Istanbul Fine Dining Afternoon in 3 Historic Venues Private Tour

Istanbul is the food capital of the Middle East, if not the world. But it isn’t necessarily straightforward to explore the food landscapes of this mega-city. If you merely wander through the streets you might get bored by nearly identical kebab shops, especially in touristic areas. It takes a connoisseur, with a developed taste for food, drinks, and authenticity to take the lead. I found the Vine & Peral tour a very pleasant experience. I am sure they can equally satisfy both the wine-enthusiasts, as well as the “foodie tourist” by guiding them into hidden gems of this city.

A beautiful evening with Sinan. We loved the venues, food and wine! A different way to explore the culinary heritage and enjoy great restaurants in the city!

We had an amazing time with our guide Elvan who was very knowledgabke about the food and a great company to spend an afternoon with! the places that we visited were outstanding and all listed in world culinary recommendation list. The absolute highlight of the tour was reinvented dishes from Ottoman palace kitchen by a Michelin listed chef!

This was a really great way to experience some of Istanbul. Ahmet our guide was personable, knowledgeable, lighthearted and attentive to what we were interested in. The food was delicious, sights unforgettable and an experience my wife and I will always remember.

Our family of four were met by Ahmet Can Gurel at our hotel for our delicious dining experience. We took a taxi to the Sultanahmet District to begin our tour in our first destination within the spice market. The entrance was tucked away and we would not have spotted it if we were not directed to it. Here we had our cold starters and a glass of wine. Ahmet explained the history of the restaurant (which was fascinating!) and described the food that was presented. We walked through the spice market to our next destination. It was a nice walk where Ahmet explained the history of the market while guiding us to the next restaurant for our hot starters. The second destination was an inn that was built in 1772 and then our final destination was a third restaurant on the rooftop of a hammam. Ahmet, our guide, was knowledgeable, friendly and charming. The experience of tasting food at different locations, hearing historical information and all done while walking to different locations was an all around excellent experience. You should go.

This experience is something you didn't know you needed so badly until you are there. My friend found it and I just tagged along. But boy oh boy what a great walking diner it was! The first venue was hidden away in the spice bazar. We had been to the bazar before but didn't noticed the entrance of this place. Beautiful turquoise tiles are welcoming you while taking the stairs up, above the spice bazar. Here we started the diner with cold mezes paired with a glass of Turkish wine. Our guide told us about the history of the place and the culture of meze in Turkey. Some very famous people have dined here including Audrey Hepburn and Sean Connery... After the first stop we visited two more restaurant in the neighborhood. One located in a cictern and the other on the roof of a hammam. I won't give away the details. You just need to experience it yourself. On the way to the different restaurants our guide told us about the difference places we passed. He was very knowledgeable both about the different food and wines we had and about the history of the different places we visited and passed during our tour. All in all, an amazing experience that satisfied all of my senses and I can whole hearted recommend!

This was one of the highlights of our stay in Istanbul, we got to experience high end Turkish cuisine and more importantly visited very impressive and authentic venues. The menu of the itinerary was well thought. Our guide Cuneyt was excellent in explaining the wines paired along with the tastings. We were picked up from our hotel and brought to the first super atmospheric venue in the walls of the spice market. Here we had an introduction to the traditional Turkish way of cooking and tasted traditional cold starters paired with a glass of white crispy wine! Our next stop was a short walk away in the restaurant located in the historical cisterns of the Ottoman palace where we had our second tasting and second glass of delicious wine! Finally our last stop was in a Michelin star restaurant on the rooftop of the Hamam where we had lamb cooked with lime and the Turkish pudding spiced with cinnamon, accompanied with a glass of red wine and coffee! This was an extraordinary journey through Turkish cuisine hosted by a true culinary professional and wine expert! we are very happy about the tour and would do it again!

I had a great time! I can definitely recommend this tour! Good wine, good food, good company, what is not to love. Very unique experience.

Wonderful experience! Dine though the historical spots of Istanbul. Thank you so much, would definitely come back again!

This is a fine dining tour that goes through 3 historical venues. you get a cold starter in the first one and a glass of local wine, the restaurant is located in the spice market and is 100 years old, and is recommended in the Michelin list. Then you go to the second restaurant which is located in ancient cisterns that used to provide water for the palace. Here hot starters and a glass of wine. Third spot is a restaurant on a historical hamam (Turkish bath) roof, here you'll get another glass of wine, a main dish as well as dessert and coffee. The experience is hosted by a real foodie who is a licensed guide as well so u also get to learn the heritage part of the stories.