Best Food Tours

Istanbul cooking goes far beyond kebab. The city eats by region, with Black Sea anchovies, kebabs from the south-east, Aegean dishes in olive oil and Ottoman palace desserts often found on a single street. On a food tour you visit the small places that specialise in one dish, your guide does the ordering and tells you what you are eating. We run two tours, and the difference between them lies more in format than in the neighbourhoods they visit.

Our two tours

• The night food tour with a traditional meyhane evening, priced from $81 per person, is a private evening of four hours. It begins in Taksim and Karakoy, then crosses to Kadikoy and Moda for street food, meze and raki in a meyhane, the traditional Istanbul tavern. Public transport is covered; you pay for food and drinks as you go.
• The street food and desserts tour through local neighbourhoods, priced from $90 per person, is a small-group walk of six hours with street food, baklava and other sweets, plus Turkish tea and coffee. You meet at a central spot; there is no hotel pick-up.

Choosing between them

The key question is private versus group. Only your party joins the private night tour, so the guide can tailor the route to your tastes and diet; food and drink are paid separately. The group tour lasts longer, costs a little more per person, covers its tastings, and suits solo travellers looking for company over the food.

Next, decide between day and evening. The street food walk takes place in daytime. The evening tour finishes with drinks in a meyhane and is better suited to adults; the long table, the unhurried sequence of cold then hot meze, and raki mixed with water are what it is all about.

Dietary needs

Let us know about allergies and special diets when booking. Istanbul is easy for vegetarians: a lot of meze is made from vegetables, and simit, cheese borek, stuffed peppers and vine leaves are sold everywhere. Vegans and anyone avoiding gluten will need to plan more, because bread, yoghurt and butter turn up in most dishes. Restaurant meat in Istanbul is nearly always halal; since the meyhane on the night tour serves alcohol, guests who do not drink may be happier on the street food walk.

Practical tips

Arrive hungry, but not too hungry: the many small tastings add up to more than a full meal. Wear shoes that cope with cobbles and slopes, particularly around Moda. For more on routes and timings, see our private Istanbul food tour guide and our pages on Kadikoy and Moda and the Spice Bazaar.

Pairing with other tours

A food tour works well in the afternoon after a morning in the old city; have a look at our half-day tours. The night food tour is also a good first evening after a long flight. For other evening ideas, from dinner cruises to the whirling dervishes, browse our night tours and shows.