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Offered languages
- English
Head for the culinary underbelly of Istanbul through the Beyoğlu district. Join our lunchtime food tour of 14+ tastings, spanning the heights of Taksim Square to the Karaköy docks. This is a food journey with edible history - from five-generation rice houses and Bourdain-approved kebab joints, to the ancient art of fortune telling over sand-brewed coffee. We'll find the "ustas" (masters) who have been perfecting signature dishes for generations. An original food marathon through the city’s backstreets - because you didn't come this far to eat like a tourist.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Meet at the front of Taksim Square hotel. If you need the bathroom before you start the tour, you can use the facilities at the dessert shop next door to the hotel called Hafız Mustafa Sweet Shop. Please avoid using the restroom inside the hotel as it is not allowed unless you are a guest.
At the end point of the tour located at the pier, your guide can assist you to take a tram, taxi or boat back to your accommodation.
Itinerary
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1Taksim Square
Go straight for Istanbul’s culinary jugular on our tour through the Beyoğlu district, from Taksim to Karaköy. We don't just follow the herd down İstiklal Avenue, we take the backstreets to find local eateries at decades-old bakeries, historic pilavcı and kebap houses, and pistachio-coated baklavacı.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Beyoglu
Start at the landmark Taksim Square, for a nearby slice of Kurdish börek - paper-thin, golden layers, accompanied by a glass of mahogany-dark çay. Next, dip soft lavaş flatbread into hand-chopped acılı ezme salsa, and earn your foodie stripes by tucking into şirdan - sheep’s stomach that’s slow-simmered until deliciously tender. Between bites, we pause for a Turkish coffee workshop where copper cezve cups are brewing in hot sand, followed by the ancient art of kahve falı (fortune telling) from your guide, to find out what the beans have to say about your future.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
3Beyoglu
We pay our respects to the Kalkanoğlu family, whose five-generation legacy is built on a single dish at their traditional pilavcı rice-house - a plate of buttery rice topped with creamy white beans and melt-in-the-mouth braised beef. With 14+ tastings, we’ve only scratched the surface of the surprises in store. Slip into the Çiçek Pasajı arcade alongside rows of meyhane taverns, emerging onto İstiklal Caddesi’s Independence Avenue with late-Ottoman architecture and the iconic red tram clanging its bell through the crowd. Stop for midye dolma plump mussels stuffed with herbed rice, with a sharp squeeze of lemon.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Karakoy
Follow in the footsteps of the late Anthony Bourdain at a hole-in-the-wall kebab joint. Expect hand-minced adana lamb, hit with sumac and spice, wrapped in a bread charred over open coals. Board the Tünel funicular to discover the ‘Golden Horn’ specialities of balık dürüm grilled fish wrap, and Mersin-style tantuni drizzled with garlic yogurt. The tour ends at the baklava-birthplace of Gaziantep, who have been perfecting the recipe for nearly 200 years - where forty layers of filo meet pleasantly chewy dondurma ice cream. We'll end at Karaköy Pier, watching the ferries over to Sultanahmet. Whilst it’s possible to attempt this culinary marathon alone, why leave the fate of your taste buds to chance? Spaces for this moveable feast are strictly limited, grab yours before the word is out.
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- See 'What to Expect' section and 'What's Included' for info on dietary restrictions
- We recommend comfortable walking shoes. Bring rain gear/umbrella, if rain looks likely. There's lot of tastings to try, come hungry!
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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