Taste of Istanbul Food Tour: Street Food & Culture
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 3 to 4 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Istanbul is a big city, so it can be hard to meet locals who aren’t in the tourist trade. Enjoy an authentic encounter with Istanbul’s culture, cuisine, and hospitality on this intimate walking tour through the Balat neighborhood. Soak up the atmosphere as you walk around and receive a guidebook with other tips and recommendations about Istanbul. The tour starts with a snack tasting; after that, pay as you go for what you choose to eat.
- Enjoy the relaxed pace and laid-back atmosphere of a small-group tour
- Capture dazzling photos of colorful houses in historic Balat
- Leave with an Istanbul guidebook to enhance the rest of your vacation
- A choice of morning or afternoon departures lets you plan your day
What's Included
- Professional Local Guide (English-Speaking & Hospitality Expert)
- Digital Istanbul Guidebook
- MealsFood, drinks, and transportation are not included
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- MADO Karaköy SahilKemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Rıhtım Cd. No:3 34425, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
We will meet in front of a cafe called Mado directly located Karaköy Seaside
End point
- Caferağa, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
We will finish near Kadıköy Ferry Stop where you can take direct ferries to all central points and take direct subways and buses.
Itinerary
1
Karakoy Balik Pazari
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Karakoy Rihtim
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Bosphorus Strait
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
KadIkoy
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
KadIkoy CarsIsI
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
6
Kadikoy Iskelesi
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 144 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Description was misleading. It says everything’s included. Got an email the day before the tour saying all the food costs were additional
Response from Host, Sep 2026
To clarify, our listing explicitly states before booking that food, drinks, and transportation are not included. Food costs were therefore not an additional condition introduced the day before the tour; they were already disclosed on the booking page. The pre-tour message simply reminded guests of the information already stated in the listing.
Great tour to take early on in your trip. The tour guide was great. Very knowledgeable. Had very useful advice. Would definitely recommend.
Great way to experience Istanbul. Anil took us to some great places to try local dishes we likely would not have had on our list. Also enjoyed going to the Asia side of Istanbul via the ferry.
Murat was very knowledgeable about the best places to go. He accommodated different tastes and special diets too. I really enjoyed the slow pace and small group. He also made sure we knew jow to get where we needed to go too. Highly recommend!!
We had a wonderful and enjoyable tour with Murat. His friendliness and enthusiasm to share his great city and its splendid tastes shone through. The meeting point was easy to find, the route was interesting and a lovely way to explore a small part of the Asian side of Istanbul. I would highly recommend this tour if you’re looking for something interesting, tasty and immersive. Thank you Murat, you were fantastic!
What a fantastic food tour! Our guide and his guide friend were brilliant- kind, friendly, funny and very knowledgeable. We had already been on a different food tour and our guides made sure we tried new food we had not already tried. The food was delicious and plentiful. I liked the fact we just paid for the food we wanted. Balat is a fantastic colourful area - I would highly recommend this food tour. Thanks again to the guides :)
We had such a wonderful experience on this food tour! It was the perfect way to explore a bit of the European side and the Asian side of Istanbul. We were able to explore neighborhoods while trying some truly delicious Turkish food along the way. From savory bites to sweet treats, every stop was a highlight.
Our guide Ali was exceptional. His knowledge of Istanbul’s history and Turkish culture made the whole experience so much richer — he brought real depth and context to everything we tasted and everywhere we walked. He was warm, engaging, and clearly passionate about sharing his city with visitors.
Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Istanbul — it’s an absolute must!
Outstanding food tour. Every stop was delicious and it was clear lots of research had gone into finding the best places to experience Turkish food at its best. We’ve done a lot of food in our time and this definitely ranks as one of the best. We liked the way you could pay as you go for what you eat, choose options and order extra if you liked things. Stuffed mussels and the fish wrap were highlights, but every dish was excellent.Murat was knowledgeable and friendly and an excellent guide. We were a small group but he still gave it 100% and made us feel very at home.Thoroughly recommend.
We did the tour with Anıl. It was so much fun and we got to try so many different foods and beverages that we would not otherwise have had! He brought to less tourist spots and helped us with portions and payments. Anıl Is such a friendly and nice guy! Would recommend this tour 100%.
This tour was meant to be a snapshot of Turkish food. Sure we tried a number of different foods, but we didn’t get the insight of why and how these foods were uniquely Turkish. The guide spent far too much time on his phone at the restaurants we went to and was disengaged from the tour.
Our guide was knowledgeable, informative and engaging. His choice of local dishes ensured we tasted things we may not have experienced without guidance.
It was an excellent tour, we tasted about 8 dishes, mostly paid as we went along which we really liked
We had a wonderful time on this tour!!! Our guide, Nur, was amazing. Nur was engaging, knowledgeable and helpful. We got to try about a dozen different dishes during the tour. This tour was our favorite activity we did in Istanbul. Nur also provided us with lots of tips and recommendations for the rest of our vacation. Highly recommend!!!
Excellent introduction to not only the local foods, but also to a neighborhood you might not otherwise see.
Nur was the best guide! She showed us around Balat and informed us about the history and the culture. She brought us to these amazing spots for food where she seemed to know everybody!! I had a blast with Nur and would definitely recommend the experience to anybody who’s interested in Turkish food.
I had a great time walking around and learning about the Balat neighborhood and its history while trying so many different types of Turkish foods. I ended up coming on the tour alone and Mustafa was very thoughtful about trying to get smaller portions for me so that I would be able to try everything. Communication before the tour was great and I would highly recommend it while you’re in Istanbul!
A great way to see parts of the city we probably wouldn't have ever discovered. Laid back and conversational with great historical knowledge. The food was never ending (in a good way) A great way to learn about cultural and historical impact.
Wonderful experience, Kerem is a really great guide, we visited 6 or 7 delicious places to have an amazing overview of Istambul food and culture.
We had a wonderful tour of Balat with tastings with Kerem. He was not rushed, and we had a lovely discussion of all things. Kerem toured around Balat and we had multiple stops of local food and drinks which we would not have found by ourselves. Thank you Kerem… and congratulations on passing one of your terms!
We did this at the start of our trip which was a great way to explore and get a taste of Turkey. We knew what we wanted to try more of throughout the rest of our trip.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and we had an amazing time. You get to pick the food you want to eat, but there are a lot of options and you will get full. I like that you can buy what you want and pass on things you don’t great time.
Great service from start to finish! Communication via WhatsApp to confirm there being location, and a list of the food was provided after. Mustafa knew a lot about Turkish history and the local area and was able to tell us what made dinner if the foods special in his they are made. He was even able to highlight some vegetarian options! 100% would recommend.
This was a super great tour with Dilara as our guide. She was very knowledgeable and we went into a neighborhood that felt less touristy. Highly recommend this tour and her, Thank you!
It was a very well organised Tour - covering Balat and eateries & sites of culture around the street. Although I was not able to take the ferry, Hassan, our guide, was more than capable and knowledgeable to make up for this with his knowledge of Istanbul - its history & culture. It was a nice tour and I carry its memories with me back to India.
Kerem was an amazing guide. He is knowledgeable about Turkish history and is a real foodie. The area where the tour takes place is fascinating and highly photogenic. The food stops were without exception terrific. Loved the fact that there was so much variety, and new foods to sample
It was a great tour that started with a lovely stroll on Mert’s neighborhood. We then popped into several didn’t restaurants/cafés and sampled many of Istanbul’s highlights.
Great tour with a great guide. This tour solves a common problem with other food tours, which is that you pay a lot upfront and they give you way more than you can comfortably eat. With this tour, you pay less upfront, then you buy what you want at each food spot you’re taken to, so you can share a dish if you want to try something without having a lot of it. None of the dishes are expensive, so you don’t have to worry about paying too much. The walking tour takes you around an old neighbourhood that the guide knows well but probably not many tourists go to, even though it’s only a short tram ride from the major attractions. We stopped at lots of little places to try a dish that they specialize in. We wound up having tried most of the dishes we wanted to try while we were in Istanbul. Our tour guide, Mert, speaks excellent English and was very flexible, including when we were late to meet him because our bus never came (tip: you can rely on trams and ferries to be on time, but not buses because they have to battle the traffic). His company also sent us a very useful guide to sightseeing in Istanbul generally.
Easy meetup and communication prior ensured a timely start. Kaan’s English was good with intimate knowledge of the area and good cross section of the local food places sampled. Need to bring local currency for fist dumpling though card for all subsequent places.
I had such a great with with Kerem, our guide! He was funny, knowledgeable, and attentive. His English was absolutely perfect, and he answered every question thoughtfully. It was wonderful to get to know him.
The food stops were varied and delicious. More than anything, I appreciate how the tour lets you pay for your own food at each stop: this let me maintain my budget for the day. Highly recommend this experience!
Great activity to kickstart your Istanbul trip. It is laid back and might run longer based on the group so don’t plan anything straight after so you can fully enjoy the tranquility before going to the hustle and bustle of Istanbul and mass tourist sites. The walk is not demanding but do wear comfortable shoes. Amazing food, great guide, fascinating neighborhood. Highly recommend!
From $40.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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