“The food was plentiful (understatement), authentically Turkish and very, very good. ”
— Tom, 2026
01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Istanbul.
Baklava Backstreets
Istanbul
Eat your way through Beyoğlu’s backstreets, from old-school pilav houses to charcoal kebabs and baklava.
Bosphorus Bites
Istanbul
Eat your way through Beyoğlu's backstreets, from old-school pilav houses to charcoal kebabs and baklava.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Charcoal kebabs at Beyoglu, mezze plates lined with olive oil, simit at the ferry pier, kokorec grilled offal. Istanbul cooks the last table of the Ottoman empire.
04 The pantry
- Sumac, ground tart red berries for kebabs and salads
- Aleppo pepper, pul biber flakes for every meze table
- Pomegranate molasses, syrupy sour dressing for salads and stews
- Tahini, stone-ground sesame paste for helva and dips
- Fresh bay leaves, tucked into kebabs and stews
05 In the kitchen
- Skewering kebabs and grilling over long-charcoal mangal troughs
- Baking pide flatbread in stone-lined ovens
- Simmering iskembe corbasi tripe soup for the after-hours cure
- Rolling manti tiny dumplings by hand for a yoghurt-tomato dressing
- Wrapping kokorec offal around a spit for slow charcoal grill
06 Eat this first
- Adana kebab, minced lamb hand-formed onto a wide skewer
- Balik ekmek, grilled fish sandwich from the Galata boats
- Mezze, marathon of small plates with olive oil, herbs and cheese
- Simit, sesame-crusted ring bread from the street cart
- Kunefe, shredded pastry and stringy cheese soaked in sugar syrup
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Small round yeasted dough balls fried until deep golden, then dipped in a warm lemon-and-cinnamon syrup and scattered with cinnamon. Turkey's most-shared street sweet.
Slow-cooked lamb shin over rice in a fierce garlic and Aleppo pepper broth, served at dawn from the specialist Gaziantep beyran shops that open only for breakfast.
Grilled mackerel fillet in a soft Turkish roll with lettuce, onion, sumac and lemon. Istanbul's Galata Bridge street sandwich, eaten looking out at the Bosphorus.
Hand-minced lamb pounded with red pepper paste, cumin and salt, pressed onto flat metal skewers and grilled over charcoal. The signature kebab of southern Turkey.
Dried white beans slow-cooked with tomato and onion, served topped with kavurma of chunks of sautéed lamb. Turkey's most beloved home-cooked bean dish.
Sheets of thin homemade pastry parboiled, layered with feta, egg and herbs, and baked into a lasagne of golden layers. Turkey's Sunday-brunch centrepiece.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Istanbul.
Weather
Four seasons. Hot humid summers (30°C+), cold wet winters (near freezing, occasional snow), and glorious spring and autumn windows. April, May, September, October are the sweet spots.
Currency
The Turkish lira (TRY). Rapid inflation means cash calculations shift often. Cards accepted almost everywhere. ATMs are on every corner but can be blocked to foreign cards, use bank ones.
Language
Turkish is universal. English coverage is decent in Sultanahmet and Beyoğlu, thinner in older neighbourhoods.
Etiquette
Modest dress in mosques. Headscarves for women, no shorts. Robes are loaned at the entrance to major mosques. Remove shoes before entering.
Getting around
The tram, metro, and ferry network all take the Istanbulkart. Cheap and easy. Taxis are metered (insist on it). BiTaksi is the reliable app. The city is hilly but walkable in each neighbourhood.
Prayer
Predominantly Muslim. Five calls to prayer daily, and the sound of the Blue Mosque and Süleymaniye calling across the water is unforgettable. Long Christian (Greek, Armenian) and Jewish communities too.