Istanbul Food Tour with a Private Guide: Daytime or Evening Route

Our private food tour of Istanbul starts at $81 per person for 4 hours. That covers a guide for your group alone and your public transport; what you eat and drink is not included, and you pay for it as you go. The route runs in the evening, from Taksim and Karaköy over to Kadıköy and Moda, and finishes around a meyhane table with meze and rakı. Prefer company? A small-group street food walk costs from $90. Season, group size and inclusions affect the figure, so ask us for the current price.

The two food tours compared

On the private evening tour, your guide collects you at the hotel, and you travel by tram, metro and public ferry with the fares covered. You pay for food and drinks at every stop. The small-group walk begins at a set meeting point, with no pick-up from your hotel.

The evening route: Moda, meze and rakı

This tour copies how locals really go out at night. You begin at Taksim Square and walk along İstiklal Avenue, through the meyhane alleys of Nevizade, then cross to Karaköy and on to Kadıköy and Moda, on the Asian side. The highlight is a classic meyhane. Small meze plates keep coming, followed by fish or dishes from the grill, all with rakı, an aniseed spirit that clouds white when you add water.

It is not for everyone. If you would rather not have alcohol on the table, let us know and your guide will adjust. It also does not suit anyone who needs to sleep early before a morning flight. The tour finishes later than most, and some of the walking is uphill.

Dishes along the way

The menu shifts with the season and the day of the week. These are dishes you can expect on the route (you pay for them on the spot; they are not part of the tour price):

• Simit with a glass of Turkish tea on board the ferry;
• börek, layered pastry filled with spinach or cheese;
• meze such as ezme (a hot tomato relish), haydari (thick yoghurt with herbs), fava purée and stuffed vine leaves;
• balık ekmek, or fish from the grill by the water;
• kebab, plus lahmacun, a thin flatbread topped with minced meat;
• baklava, Turkish delight and a Turkish coffee at the end.

Arrive with an appetite, because the tastings and the meyhane meal take the place of dinner. The tour price does not cover what you eat and drink; you pay for each order as you go.

Vegetarian, halal and allergy needs

For vegetarians, Turkish cooking offers more than its kebab image suggests. Lentil soup, vegetables cooked in olive oil, cheese börek, gözleme and plenty of meze contain no meat. Let us know at booking, and your guide changes the tasting stops. In Turkey, most food is halal as standard. At the meyhane on the night tour, alcohol is served but nobody has to drink it. If you have a nut allergy, warn us beforehand, since many desserts use pistachio and hazelnut.

Your own guide or a small group?

The private evening tour starts at the lower price, yet you pay for its food and drinks on top, whereas the walk has its tastings included. The style is different too. The private tour uses public transport to hop between districts at night. The small-group walk stays on foot, and its tastings feature more sweets and a traditional Turkish breakfast. Go private to set your own pace; join the group if you like meeting fellow travellers.

Fitting a food tour into a longer trip

Two of our 10-day packages have a food tour built in: the all-inclusive package for Istanbul and the package combining Istanbul with Cappadocia. On a shorter visit, combine the evening food tour with an Old City day on one of our private tours of the city. Every tasting tour we run is on the food tours page.

Frequently Asked Questions