15 Food Tours in Istanbul to Build a Day Around

1.Guided Food Tour with Ferry Ride and Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 770 reviews · 6 hours · from $115Our pick

A 6-hour Istanbul food tour across Europe and Asia with a ferry ride, 20 tastings, and classic bites in Kadikoy, Karakoy, and Moda.

“Such an incredible experience! Dining throughout the city with Onder was a true joy. He took us to many, many small shops and restaurants off the beaten tourist path. While we dined he provided historical events in a fascinating manner. He graciously answered our many questions. We travel a good deal and this was one of our favorite tours ever. Thank you, Onder, for a perfect (and delicious) day.”

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2.Turkish Food Night and Rooftop Experience Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 666 reviews · 3 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $77Top rated

Taste Istanbul street food, Turkish sweets, rooftop tea and salep, then feast at a 140-year-old family restaurant. Up to 15.

“The experience is a must, organized perfectly. The Food choice and locations were amazing, especially the final stop for dinner…abundant, great atmosphere & the location/ history are worth to mention. Sule our friend (cant call her a guide for she honestly made each and everyone feel like a family member) was the highlight. Going to the places she suggested, getting her side of the story…was really worth it! She was truly fenomenal and a great person. I recommend this tour, and if you get a chance to …ask about Sule.”

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3.Turkish Food Night and Rooftop Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 569 reviews · 3 hours · from $69

Rooftop Istanbul skyline, street food tastings, and a 130-year-old restaurant feast with kebabs, meze, tea, and künefe. 3 hours.

“Eylül was a fantastic guide: patient, accommodating and passionate about her country. She explained each dish really well: where it came from, how it was made, how to eat it etc… the tour included a night view of Sulimaniye mosque from a roof top and it was magical! All the dishes at the restaurants were a great range of Turkish cuisine, hot and cold, some spicier than others but overall, it was an eye opener on how rich Turkish cuisine really is! Transportation was a plus so we could see different view points of Istanbul within a few hours. The tour was a great way to connect with a local:…”

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4.Guided Food and Culture Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 528 reviews · 4 hours · from $136

Sample Istanbul’s Asian and European flavors on a 4-hour guided ferry tour, Kadıköy markets, Kurdish home cooking, and tulip cay.

“Burak was awesome. It was a really great evening with a bunch of great food and a wonderful experience, exploring the Asian side of Istanbul. Highly recommend this tour for people that want to experience the food scene like a local”

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5.Istanbul Food Tour – History and Culture of Turkish Culinary

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 265 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $127

Eat your way through Beyoğlu on a small-group Istanbul food tour, sampling mezze, mussels, street bites, and sweet syrup desserts.

“This was a great food tour that I would recommend for folks visiting Istanbul for the first time. Our guide Erol was so nice and very knowledgeable about the history of food and Turkish culture. Our first stop at the mezze meyhane was delicious! We tried many Turkish staples such as the wet burger, tantuni, mussels, baklava, and more. Erol was fun and made our experience really nice. The small group size was a huge plus for us - it ended up just being me, my husband, brother, and sister in law because they had another group of 5 that booked but they limit the tour size to 8. Many…”

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6.Private Guided Food Tour with 10 Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 49 reviews · 3 hours · from $117

Private 3-hour Istanbul food walk with 10 tastings, vegetarian options, and a local guide, plus city highlights from Cihangir to the port.

“Ayse was a fantastic guide. We had easy and informative conversation about the food, the people, culture and history. We thoroughly enjoyed the 3-4 hours walking, talking, laughing, tasting our way around the new city and the port areas of Istanbul.”

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7.Guided Shopping Trip with Turkish Coffee Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 37 reviews · 4 hours · from $114

A guided Sultanahmet shopping walk with Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, coffee and delights, plus carpet and ceramic demonstrations.

“It was mostly a private tour, very warm and knowledgeable guide who took us to great shops and little known gems. highly recommend.”

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8.Authentic Food Tour in Istanbul’s Asian Side – Kadıköy

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 35 reviews · 2h 30m · from $101

Walk Kadıköy on Istanbul’s Asian side for 150 minutes, sampling turşu suyu, fish sandwich, çiğ köfte, kokoreç, wet burger and sambali.

“Asli was an amazing guide and we had such an enjoyable experience! Definitely book this tour!”

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9.Turkish Food Tour in Kadikoy Across the Bosphorus

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 33 reviews · 3 hours · from $461

Sample Turkish street food in Kadıköy, cross the Bosphorus by commuter ferry, and eat meze and desserts with a small local guide group.

“Our guide Cetin was outstanding. He took us to so many places we never would have found on our own. We tried an endless variety of local foods that we would never have known to order by ourselves and left very full. It was also a great way to venture out and discover the Asian side of Istanbul. Highly recommend!”

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10.World Teas & Turkish Tea Brewing, Tasting Workshop

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 29 reviews · 1h 30m · from $33Best value

Istanbul workshop on Turkish tea and global brews, tasting 5 premium teas, comparing double teapot vs gaiwan, then blending your own.

“Absolutely loved our tea workshop. Was a last minute decision as we had a couple of hours spare and so glad we did it. Kamran was our guide, he was great! So so informative, learnt a lot and had lovely conversation throughout.”

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11.Private Local Food & Markets Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 27 reviews · 4 - 5.5 hours · from $178

Taste your way through Istanbul on a private half-day street food tour, with Spice Bazaar shopping and a ferry hop to Kadikoy.

“We went to places that are not in the very crowded touristic areas, food choices were great and coversation with the guide gave us a lot of cultural background”

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12.Turkish Delight Workshop History, Tasting, Making Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $39

Hands-on Turkish delight workshop in Istanbul: 250-year history, tasting classic rose creamy, making lokum, and a 200g Hacı Bekir gift.

“Our family did a Turkish Delight Workshop together - and it was such a lovely experience! We have an 8 year old and 4 year old and Lina was patient, kind, engaging and accommodating of the kids and adults! Lina made the experience so much fun - and we learnt so much, from the origins of Turkish Delight to how to make it! The Turkish Coffee and taste testing was delicious and we love our little coffee cup and take home Turkosh Delight box! 😊 Loved our experience ❤️ Thank you Lina!”

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13.Istanbul Private Wine Tasting Tour Through 3 City Wineries

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $214

Private Istanbul wine tasting across three city stops with English guide Andrea, Turkish varietals, and landmark walks through Galata and Cihangir.

“Andrea was a very knowledgeable, professional, and friendly guide on our wine tour. She also provided tips on places to visit and things to do. We learned a lot about Turkish wine history and enjoyed a few glasses along the way. We highly recommend booking through this company!”

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14.Kadikoy Food Tour with 12+ Delicacies Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 19 reviews · 3 hours · from $111

Taste 8+ Turkish dishes in Kadıköy, with coffee, wine, and a secret stop. 3 hours with an English guide near Atatürk Square.

“Mel was as an excellent guide providing us with a great variety of food, wine & coffee reading, as well as interesting history. She led us through a maze of side streets for an authentic experience, well recommended.”

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15.Guided Food Tour with Ferry Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 13 reviews · 5 hours · from $135

Eat your way across Istanbul and ride a ferry to Asia, with Spice Bazaar tastings, breakfast, kokoreç, lahmacun, dessert, and Turkish coffee.

“Tour meraviglio, abbiamo avuto l'opportunità di conoscere la città più autentica. Tutte le tappe sono state apprezzatissime e la guida è stata di una gentilezza innata. Quando tornerò a Istanbul sicuramente sarà un piacere fare un altro tour con Feyza! Grazie ancora per questa esperienza!”

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