Culinary Backstreets of the Bazaar Quarter
Description
On our Grand Bazaar food tour, we’ll start the day with a full breakfast celebrating the best of the dairy highlands in Eastern Anatolia, followed by an unusual wedding soup from Konya. Then we’ll make our way through the garment district to a cluster of Ottoman-era hans (traders’ inns), home to a guild of traditional craftsmen in their tiny workshops. There we will have an unforgettable, freshly baked pide before grazing our way in, out and around the Grand Bazaar, taking in a perfect kebab, a bite of Edirne-style liver, and a spread of seasonal, vegetarian mezes. We will drink tea and Turkish coffee in out-of-the-way places, while the sweet notes on this route begin with kadayıf, an Arabian-influenced love letter from the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, and end with a delicious milk-soaked cake that made its way from Albania to the Istanbul. It’s Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter as it’s never been seen — or tasted — before.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter is one of the world’s biggest open-air commercial centers and a historic center of small craftsmen who still carry on their tradition in the atmospheric caravanserais. On this 5-hour Grand Bazaar food tour, we will eat with these craftsmen.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(135)
Amazing tour and guide , Gonca. An incredible insight into Istanbul food culture and the people
Thank you for the wonderful review and for sharing your experience. We are thrilled that you gained such incredible insight into Istanbul's vibrant food culture and its people alongside our guide. Your participation helps us continue our mission of supporting the unsung heroes of the kitchen and preserving these cherished culinary traditions.
Dapne our tour guide was amazing and informative. She was lovely and spoke very good English. She was so knowledgeable about her culture and we tried lots of different foods which we would never have thought to eat.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful review of your experience with us. We are so glad you enjoyed exploring the local culture and discovering new foods alongside your guide. Your visit truly helps support these unsung neighborhood heroes and plays a vital part in preserving their beautiful culinary traditions.
If not the best day tour I have ever taken, certainly among the best. Everything about it was amazing. Our guide, Remziye, was incredible—fun, personable, knowledgeable, and warm. If a city I visit has a Culinary Backstreets tour, I’m in!
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are so glad you enjoyed exploring the daily life of the city and sharing a meal with us. Your visit helps support the traditional, family-run spots we cherish and preserves the culinary traditions of the kitchen's unsung heroes.
Isin was an amazing guide. Totally professional and so engaging. We really felt like we had the inside edgeans she made it very personal for us. She is a real people person and makes all difference for a 5 star experience.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are so glad to hear you had such a personal and engaging time exploring the city and connecting with our unsung culinary heroes. Your support of Honest Tourism helps us continue to preserve these traditional, family-run spots and their craft.
Basak was absolutely wonderful! I can honestly say I’ve never been in such an amazing food tour. I highly recommend the experience, and will be using this company again!
Thank you for the wonderful review and for joining us in Istanbul. We are so glad you had an amazing time connecting with the city's unsung culinary heroes. By walking with us, you are directly helping to support these traditional, family-run spots and preserve their incredible crafts. We look forward to sharing more stories of daily life with you in the future!
This was an incredible introduction to a local's experience of the Bazaar area, it's food culture, and so very much more. This is one of the best tours I have participated in anywhere in the world, maybe ever.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed exploring the daily life and rich food culture of the Bazaar area with us. By joining our walks, you help us support the unsung heroes of the kitchen and preserve these deeply rooted culinary traditions. We hope to share more neighborhood stories and meaningful human connections with you on another journey soon.
Great guide and food! Would do again.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are so glad you enjoyed exploring the daily life of the city and tasting its incredible food. Thank you for supporting the unsung heroes of the kitchen and helping us preserve these beautiful culinary traditions.
Great that it starts and ends same location, the Grand Bazaar, if you are new to town and don't know your way around. Really fun. Very good tour guide. Felt very comfortable in the GB after tour. Lots of food.
Thank you for taking the time to share your review! We are so glad our guide could help you feel comfortable navigating the daily life of the Grand Bazaar while sharing its incredible flavors. Your participation helps us continue our mission of supporting the unsung heroes of Istanbul's kitchens and preserving their culinary traditions.
Our guide, Gonca, led us through an unforgettable experience discovering the real life of the Grand Bazaar. While tourists are overwhelmed by the many shops and products, we were weaving in and out of the bazaar, exploring hidden corners and climbing terraces we would have never found on our own. You could visit the Grand Bazaar many times but you’ll never get to know it until you do this tour. A big thanks to Gonca for sharing her knowledge with such clarity and warmth!
Thank you for the review and for exploring the hidden corners of the bazaar with us. We are thrilled that you enjoyed connecting with the daily life of the city and its unsung culinary heroes. Thank you for supporting honest tourism and helping us preserve these vital, traditional family-run spots.
My husband and two daughters (7 and 11) had the most memorable, tasty, interesting day with the fantastic Gonca - our tour guide. It’s a day we will remember forever. Gonca was so warm, knowledgeable and so fun. And all the stops were so unique - we would have never found them on our own. I would highly recommend doing this!
Thank you for the wonderful review and for sharing your family's experience with us. We are so glad to hear you had a memorable day discovering unique, family-run spots. By joining our walk, you are directly supporting the unsung heroes of the kitchen and helping to preserve these beautiful culinary traditions.
