Istanbul Culinary Tour: Local Hotspots And Gourmet Street Foods

Come hungry! Erol was a great guide and expertly knew so much information about the places and food stops You can walk the streets yourself around Galata, but I definitely couldn’t have found or tried all the delicious food by myself. It was well worth it and outside of the food, I enjoyed spending time Erol on the food journey as well.

Our guide was lovely, informative and friendly. The food we tried was very good. It was a nice experience but wasn’t cheap. I think for the price there could have been a few more small tasting items. I liked trying out the funicular.

This was a lot of fun! (apart from the rain). Our guide was very friendly, animated, and enthusiastic. She told us all about the culture, what the locals like to eat, where they go for a night out (and where they don't go). I never would have known to order the things that we ate that night and really enjoyed experiencing all the different types of foods. There is an amazing amount of food in Istanbul!

Wow! One of the highlights of our 5-week holiday! Erol our tour guide was fantastic! Incredibly knowledgeable, interesting & fun! All the food we got to try was amazing & absolutely delicious!!!! Cannot recommend highly enough!! Make sure you arrive hungry!!

Great to experience local food with the locals, walk through streets you wouldn’t know existed, eat real Turkish meals and tapas, have fun and Gemze took our pictures.

Erol was a fantastic guide, full of interesting facts and very intentional with the places he picked to stop by and order from. The tour was fun and we definitely left very full. Would highly recommend!

We really enjoyed Erol's tour! 3.5 hours is a short amount of time to pack in the amount of different foods & cultural variety that we got to taste! We also got to walk along Istiklal Caddesi, and all our stops were located in a relatively small convenient radius. Erol was a great guide and very knowledgeable about Turkish culture & different cooking processes; he answered all of our questions flawlessly! We got to try kumpir, manti, tantuni, çiğ köfte, midye dolma, döner durum, gozleme, tulumba, & baklava -- make sure to come hungry!!

Great experience with Tolga who was very knowledgeable about the history of the city and country. Food was good as well.

Would highly recommend this food tour that allows you to see the local side of the city. Our guide was Kimet, and she showed us some great hidden gems and delicious food. Come hungry!

Though the rain was unexpected, our guide, Gamze, improvised and added to our experience by showing us even more beautiful indoor stores to wait out some of the rain. The food was so delicious, hot and fresh, the store owners were delightful, and Gazme took the opportunity to show us how to locals live. 10/10

One of the BEST food tours we have ever taken thanks to our guide Gamze. Her passion for food and Türkiye is wonderful as she recounted stories of cooking with her mother and grandmother, passed on recipe ideas and gave valuable insight into some of Türkiye's amazing produce. We even got to try food that wasn't part of the tour just because we were interested. Small group tours are the best. Thanks again Gamze!

We toured with Gamze and she was more than just a tour guide, but also provided an amazing cultural experience that gave us so much insight into Turkish traditions, celebrations, and daily life. We could never have experienced the sights and scenes on our own and the secret passages are everything! Highly recommend! Worth the price and within the 3-hour walking tour you will feel the vibe and energy from the streets and city.

I don't normally have the chance to do reviews, but I felt compelled to do one after this great tour we did last night. Gamze was a truly excellent host and really gave us a taste of Istanbul. We ate and drank in places we would never have found on our own, but Gamze was the true star of the tour. Thanky you for a fantastic tour.

This was amazing tour from all the different foods and drinks the traditional way. Thanks Erol was fantastic. From the family of 7

The tour was great, and we enjoyed all of the food choices. Our tour guide Kim fantastic and knowledgeable but soft spoken. It would have been nice to have the earpieces.

Extremely nice experience through the big town of Istanbul. We went to the modern part and got a real good taste of different traditional Turkish food. The combination of street food and sit down dining was nice. Fa was a great guide!

Our guide Erol was amazing! Such incredible foods with unique flavors. So many different foods! We loved the whole experience!

Our culinary tour of Istanbul was a flavorful journey, showcasing the city’s vibrant food scene. The appetizers, bursting with fresh herbs and spices, set a high standard, and the main course, a succulent kebab, was a highlight. However, the tour’s pacing was marred by an odd sequence: we started with appetizers, then moved to dessert (Turkish Delight) and coffee at a charming location, only to end with the main course. This disrupted the flow, leaving us puzzled. Despite the delicious dishes and knowledgeable guide, the unconventional order slightly marred an otherwise delightful experience. I’d recommend tweaking the itinerary for better coherence.

I'll preface this review by letting readers know: We do food tours in just about every country we visit, always early in the trip, as a way to orient ourselves to its cuisine (for dining the next few days) and also quickly learn about the country's history and current culture. This tour from Tematique was one of our best! First off, the food itself was delicious, from a surprising blend of cultures, and with different (to western palates) tastes but almost always great. And, the company made excellent choices on where to take us and in what order, starting with a lovely quiet restaurant that served a bevy of small plates. A casual joint where one could watch kokoreç being made through the window was a treat. Later, Turkish coffee and of course (especially for the kids) the sweets shop were nice ways to end. (One caveat, we didn't love the outdoor hamburger stand, would suggest replacing that.). Also, walking around the "new" side of Istanbul was exciting -- the lively night life, the people, the sights and smells. Lastly, our guide Erol was just outstanding -- super knowledgeable not just about the food at hand but Istanbul's past and present, accommodating to any of our needs (including some fussy children), with a laid-back and friendly attitude. Thanks Erol!

Myself and my wife did this tour and had a fantastic time. We had the amazing Gamze as our guide who was so friendly and full of interesting information about food, drunks, culture, history and everything else about Turkey! The food was amazing and we learned so much, highly recommended. Thank you Gamze!

Erol was a wonderful guide. We tried so many different kinds of food and so wonderful neighborhoods and really got an experience that we could not have done on our own. Highly recommend.

Erol was amazing and very knowledgeable about the culture and the food. He was friendly and personable. My favorite was the kebap and the mussels. Highly recommended!

We had Gamze as our guide and she was wonderful. Toured an area we never would have adventures to. Dined a variety of foods , tastes and met fantastic and friendly restaurant operators. If you're a foodie you don't want to miss this tour. Gamze, thank you so much for your kind, friendly and warm introductions to a wo perfume city! You are the best!!

Literally just got back. Brilliant. From start to finish. From meze to coffee to street food stalls, tasty and also very filling.Our guide was Erol, knowledgeable and engaging. A thank you from your Wolverhampton friends

We recently went on a street food tour in Istanbul, and it was absolutely fantastic. The mix of delicious food and fascinating history made it an unforgettable experience. Throughout the tour, our guide (Tolga) gave us great insights into Istanbul's history including the Ottoman Empire's impact. Overall, this street food tour in Istanbul is a great way to dive into the city's food and history through the back roads. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Istanbul!

Our guide was amazing. So friendly and informative of life in Turkey and the food eaten. We had an amazing time.

We had a great guide, Tolga, that was very nice and taught us about the history and food of turkey. We would have never found these places otherwise. We got to try many different delicious foods that we hadn’t experienced yet.

Incredible tour. Tolga was the absolute best. His knowledge is amazing. He speaks 6 languages, travels all over the world, and has lived in 5 different countries….. and studied archeology in university….. perfect guide to educate you through all the “local” eateries!!!!! Don’t miss this tour and ask for Tolga

This was fun, We got off the beatin path, to experience some of Turkish culture and food. Erol was awesome, sometimes too much info...like bro, I'm feeding my face, I don't want to be rude....lol. It was all good,. I would highly recommend erol was like a friend showing us the best of his hometown.

We went on the Istanbul Culinary Tour with Erol on 30th April and had a wonderful experience. Not only was the variety of food superb,amazing and delicious but Erol's knowledge of the Turkish history and culture was excellent. It was an intimate and engaging food tour and we would highly recommend it to visitors to Istanbul.

Best trip with Erol Utgun, he is really kind pleasant where it makes you feel confident and enjoy the trip Best real and tradicional turkey food

My wife and I only had 1 night in Istanbul and this tour was the perfect way to experience many of the great tasting foods this city/country has to offer. Erol was our guide and he was super friendly, fun, and knowledgeable. I enjoyed all the fun facts that he shared with us about the different foods, the city, and Turkish culture. If you want to taste authentic and amazing tasting foods during your time in Istanbul, I would highly recommend this tour!

A very nice night seeing foods, Istanbul, and hearing about the background of Turkey. Highly recommend doing a good tour and Tolga was very nice.

Gamze was fun from the moment we met and we knew we were in for a treat of an evening. The destinations were well researched and in between we enjoyed learning about the local history and culture. All the food we had was delicious and we would highly recommend the experience. It was definitely the highlight of our few days in Istanbul, thank you Gamze.

This was one of the best evening Foodie tours we have been on and the difference was our guide Gamze, she was excellent. She avoided the touristy places and took us to the authentic local food stops along the way where the food, drinks and venues were excellent. Gamze's personal service went above and beyond and was glittered with many of her personal experiences and stories. Gamze also recommended and helped secure a special restaurant for us and included additional historical stops and knowledge along the way. I would highly recommend the tour and Gamze as your tour guide. The Aussies - Alison, Marcus, Deb & Andy.

The tour was so great! We ate great food and had a lot of fun! Our guide Gamze was super nice! Definitely book an food tour with her, highly recommended!

An amazing food tour covering a variety of local specialties. It was also a great introduction to Istanbul. Erol, our guide, was knowledgeable and told interesting stories.

Erol was was a fantastic guide. He is passionate and knowledgeable not only about the amazing food of Istanbul, but also about culture and history of the city and the whole country. We spent a great evening walking through Beyoğlu and we tasted some outstanding traditional dishes. It was one of the highlights of our entire Istanbul-trip and a great experience.

When we heard a food trip in İstanbul we got very curious. We are food loving family. We also love little trips and sight seeing. This trip was very good mixure of both. We had the best energetic guide (Gamze) . She was wonderful. Positive, polite and knowledgeable. Foods was delicious and fair priced. I recommend it to every one who goes to Istanbul.

I feel this tour missed on many levels. First off, the tour guide barely let our group interact. He consistently interrupted our conversation while trying to leverage information that was unnecessary. Secondly, the good is not that good. Lastly, I feel the guide needed to read the group better and let the tour progress a little more organically. Lastly, there is only raki at the first stop and then not another offer of beer or wines. Making the title of tour, " local taverns" misleading.

Highlight of our trip to Istanbul. Highly recommend it. You will learn so much about not just Turkish food, but also about Turkish culture. I agree with all other reviewers that Erol is amazing! He has a great personality and speaks very good English. If you have limited time in Istanbul and want to try many types of foods, this is the way to do it.

We did a food tour with Tolga. It was absolutely the best. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the food and the history of the area, and was amazing at answering our questions. Tolga was very fun and funny, and the food tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul. Will definitely seek this guide out again in the future.

This tour was fantastic. Our tour guide Tolga was truly exceptional - friendly, knowledgeable and passionate. He was full of great facts and stories. And he really went above and beyond (even showing us how to use the ferries after the tour had ended). The tour itself was great. We had lots of great food and drink from lots of places that we wouldn't have found on our own, or had the knowledge to order. And they all came with great facts/stories about how they fit into Turkeys history and culture. We cannot recommend this tour strongly enough. Its great for anyone who likes food, culture, or just having a fun time.

My wife and I did the Istanbul street food tour on our honeymoon with our exceptional guide, Erol Ütgün. Erol was incredibly informative, funny, personable, and had such a wonderful way of blending culture, history, and food! He was knowledgeable about all things Istanbul history, and did a great job blending the broader history of the European section under the Ottomans with the more recent cultural changes since the Republic. During the tour ebbed back and forth around Istiklal street into smaller and lesser known areas. It was an absolute blast and we would recommend Erol and his tours to anyone looking to have an informative and fun adventure in Istanbul!

So delicious! We absolutely loved this tour. From the beginning with the ride up on the funicular to the roasted chestnuts at the end, everything was tasty and so delicious. We had about 7 stops, Tolga was fantastic, providing us with so much information not just about the food but about the history of the city and country. He also pointed out other places along the way as recommendations for places to eat during our holiday & seeing the back streets and the pasaji was great fun! Thanks Tolga for a great time!

Our guide was good and knowledgeable. He gave us good information about the history of istanbul and the back stories of some of the foods. I even had the best Adana I've ever had in Turkey, however, there weren't any surprises nor wow factor. It was still a great tour and I would've given it 4 stars if it wasn't for the high price tag of 85euros each (a total of 170 euros for my partner and I) which made me expect much more.

We had been to Istanbul before, even in the area of Istikal Caddesi. He took us to places we had never seen, food we've never had, and we had the best time. Erol was the best, not only as a guide, but as a friend. He explained what and why the area had grown so much since our last visit. This was one of our best tours ever with Viator.

Excelente, informative, safe, and good value excursion for people interested in great food at local haunts. It was limited in numbers which was great, and we went to at least 7 places for different types of dishes and drinks. The guide (sorry I forgot his name) was well presented, easy to understand and had great knowledge of the local dishes and area. It was worth every penny. An absolute must for “foodies”. We sampled stuff we would never ever have tried on our own and it was all exceptional well done

Our guide Erol was excelkent, as was the food, local authentic spots, and luckily the weather was greatvtoo. Highly recommend.