Istanbul: Baklava Backstreets Food Tour with 12+ Tastings
ID: GYG1241673-1903511
Catégorie:
Pays: Turquie
Durée du projet:
04:00 horaires
Description
Head to the culinary underbelly of Istanbul on our lunchtime food tour of 14+ tastings. A backstreets food marathon from Taksim to Karaköy - because you didn't come this far to eat like a tourist.
Go straight for Istanbul’s culinary jugular on our tour through the Beyoğlu district. We don't just follow the herd down İstiklal Avenue, we take the backstreets to find local eateries at decades-old bakeries, historic pilavcı and kebap houses, and pistachio-coated baklavacı.
Start at the landmark Taksim Square, for a nearby slice of Kurdish börek - paper-thin, golden layers, accompanied by a glass of mahogany-dark çay.
Next, dip soft lavaş flatbread into hand-chopped acılı ezme salsa, and earn your foodie stripes by tucking into şirdan - sheep’s stomach that’s slow-simmered until deliciously tender. Between bites, we pause for a Turkish coffee workshop where copper cezve cups are brewing in hot sand, followed by the ancient art of kahve falı (fortune telling) from your guide, to find out what the beans have to say about your future.
We pay our respects to the Kalkanoğlu family, whose five-generation legacy is built on a single dish at their traditional pilavcı rice-house - a plate of buttery rice topped with creamy white beans and melt-in-the-mouth braised beef. With 12+ tastings, we’ve only scratched the surface of the surprises in store.
Slip into the Çiçek Pasajı arcade alongside rows of meyhane taverns, emerging onto İstiklal Caddesi’s Independence Avenue with late-Ottoman architecture and the iconic red tram clanging its bell through the crowd. Stop for midye dolma plump mussels stuffed with herbed rice, with a sharp squeeze of lemon.
Follow in the footsteps of the late Anthony Bourdain at a hole-in-the-wall kebab joint. Expect hand-minced adana lamb, hit with sumac and spice, wrapped in a bread charred over open coals.
Board the Tünel funicular to discover the ‘Golden Horn’ specialities of balık dürüm grilled fish wrap, and Mersin-style tantuni drizzled with garlic yogurt. The tour ends at the baklava-birthplace of Gaziantep, who have been perfecting the recipe for nearly 200 years - where forty layers of filo meet pleasantly chewy dondurma ice cream.
End at Karaköy Pier, watching the ferries over to Sultanahmet. Whilst it’s possible to attempt this culinary marathon alone, why leave the fate of your taste buds to chance? Spaces for this moveable feast are strictly limited, grab yours before the word is out.
Faits saillants
- Savour the flavours of 12+ tastings from Turkish cuisine
- Explore the streets of Taksim, Karaköy and Beyoğlu with a local foodie guide
- Amble through Çiçek Pasajı, İstiklal Avenue and in the city's backstreets
- Visit beloved street food vendors and local eateries
- Learn about the food cultures of Istanbul
Langues
INFORMATION IMPORTANTE
The tour reflects the local cuisine, and the limitations of street food vendors means we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction.
✖️ Vegetarian diets have 3-4 less tastings due to limited alternatives at some vendors.
✖️ Unsuitable for severe allergies, and celiac diets, due to risk of traces and cross-contamination.
We recommend comfortable shoes as this is an easy-paced walking tour.
We operate come rain or shine, so please carry rain gear/umbrella if rain looks likely.
There's lot of tastings to try, come hungry!
Meet at the front of Taksim Square hotel. If you need the bathroom before you start the tour, you can use the facilities at the dessert shop next door to the hotel called Hafız Mustafa Sweet Shop. Please avoid using the restroom inside the hotel as it is not allowed unless you are a guest.
INCLUS
- 12+ food tastings included
- Movable feast with 8-9 stops around the streets of old Taksim, Beyoğlu and Karaköy.
- Max 8 exclusive guests, smallest group size in Istanbul (private / larger groups by request).
- Tünel funicular tram ticket.
- Bottled water.
- Duration is around 3.5 to 4 hours, depending on the pace of the group.
NON INCLUS
- Alcoholic drinks.
- Pick up and drop off from hotel excluded. Easy-to-find meeting point for all guests.
- Vegetarian diets have 3-4 less tastings due to limited alternatives at some vendors.
- Unsuitable for severe allergies, and celiac disease, due to risk of traces and cross-contamination.
Quand dois-je réserver ?
Garantir la disponibilité du livre dans les plus brefs délais. Les réservations anticipées valent la peine d'être prises en considération, surtout si vous planifiez le voyage en haute saison, comme les jours fériés ou les fins de semaine.
Annulations
Cette excursion peut être annulée sans frais jusqu'à : heures d'annulation avant le début du voyage. Si vous l'annulez après les heures d'annulation ou si vous ne vous présentez pas à l'excursion, le prix total de l'activité vous sera toujours facturé. Tout retard à la prise en charge ou au départ sera considéré comme un retard.
