Half-Day Private Street Food Tour of Istanbul

We were very fortunated to secure the services of the same guide fromour previous tour (Grand Bazar and Spice Market) for this food tasting. The guide showed the same level of attention to details and selection of ground transportation/driver. She insured that the tour was routed in a manner that avoided steep inclines and uneven surfaces (making allowances for our physical limitations). She seemed sincerely proud of Istanbul and its culture. She insured that our tasting was tailored to my dietary restrictions while at the sametime being representative of local cuisine. She took the time to align our selections with what would be consumed by a local family for that hour of the day. Her tour was well thoughtout and excellent from beginning to end. Some members of our group wanted to explore the Grand Mosque and Hagia Sofia so she had the driver drop them as close to these sites as possible and instructed them in how to safely return to the ship. This guide made us feel welcome and was responsive to our every need; she willingly answered our questions. We couldn't have asked for a more capable and knowledgable guide.

This was the second day we had Safiye. She continued to be an excellent guide. Her knowledge of Istanbul and the Turkish people is very good and she showed us eight or nine local food places where we tried so many different things. We would never have thought of going into some of these basis on our own. We tried some delicious things and things we will not try again! We especially loved visiting the Asian part of Istanbul as the fel over there was really laid-back and it was great to see the contrast of the two sides. Safiye is great at reading her guests and suggesting things that they want to do. She is excellent at discussing all aspects of Turkish life and is a really good host. I cannot recommend her highly enough

Safiye does a wonderful job of sharing her passion for Istanbul. She is super flexible in terms of adapting the tour to your specific needs and interests. We LOVED tasting our way through multiple neighborhoods and it was fun tasting things we wouldn't have tried without the guidance of a local. Safiye also did a great job of showing some of the authentic residential neighborhoods in Istanbul including how a local would go shopping on a daily basis. The fruit and vegetable stalls really showed the variety and quality of produce grown in Turkey. We highly recommend reaching out to Safiye and we have aleady shared her contact information with a family we know is heading to Istanbul.

Our private food tour of Istanbul with Safiye was fabulous. Learning about the history and culture of Istanbul through food with a local was both fascinating and delicious. We experienced buying fresh simit from a street vendor, tried Turkish delight in the Spice Market followed by a rich, comforting Lamb Beyran (a breakfast soup) and delicious meatballs in a hidden quiet lane. We then travelled on the local ferry to The Asian Side, Kadikoy, and walked thru the fresh and colourful fish market - tasting mussels and enjoying the vibrant vegetable market, visited the famous mezze shop and tried a variety of mezze, then indulged in one of the best döners with lavash in Istanbul followed by a visit to the elegant Cafe Erol Candy Shop ending our tour with a Turkish Coffee and baclava. This summary does not include all the additional little yummy treats as we walked thru Istanbul. We also met many friendly foodie locals who were happy to share their Turkish food and culture with us. Safiye, our guide was incredibly professional, knowledgeable, charming, and left us wanting to know more. We highly recommend Safiye.

We had such a wonderful time! dont eat brakfast before this tour, because of all the great food you we eat. Safiye was such A nice host.

We arrived late into Istanbul and did this excellent food tour with Safiye. She is so warm and friendly and provided a wonderful tour of the neighborhoods of modern Istanbul! Highly recommended!!!