Istanbul by Night: Turkish Food Tour

Discover Istanbul’s culinary delights on a 5-hour evening food tour of the capital. Led by an expert local guide, your tour includes visit to all the food hotspots around the city that many tourists don’t even know about. Check out a traditional ‘simit’ bakery, grill your own kebabs on an open fire in a barbeque restaurant, and visit a ‘meyhane’ (Turkish tapas bar) for meze and live music!

Numbers are limited to 15 people on this small-group food tour, ensuring you'll enjoy personalized attention from your guide.

Bridging the gap between Eastern and Mediterranean food, Turkish cuisine represents a tantalizing fusion of simple ingredients flavored with complex blends of spices and herbs, and Istanbul – as the country's capital – is most definitely Turkey's culinary hotspot. With a staggering array of sidewalk cafes, street sellers, and bustling meyhanes, knowing where to find the best food can be bewildering. Luckily, your expert guide will introduce you to the hidden spots that only locals know of, where you’ll try some of Istanbul’s much-loved specialties.

After a pickup from your central Istanbul hotel, first stop is at a traditional bakery to try a simit bagel. Enjoy this sticky treat, covered with grape molasses and sesame seeds, on the way to a local kiraathane where you’ll see local men relaxing and playing cards. Sit back and relax here with a traditional Turkish tea, chatting with your guide about Istanbul.

Hop back on board your minibus and head to a self-service barbeque restaurant (Ocakbaşi) to sit by the fire and grill your own kebab. As your guide entertains you with stories about Turkish food and culture, sip on a glass of raki – aniseed-flavored liquor that’s popular as an aperitif. Take a stroll down one of the city’s busy restaurant-strung streets, and then head inside a lively meyhane to spend the rest of your evening.

As live music takes place, transforming the bar’s atmosphere from laid back to lively, tuck in to a plate of Turkish meze starters, followed by a steaming bowl of soup – known as Işkembe Çorbasi. Nights in Istanbul’s meyhanes typically last until late, so make the most of your evening here with more raki and Turkish coffee (one of each included). Your evening finishes with a drop off at your hotel around 12:30am.

• Food tasting
• Beverages (two glasses of raki, Turkish coffee and tea)
  
• Dinner (kebab, meze, soup)
  
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Local guide
• Live music
  

• Gratuities (optional)