Istanbul Guided Street Food Tour Around European and Asian Sides
Description
Visit the best of the local food markets in Asian side and European side of Istanbul. Taste the food which comes from different regions of Turkey. Sample the unique flavors which your local food expert choose for you. Feel like a local at the local markets and cafes. Start with a delicious breakfast what locals eat at home made of Kaymak ( buffalo cream), with honey and sesame bread, variety of the cheeses, pistachio and hazelnuts pastes with honey, Menemen ( Turkish dish made from tomatoes, green peppers, eggs, and spices ), and olives. Taste the popular fish wrap with spices and pomegranate sauce. Taste the delicious mussels stuffed with rice and spices. Taste mouth watering Kunefe dessert made from angels hair noodles, pistachio, cheese and honey with accompany of Maraş dondurma ( Turkish ice cream made of goats milk ). Sip a çay ( tea ) from the tulips shape glass and enjoy the ferry ride back to European side with the great view of Istanbul.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meeting with the group. Our guide will give information about the tour and we will walk to the dairy store to shop for the breakfast.
Start your day with a delicious local breakfast near the Spice market. Enjoy the breakfast shopping with your gourmet guide at the local dairy store. Taste some of the mouth watering pastrami, Kaymak ( buffalo cream) with organic honey, cheese varieties, sesame bread bread ( simit ), Menemen which is made of tomatoes, onion, green peppers and eggs. Taste the yummy pistacho and hazelnut pastes, variety of cheeses, Acuka paste with accompany of the Turkish çay ( tea ) in a tulip shape glass.
Enjoy the ferry ride with a great view of Istanbul. It is an amazing experience which will take you from Europe to Asia in only twenty minutes!! Learn about the sites you see from the ferry from your historian guide. Be ready to visit a unique local food market to sample some of the delicious local foods away from the tourist spots.
Walk in to the Kadikoy food market and feel that you are the only tourist around. Enjoy the stories behind the food by your gourmet guide. Start with a slice of sun dried beef pastrami and grape leafs stuffed with rice and spices. Taste a mouth watering Lahmacun ( local Pittza with minced meat of lamb & beef, onions, tomatoes and paprika ) cooking in a stone oven with the wood fire. Sample the unique mussels stuffed with rice and spices that it doesn’t taste like any other mussels you might tried before. Enjoy tasting İskender kebap which is made from the finely slices kebap on top of pitta bread with tomatoes, butter and yoghurt sauce at place where Doner kebap was invented.
After filling the belly with the delicious local food it is time to take a coffee break at a cafe which runs by a Kurdish family. The best coffee is know when it is made on charcoal and in a copper jar. After you drink your coffee ask your guide to read your coffee fortune for you. If you are not a coffee drinker then try Menengic kahvesi ( coffee made from the seed of wild pictachio trees ). This is unique flavor to Southeast Turkey and a must try thing.
Enjoy the breeze of the Bosporus once again to land in Karakoy the modern part of Istanbul.
Take a stroll into the back streets of Karakoy neighborhood and sit at a small family run business to sample a fish wrap stuffed with salad, spices and pomegranate seeds and molasses.
We will end this tour with the most delicious but less know dessert call Kunefe which is made from angles hair noodles, cheese, pistachio and honey syroop. It will be accompany of the unique Maraş dondurma ( Turkish ice cream made from goats milk ).
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Not recommended for people who have serious allergies
Reviews(228)
Binnur was a wonderful tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and provided a lot of facts about the food and Turkiye as a whole. The tour was very well paced and never felt rushed. This was our favorite food tour we’ve done in our travels thus far.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Binnur made your experience so memorable. She is truly passionate about sharing Turkish cuisine, culture, and history, and we’re delighted that her knowledge and storytelling enhanced your tour. It’s especially rewarding to know this was your favorite food tour from all your travels. Thank you for choosing to explore Istanbul with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another delicious adventure in the future!
The trip was really great, our guide Binnur make it even better- she was super friendly and had a lot of intresting knowledge not only about the food.
Binnur was a truly fantastic guide. This tire is the perfect introduction to Istanbul, and I recommend it for your first day there.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Binnur. Her passion for sharing Istanbul’s history, culture, and local insights makes every tour a memorable experience, and we’re so pleased she helped make your visit special. We’re especially happy that you found the tour to be the perfect introduction to Istanbul. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure the next time you’re in the city!
We had a fantastic time wandering and eating our watcthrough Istanbul. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, not only about food but about the history of Istanbul. We tried food on the European side and on the Asian side of Istanbul, some quiet neighborhood restaurants and some bustling markets which were lots of fun. Also had a tour through the Spice Market. I really can’t say about what a wonderful tour this was!!! The only downside was we were so full we only ate half of our dessert!
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed exploring Istanbul through its food, history, and vibrant neighborhoods. One of our favorite things is introducing guests to both the European and Asian sides of the city, combining bustling markets with quieter local spots to create a truly authentic experience. It’s wonderful to know that your guide’s knowledge of both Istanbul’s history and its culinary traditions made the tour even more enjoyable. And your comment about only being able to eat half of your dessert made us smile—that’s probably the most common “complaint” we receive! We always want our guests to leave with full hearts and full stomachs. Thank you for your kind words and recommendation. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul for another delicious adventure in the future!
I loved the place and food, so you must visit it once.
Excellent food tour and guide (Burak). Delicious food sampling with historical info interweaved. Six hrs well spent. Highly recommend. Small group. Lively, friendly, energetic pace.
This is a very worthwhile experience that was well organized and fun and expertly lead by Burak our local tour guide and leader. We contacted ahead of time via Whatsapp, then were met on time and in the location specified. The tour group was only 3 so we were especially looked after. The explanations given and food locations visited were all great as was the tasty food. So don't eat breakfast before doing this tour as it starts with a full typical Turkish breakfast and then just keeps going. Coffee, tasty snacks, lunch and desert were all part of wandering local markets, small restaurants, just like a local would. Also 2 ferry rides and great conversations with Burak made this tour an extremely memorable one. I rate it 10/10 and a MUST Do.
This was a great highlights tour of Istanbul’s unique local food favourites. Binnur was highly knowledgeable and friendly. I would strongly recommend this tour to anyone interested in a deep gastronomical dive into the city, especially if you are adventurous in the type of food you are willing to try!
Local who chooses a good place for each dish, the one where it is prepared top. She also provides background information and facts.
Everything about our tour was great. Our guide was fantastic: friendly and knowledgeable. We learned so much about the food we tried, and the history of the cuisine and the city. I would recommend it to anyone.
