Best Food Tours

Turkish food in Istanbul is more than kebab. The city eats regionally: Black Sea anchovies, south-eastern kebabs, Aegean olive oil dishes and Ottoman palace sweets, often on the same street. A food tour takes you to the small places that do one thing well, orders for you, and explains what you are eating. We have two, and they differ more in the format than in the neighbourhoods.

The two tours

• The Istanbul Night Food Tour with Traditional Meyhane Experience, from $81 per person, is a private four-hour evening that starts in Taksim and Karakoy and crosses to Kadikoy and Moda for street food, meze and raki at a meyhane, the Istanbul tavern. Public transport is included; food and drinks are paid on the spot.
• The Istanbul Street Food Tour of Local Neighbourhoods & Desserts, from $90 per person, is a six-hour small-group walk with street food, baklava and other desserts, Turkish tea and coffee. It meets at a central point; hotel pick-up is not included.

How to choose

The main difference is private or group. The private night tour is for your party only, so the guide can adjust the route to your tastes and dietary needs; food and drinks are paid on top. The group tour is longer and slightly more expensive per person, includes its tastings, and suits solo travellers who want company at the table.

Then choose between day and night. The street food walk runs by day. The evening tour ends with drinks at a meyhane and is better for adults; the long table, the slow order of cold and hot meze and the raki diluted with water are the point of it.

Dietary needs

Tell us about allergies and diets when you book. Vegetarians do well in Istanbul: many meze dishes are vegetable-based, and street foods like simit, cheese borek, stuffed peppers and vine leaves are easy to find. Vegans and people with a gluten intolerance need more planning, since bread, yoghurt and butter are everywhere. Meat in Istanbul restaurants is almost always halal; the meyhane on the night tour serves alcohol, so guests who avoid it may prefer the street food walk.

Practical tips

Come hungry but not starving: there are many small tastings, and they add up to more than a full meal. Wear shoes for walking on cobbles and hills, especially around Moda. For more details on routes and times, read our private Istanbul food tour guide and our guides to Kadikoy and Moda and the Spice Bazaar.

Combining with other tours

A food tour fits the second half of a day after a morning in the old city; see our half-day tours. The night food tour also works as a first evening after a long flight. For other evening plans, from dinner cruises to the whirling dervishes, see our night tours and shows.