Culinaire geheimen van de oude stad in Istanbul

Katerina was excellent. We had a great food tour.

We did a Culinary Backstreets of the Old City in Istanbul with Esin yesterday. We had the most amazing day. The four of us 2 adults, a 21yo daughter and 19 yo son all loved it and agreed that it was one of the highlights of 3 week holiday in Turkey. Esin was so warm, funny and engaging. She didn’t make us try anything we didn't feel comfortable to eat however having said that all the food was so delicious so we wanted to sample it all. Her interaction with all the local Turkish people and stall holders along the tour was so beautiful and sincere. They all love her and made the day even more special. We left loving her too. We totally recommend this tour and especially Esin to anyone interested into doing a food tour of Istanbul Old city.

Amazing tour fantastic food brilliant guide. Totally memorable and authentic. We loved it.

I cannot speak highly enough of this tour. It show cased some fabulous turkish food - staples done exceptionally well such as the doner kebab which was cooked in the rotisserie with kegebales threaded through the meat layers, the.whipped buffalo curd with local honey drizzled on it or the spicy beed sausage served from a butcher and tucked away in the maze of suburban streets. There were also suprises and new flavours such as the boza, a thick fermented mullet drink served with crunchy chickpeas. The tour was made extra special by our guide Kadir who was kind, knowledgeable and had a great rapport with everyone we came across enroute. We were also exceptionally lucky to have a wonderful group of travellers with us, who, along with Kadir, made it feel more like a day eating wonderful food with friends rather than a tour.

We had an incredible day with Ibrahim, exploring Istanbul's old city. Ibrahim was incredibly knowledgeable, not just about the delicious food we enjoyed, but also the city's long history and vibrant culture. We were taken to 10 different locations, all frequented predominantly by locals, enjoying authentic dishes we never would have discovered by ourselves. Ibrahim has a great raptor with each vendor, ensuring our experience was as hospitable as possible. This tour is the perfect way to explore Istanbul's unique and rich relationship with food. Thank you Ibrahim!

We met another couple on our travels who highly recommended the Culinary Backstreets food tour for Istanbul. We took their recommendation and were not disappointed. We managed to book the tour a few days ahead and ended up on a private tour with Remziye. Remziye was an excellent guide, her knowledge of the city as well as relationships with the vendors made the tour feel warm and familial. It was amazing being able to chat with the vendors that are the foundations of the city and see their day to day. The pride they take in their food was clear to see. The food was delicious (so come hungry) and a great way to experience local foods. The tour was also well paced with interesting stops along the way. We were able to see how religions combine in daily city life, how old and ancient intersects with modern life, and how immigration has brought diversity into the food and culture of the city. It was also very interesting to discover how certain foods had iterations in our home country as well (the boza in particular brought back childhood memories).

This is truly a worthwhile and amazing experience, both culinary and immersion into the culture. Our guide, Kadir, was a joy. Very knowledgeable about the food and the city. He connected with all the guests and the tour was all the better for it. This was the one experience that did not feel touristy, even if it technically was.

Benoit is a marvel and this tour was FANTASTIC. Centred around the market area we wandered the back streets learning about the history of the city, the food that comes from across Turkey and met the most wonderful people delivering the taste, from lamb soup (divine), the variety of a simply superb turkish breakfast in han, kebab, turkish delight, sausage, the list goes on, and on and on. I cannot recommend this tour enough and will probably do it all again the next time I am there !

Benoit our guide has an amazing passion for the most authentic food available in the old city - he personally assembled a tasting experience with over 15 elements, 2 types of bread and the best natural lemonade ever. Then he took us on an amazingly diverse and delicious tour introducing us to true culinary secrets of amazing tatase and textures. His knowledge of the provenance of the food, the families who offer the best food secrets and the history made this an outstanding tour. We were wanting to find a rare spice (for us) - Salep - and Benoit quickly found us a fresh supply. A brilliant tour with a brilliant guide

My husband and I spent the day with Gonca from Culinary Backstreets. Gonca, who is Turkish and speaks fluent English, has traveled the world, but her passion is the history, culture, food and traditions of her home country, Turkey. We found Gonca easily in the historic Eminonu neighborhood. Gonca greeted us with a warm smile and we started off into the true backstreets of the Egyptian market, including the straw weavers street and the roasted coffee street. We visited a fish market, a seed market, and a coffee roasting market before stopping in a 4th generation tea house for buffalo clotted cream, rose petal jam, and simit - all incredibly delicious. We then drank Turkish coffee while Gonca explained how the Ottomans brought coffee to Turkey from Ethiopia and Yemen. The day moved on from there - we visited streets and shops that only Turkish people visit, and ate some of the most incredible food while engaging in stimulating conversations with Gonca and the Turkish merchants to whom she introduced us. It was a very full day - we learned so much about Turkey. I 100% recommend this tour - especially if you’re fortunate enough to spend the day with Gonca.