Private Portuguese Home Cooking Class in Lisbon with Defne

Wonderful experience. Defne was the best host, a combination of Portuguese and Turkish hospitality. We cooked three tasty dishes and tasted original Portuguese delicacies and wines while cooking. Her apartment, cozy garden area that we ate together the stuff we cooked were very cute. And then one should not pass without mentioning the beautiful cat of the house Punto. Highly recommended.

This afternoon was an amazing, intimate, and food-driven cultural experience. We got the opportunity to make several traditional Portuguese dishes with the thoughtful guiding from Defne. We got to enjoy several hours learning about ingredients, preparation, and finally dining/pairing with wines. This is an absolute must for foodies who want hands on experience to learn more about culture and the people behind the culture. Was perfect for our small group. I am sure large groups would enjoy just as much.

I have taken many cooking classes and food tours on my travels. But never have I connected as much as with Defne! She supplies the background and history in conversations while you are cooking and prepping the meal. Her communication before the class, meeting instructions and vibrant personality make this a wonderful evening! And a big plus is that you leave with the recipes to make at home. The atmosphere is as warm and inviting as Defne herself!

Defne is fantastic in every way. Such a warm person and we loved coming to and seeing her home--good to see the real Lisbon rather than just a tourist place. Very knowledgeable about food and we learned more than just the recipes, e.g. how to do quick fermentation of onions, that we can apply to other cooking.

Defne is a fantastic instructor and host. Rather than just teach you specific recipes only she will also teach you about techniques and different options for different ways to cook the food and a lot about the culture. Really appreciated it.

Defne is a wonderful host and person and it's obvious she loves what she does. We wanted something a little more authentic when we booked this, and we weren't sure what to expect arriving at Defne's apartment. While it wasn't a ton of space, she did an outstanding job putting all 5 of us to work while explaining what we were cooking, and it gave us an appreciation for true local cuisine. She has a nice garden patio where we enjoyed the fruits of our labor along with some great wine and company (and we enjoyed her very chill cat at the same time). Defne also shared the recipes with us after. It was a pleasure to spend time with her and a real "local" experience that you just don't get on the standardized tours. It was a pleasure to share some of our time in Portugal with Defne and I highly recommend this activity to anybody who wants to appreciate what goes into some of these traditional Portugese dishes.

Defne treated my granddaughter and me like old friends from the rime we arrived, and visiting her was one of our best experiences in Lisbon. In addition to learning several cooking tips, we shared a delicious meal and conversed about our worldviews and travel adventures. Enthusiastically recommend!

Defne was a joy to meet! The food was excellent, and we hope to try and replicate a dish at home. It was a pleasure to meet a like-minded world traveler and exchange views. My granddaughter also loved the cat!

Defne was amazing, got to get an inside look about the culture and life in Lisbon, and recommendations of places to visit while we were traveling. Told us a background of everything we cooked and it was all DELICIOUS!

Experience a local’s home from their company + neighborhood to the cuisine that is the heartbeat of the area! The cooking itself is pretty simple and straightforward, but the joy is the conversation and cultural immersion. Defne was a lovely host, and you do not feel like a stranger in her home. She was very hospitable, kind and welcoming. The food was just an added bonus!