Food Tour i Istanbul - för alla matälskare

Food Tour in Istanbul - for everyone who loves good food. We have just visited the vibrant city of Istanbul and our visit started with a lovely food tour. A tour through Turkish shops, street food restaurants and market stalls is highly recommended for all hungry foodies!

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Food Tour in Istanbul

We visited Istanbul in Turkey during a press trip, and on the programme was the "Street Food Tour", which means that you walk around with a guide and try different kinds of food in shops, bakeries, market stalls and eateries. Of course, you as a tourist can also book a Food Tour in Istanbul, which can be different depending on the organiser and guide, or you can walk around on your own. We will take you on the tour as we did!

1. simit (Turkish bagel)

Our tour started with 'simit', which is a circular Turkish bread similar to a bagel, but bigger, crispier and covered in sesame seeds. At the place where we stayed, they make the bread in a traditional oven inside the small shop. How did it taste? Great, and especially good with a slice of cheese and a cup of Turkish tea.

Where? Karaköy Galata Simitçisi

2. baklava (sweet pastry)

At our next stop, we tried baklava, a sweet pastry with roots in the imperial kitchens of Istanbul, in the Ottoman Empire, and common in the Middle East and the Balkan Peninsula. The pastry is made in many layers and includes filo dough, honey and nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios.

Baklava can be bought almost everywhere, but a tip is to check out Karaköy Güllüoğlu, which has a long tradition of production and uses extra-quality ingredients. Here you can have coffee on the spot and buy gift boxes, as well as watch films of the production process. Is it good? Yes, very!

Where? Karaköy Güllüoğlu

3. Pickled vegetables

Our third stop, during our Food Tour in Istanbul, was in a small shop selling pickled vegetables. What a colourful and lovely shop! There are jars of pickled vegetables and fruits of all kinds: olives, cauliflower, beetroot, corn, cherries, apples, beans, carrots, peppers, aubergine, cabbage, okra, plums and pears. Just to give a few examples.

We tried it in store and it was very tasty and fresh. No additives are used, but the layer is relatively salty. Probably even better with a meal!

Where? Arıoğulları Petek Turşuları

4. local candy

We continued our tour, on foot, and came to a shop selling local sweets and home-made jams. The jams have flavours such as orange, apricot, rose or quince, and no additives are used. Some of the products use sugar and others only apple cider juice, which naturally contains pectin.

Want more sweets? Then there's marzipan, caramels and Turkish delights. A charming little heaven for all sweets lovers!

Where? Üç Yıldız Şekerleme

5. fish in bread

Our Food Tour in Istanbul started off gently with bread and sweets, and as it got closer to lunchtime, it got a bit more substantial. We first went to a fish stall, where we started by checking out the selection: bluefish, albacore tuna (white tuna), salmon, squid, mussels, roe and 'tarama' - a kind of mess made from salted and dried fish roe.

We tried a piece of baguette, which was filled with tarama, salmon, red onion and salad. Very good and fresh!

Where? Reşat Balık Market

6. Turkish wrap

After the stop at the fishmonger, we continued to "Dürümzade", which is a relatively simple hole in the wall, but is considered to have the best wraps in Istanbul. We also have to agree that these are very good. The ones we ordered, which are the more classic ones, contained lamb. According to our colleague, who is a vegetarian, the wrap with cheese and vegetables was also very good.

Where? Dürümzade

7. Turkish coffee

The tour ended with Turkish coffee, in a really cosy little alley. Whether you like Turkish coffee or not can be different - it is strong and has a thick "swamp" at the bottom that you should leave - but regardless, it is worth trying.

Keep in mind that you have to choose with or without sugar even before you order the coffee, as it is not something you add afterwards. And yes, even those who don't like sugar in their coffee may appreciate it in the strong and intense Turkish coffee...

Where? Mandabatmaz Kahvesi

Curious about the Food Tour in Istanbul?

Curious about a food tour in Istanbul? There are many different organisers, and there are both longer and shorter tours. For example, tours that include both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul can take several hours.

Another option, of course, is to wander around on your own. You can enter the names of the places above to find them on Google Maps. In addition, you can of course find a lot of gems on your own.

More to see and do in Istanbul

In addition to a Food Tour in Istanbul, there is much more to see and do in this wonderful city. There's a great atmosphere, boat trips between the European and Asian sides, great shopping and incredible sights. For example, you can visit the shrine Hagia Sofia and Grand Bazaar which is considered the 'world's first shopping centre'. Find all our tips for Istanbul here.

If you're a foodie, don't miss the colourful spice bazaar where you'll find spices, teas and treats.

More to see and do in Turkey

There is of course also much to see and experience around Turkey, and we can recommend a visit to the fantastic Cappadocia, which you can reach by plane, bus or car from Istanbul.

Have you tried a Food Tour in Istanbul?

Have you tried a Food Tour in Istanbul? Or have you tried Turkish food in another way? Please tell us!

9 Comments

Add yours →

Anna Nilsson Spets says:

Yes, but it looks absolutely delicious, almost everything, except Turkish delight, I just can't get it in me. My favourite cake, kadajf, however, you have not included in the picture or tried? The coffee is a dream, the tongue just curls up.

19 November 2023 - 8:45

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Interesting, we didn't try that pastry ... Coffee is not really my favourite, I like to order Turkish tea 🙂.
  
  21 November 2023 - 15:48
  
BP says:

Drool, drool for everything but the sweets. Love Turkish food that is always fresh and appealing to the eyes, a must for me. Haven't done a Food Tour in Istanbul, but have visited the spice market and the main souk in town. Colourful was just the first name.

19 November 2023 - 17:21

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Agreed, lots of good stuff! And the spice market is fantastic!
  
  21 November 2023 - 15:49
  
bmlarstravellingblog says:

Turkish food is indeed delicious. On my first visit to Istanbul we had a kebab roll that I can almost dream about to this day. It was a real hole in the wall and we sat on rickety chairs on the pavement, but so good! This thing that Anna calls kadajf I think is what we call kunafa and that we ate in Jordan, so good!

19 November 2023 - 21:16

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Aha, interesting! May look for this pastry next time I'm "in the neighbourhood"!
  
  21 November 2023 - 15:49
  
Lena in Wales and a bit everywhere says:

So many delights!
Some known, but only eat outside Turkey and it does not always taste the same.
Food is always exciting!
Take care!

20 November 2023 - 9:32

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Surely it is fun with food experiences, and in Turkey there is a lot to experience around the food! 🙂
  
  21 November 2023 - 15:50
  
Lena - good for the soul says:

Perfect to get to know a country or city through its typical food. We always try to eat local food as much as possible when we go out.

Sitting and thinking about whether it would even be possible to do the same in Sweden. That is, a food tour with genuine Swedish food and goodies. It spontaneously feels like all restaurants are "foreign" or with "foreign" food. What is even Swedish food? Pork and onion sauce perhaps. Maybe you can find it at some roadside restaurant 🙂.

Hug Lena

22 November 2023 - 5:51

Food Tour in Istanbul - for all food lovers

Food Tour in Istanbul

1. simit (Turkish bagel)

2. baklava (sweet pastry)

3. Pickled vegetables

4. local candy

5. fish in bread

6. Turkish wrap

7. Turkish coffee

Curious about the Food Tour in Istanbul?

More to see and do in Istanbul

More to see and do in Turkey

Have you tried a Food Tour in Istanbul?

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9 Comments

Anna Nilsson Spets says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

bmlarstravellingblog says:

Helena says:

Lena in Wales and a bit everywhere says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

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