guide Gonca was so knowledgeable about the history of the neighborhood and food customs. You also get to experience places that you wouldn’t have gone on your own.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
49nadinem
May 16, 2025
Blend food, culture and history and learn a lot on this tour. - This was a great tour. So much background and history. I learned a lot about Turkish customs and culture as well. If you think you already have a good understanding of Turkish food, take this tour and expand your food knowledge to the other cultures that make up Istanbul. And soooo much food. Come hungry.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
879raunaqs
May 10, 2025
Great food tour! Knowledgeable guide and off the beaten path experience. - Great food tour of Istanbul. Our guide Ugur combined delicious food with really interesting insights about Istanbuls history - especially the Greek and Armenian diasporas in Istanbul. Was also nice to taste a lot of food we'd normally never eat in Turkey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gordon766
Apr 26, 2025
Absolutely fantastic - This is my third food tour with culinary backstreets and they never disappoint. The Kurtulus tour was fantastic. Our guide, Gonca, was truly amazing. She was knowledgable, but it was her ability as a master storyteller which made the information come alive for us. So few guides are able to do this well. It was obvious that she had close relationships with all of the business owners we visited and this added immeasurably to the experience. She was also simply a wonderful human being, whose personality made the group feel welcome and at home.
The tastings were varied and all came with a super interesting story relating to the neighbourhood and the people who live there. Yes - the food was great, but it was coming to understand the history and culture of the Kurtulus neighbourhood and its people which made the tour really special.
My experiences so far with culinary backstreets make me want to go on every one of their tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dirwin232
Apr 24, 2025
Window into an exotic culinary world. - Katia led us to several small specialist food shops and we met the vendors and in some cases the people making the food including bread makers. She was able to explain and give insight into the huge variety of cuisine in Istanbul and the 36 separate minorities who make up the city's population. I would never have been able to access this experience and learn so much so quickly without her. We then came back to a fantastic house with open plan kitchen, lounge and work table with everything laid out and ready to cook. We made six dishes all relatively simple to prepare and delicious. Complimented by Katia's friend who cooked the stuffed vine leaves and Borek complimented by fine Turkish red wine from Anatolia. A highlight of my stay in Istanbul. Five hours of pure pleasure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
