During our recent visit to Istanbul, we took a Street Food Tour with Sibel to explore local cuisine. We met Sibel at the Spice Market and took a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Kadikoy market on the Asian side of Istanbul. We had kokoreç (beef intestines), midye tava (fried mussels with a delicious sauce), pickle juice with pickled veggies, pilav (rice with chicken), mercimek köftesi (lentil and bulgar patties), and lahmacun (fresh crispy dough with pomegranate molasses--a winter special--yummy!) served with a salty yogurt drink. We ended the tour with fried donuts and Turkish tea. Everything was special and delicious! Sibel was very attentive, patient, and kind. She generously helped me with inquiries even after I returned to the U.S. I highly recommend taking this tour at the beginning of your Istanbul trip because Sibel is a treasure trove of insider knowledge and recommendations for restaurants, shopping, and beyond.














