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Kurtulus Tour: Culinary Delights and Artisan Visits
5.0
23 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
(23 Ratings)
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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
Maggied327
Jan 16, 2025
Extraordinary food tour with extraordinary guide!! - Absolutely extraordinary tour - would recommend to anyone!! I have done a few Culinary Backstreet tours now and this one was certainly a highlight. My guide Ugur was utterly exceptional, his warmth, kindness, knowledge and clear passion for food and the neighbourhood made it the most fantastic day. We went to such a variety of places, had the most diverse selection of food and experiences, you truly got a taste of the wonderfully intricate Kurtulus neighbourhood. A big shoutout to the Culinary Backstreets team for making it happen - they went above and beyond to assist as I was the only one on the tour but were able to make an exception and I really appreciated their flexibility and consideration in helping it go ahead. And honestly, all the kudos to Ugur who is an absolute legend and I had a ball with him. This tour should be compulsory for anyone's trip to Istanbul!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph
Jan 9, 2025
Exploring the rich food culture of Kurtulus, Türkiye - A truly remarkable food tour that was well organized and thoroughly researched. Our guide Ms Remziye is a great storyteller with extensive knowledge of the local history and of other parts of Türkiye.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Itchy_in_singapore
Dec 19, 2024
Must do! - So delicious and the guide is extremely knowledgeable. Lots of walking and eating over 5 hours. What a wonderful day! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Snappysnaps_ca
Nov 10, 2024
Wonderful Slice of Daily Life in Kurtulus - A wonderful way to experience a slice of life in an Istanbul neighbourhood away from the tourist clutter. Better yet we got to see the neighbourhood from a resident's perspective as our guide Esin had lived here. She introduced us to many of the people we met as we walked the streets and got a better understanding of the daily habits of the people who lived here. The food was amaziing as we tasted our way through the day. Some highlights were the pickle shop Pelit Turşuları and the breakfast restaurant Yılmaz Tandır Ve Dürümevi.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
507salimh
Nov 5, 2024
Fantastic neighborhood food tour - Really great tour of a non touristy neighborhood with Katerina who is from there and lives there. A great window into not only the food but the history and culture of the neighborhood.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
634pieterg
Nov 4, 2024
Full(filled) - Interesting and tasteful tour through Kurtulus, a neighbourhood we otherwise definitely would not have come to (at one point one of the passers-by apparently expressed amazement by the fact there were tourist here after he heard us speak English - Katerina translated).
As a true local in Kurtulus, Katerina could not only tell the story of the neighbourhood and show us the hidden gems, it was generally interesting to get to talk to and spend several hours with somebody who gave us more insight in the city and country in general. This was our first experience with Culinary Backstreets and will probably not be the last.
No need to say, but we were absolutely stuffed after the tour, kind of the point of course.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
848sarahw
Oct 26, 2024
A fantastic six hour food tour around a local neighbourhood . - This 6 hour tour was excellent. We were a group of six led by Katarina who knew this neighbourhood personally. The tour was a great combination of traditional breakfast, visiting local restaurants, cafes, street food and independent grocery shops.
There was a lot of discussion regarding the cultural heritage and food from Turks, Greeks, kurds and Armenians and their influences. We enjoyed traditional Turkish coffee and tea, saw different churches and talked about customs and traditions. We saw and sampled flat bread being made in a tandoori oven. We tasted and sampled a lot of food but it was well spaced out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lcallanson777
Oct 14, 2024
Amazing experience with a talented and kind guide - Katerina was an amazing guide; I loved exploring this neighborhood and that it seemed to completely lack tourists. Many people on the street or in the shops knew Katerina, which made for a more authentic experience. And there were SO MANY STOPS. I only wish I could have eaten more at every one because it was all so delicious. Well worth the price and time spent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
