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Istanbul Food Tour: Taste Local Flavors
5.0
36 Ratings
Fatih
Join Hasan’s Home Experience for a ferry ride, local foods, and stories in Istanbul. Feel at home with our unique hosts.
Join Hasan’s Home Experience for a ferry ride, local foods, and stories in Istanbul. Feel at home with our unique hosts.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Balat - Guests will be greeted with a brief tour introduction and offered some genuine local snacks.
- Private Fener Greek High School - The exploration of the Fener neighborhood will commence, starting with the Greek Orthodox School and its surroundings.
- Merdivenli Yokus Evleri Balat - The vibrant streets of the neighborhood will be…
- Balat - Guests will be greeted with a brief tour introduction and offered some genuine local snacks.
- Private Fener Greek High School - The exploration of the Fener neighborhood will commence, starting with the Greek Orthodox School and its surroundings.
- Merdivenli Yokus Evleri Balat - The vibrant streets of the neighborhood will be explored, featuring colorful houses and lively stairs, while engaging and socializing with the local children.
- Fener & Balat - The journey will continue to the Main Street of the neighborhood, where over 10 dishes and the unique individuals who enliven the area will be introduced.
What's Included
- Four Surprise Local Snacks
- Local Guide (English-Speaking, Hospitality Expert)
- Four Surprise Local Snacks
- Local Guide (English-Speaking, Hospitality Expert)
What's Not Included
- Food & Drinks
- Personal Expenses
- Food & Drinks
- Personal Expenses
Additional Information
Join Istanbul’s premier food and community tour — Taste Istanbul, discover its history, and connect with the locals.
Led by enthusiastic locals, participants will explore Istanbul’s most vibrant neighborhood through essential culinary experiences, uncover hidden flavors, and engage with the community — all in one memorable adventure.
Our commitment is…
Join Istanbul’s premier food and community tour — Taste Istanbul, discover its history, and connect with the locals.
Led by enthusiastic locals, participants will explore Istanbul’s most vibrant neighborhood through essential culinary experiences, uncover hidden flavors, and engage with the community — all in one memorable adventure.
Our commitment is straightforward: regardless of your origin, we will delight you with an abundance of local cuisine, make you feel at home, and provide a warm introduction to Turkish culture.
Additionally, participants will receive our Istanbul Guidebook, packed with essential information. We will also support every aspect of your journey to ensure it is truly memorable.
This tour is vegetarian-friendly and ideal for all types of travelers.
If your desired dates or times are unavailable, please inform us.
Location
Balat Vapur İskelesi
We're meeting in Balat! You can easily get here by tram or ferry — the meeting spot is just a 2-minute walk from the stations.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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Connector59570589348
Oct 20, 2025
The perfect local food experience - felt like a night out in town with knowlegeable student friends. Highly recommended. - The tour takes you through Balat and Fener, two Istanbul neighborhoods that are not overcrowded with tourists.
After a short walk through the backstreets you will sample regional cuisine from small local restaurants and street vendors. We had Menti, Cigköfte, Gözleme, Kokorec, Lahmacun, Midye Dolma and Baklava.
The selection felt very original and it was great to have a local with us to communicate with the restaurants owners, show us around, answer questions about the foods, language and local traditions.
Our guide Kerem is a very knowledgeable, pleasant and gracious person. He studies Linguistics at the University, his English is very good and you will learn more about the Turkish language from him if you are interested.
Most of the food is not included in the price, which is a good thing, since it lets you choose the dishes you prefer and the amount of food you want to order. Also this way it feels more like an original restaurant experience: You get everything freshly made, not preprepared for tourists.
Some of the restaurants you visit do not take cards but cash only, so bring some.
Overall I would highly recommended this trip to anyone who wants to get an new perspective on local food and customs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrick_w
Oct 4, 2025
This tour should be on everyone’s bucket list!! - Kerem was an amazing guide. He is knowledgeable about Turkish history and is a real foodie. The area where the tour takes place is fascinating and highly photogenic. The food stops were without exception terrific. Loved the fact that there was so much variety, and new foods to sample
Review provided by Viator
Z2137irkarent
Oct 4, 2025
Taste of Istanbul Tour, Thumbs Up - We really enjoyed our food tour with Mert. He is a local, passionate about his city which made it extra fun. We met in the Fatih area, a neighborhood rich in culture and history, where we set off on a walking and food-tasting tour. Mert led us through the narrow cobblestone streets, residential neighborhoods, past colorful lively local shops and of course, to the tasting stops. My favorite was midye dolma, stuffed mussels. Delicious.
We recommend this tour! Mert speaks excellent English and communicates clearly, making the experience enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_r
Sep 23, 2025
It was a great tour that... - It was a great tour that started with a lovely stroll on Mert’s neighborhood. We then popped into several didn’t restaurants/cafés and sampled many of Istanbul’s highlights.
Review provided by Viator
Adammalachowski
Sep 14, 2025
Turkish cuisine for a curious traveler- exceeded expectations - Did a private food tour in Fener and Balat with Kerem and had a great time. I was with my mom and he took us to a bunch of local spots I never would’ve found on my own. Ended up eating some really tasty dishes which I wouldn’t have known to try (or even pronounce) otherwise.
Kerem also showed us around the neighborhoods with the colorful streets and gave a lot of history along the way, which made it feel like more than just a food tour. He’s a newer guide but did really well—super flexible and easy to talk to. He even gave me tips on how to get around Istanbul for the rest of my trip.
Highly recommend if you want something authentic and a little different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chris_b
Sep 13, 2025
Best choice for a food tour - Great tour with a great guide. This tour solves a common problem with other food tours, which is that you pay a lot upfront and they give you way more than you can comfortably eat. With this tour, you pay less upfront, then you buy what you want at each food spot you’re taken to, so you can share a dish if you want to try something without having a lot of it. None of the dishes are expensive, so you don’t have to worry about paying too much. The walking tour takes you around an old neighbourhood that the guide knows well but probably not many tourists go to, even though it’s only a short tram ride from the major attractions. We stopped at lots of little places to try a dish that they specialize in. We wound up having tried most of the dishes we wanted to try while we were in Istanbul. Our tour guide, Mert, speaks excellent English and was very flexible, including when we were late to meet him because our bus never came (tip: you can rely on trams and ferries to be on time, but not buses because they have to battle the traffic). His company also sent us a very useful guide to sightseeing in Istanbul generally.
Review provided by Viator
Thomas_b
Aug 30, 2025
Istanbul family food with the brothers - Easy meetup and communication prior ensured a timely start. Kaan’s English was good with intimate knowledge of the area and good cross section of the local food places sampled. Need to bring local currency for fist dumpling though card for all subsequent places.
Review provided by Viator
Aimee_r
Aug 28, 2025
Great tour with Kerem! - I had such a great with with Kerem, our guide! He was funny, knowledgeable, and attentive. His English was absolutely perfect, and he answered every question thoughtfully. It was wonderful to get to know him.
The food stops were varied and delicious. More than anything, I appreciate how the tour lets you pay for your own food at each stop: this let me maintain my budget for the day. Highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Viator
Perlaosk_h
Aug 26, 2025
A chill afternoon - Great activity to kickstart your Istanbul trip. It is laid back and might run longer based on the group so don’t plan anything straight after so you can fully enjoy the tranquility before going to the hustle and bustle of Istanbul and mass tourist sites. The walk is not demanding but do wear comfortable shoes. Amazing food, great guide, fascinating neighborhood. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Alessandracd661yx
Aug 20, 2025
Great local food experience off the beaten track - Thanks to Kerem who shared with us hidden spots and personal stories walking through the Fener and Balat districts where he lived during his childhood. It was a wonderful experience full of colours and tasty local food (go there with an empty stomach!). It was a relaxing and cosy experience off the beaten tourist attractions. Highly recommended! Alessandra & family
Review provided by Tripadvisor
