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Kurtulus Tour: Culinary Delights and Artisan Visits
5.0
13 Ratings
Şişli
Embark on a culinary adventure through Istanbul’s Kurtulus neighborhood. Indulge in delicious breakfasts, heavenly dairy delights, meze samples, kebabs, street food, and more!
Embark on a culinary adventure through Istanbul’s Kurtulus neighborhood. Indulge in delicious breakfasts, heavenly dairy delights, meze samples, kebabs, street food, and more!
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Kurtulus - Far from the tourist trail, get a taste of one of the last bastions of classic Istanbul flavors, including bread fresh from the tandir oven, a mind-boggling assortment of meze, sizzling kebab, old school ice cream and much more. On this full-day food tour, we will dig deep into the culinary traditions of one of Istanbul’s most culturally diverse and food-centric neighborhoods.
- Kurtulus - Far from the tourist trail, get a taste of one of the last bastions of classic Istanbul flavors, including bread fresh from the tandir oven, a mind-boggling assortment of meze, sizzling kebab, old school ice cream and much more. On this full-day food tour, we will dig deep into the culinary traditions of one of Istanbul’s most culturally diverse and food-centric neighborhoods.
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snacks
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snacks
What's Not Included
- Private transportation
- Private transportation
Additional Information
Our Kurtulus tour starts with an exclusive visit to a sports club belonging to that historic community, where we’ll have our first breakfast, followed by a stop for the heavenly dairy delights of Erzincan. We’ll walk off breakfast with visits to local artisans
- artichoke peelers, cuckoo clock repairmen, Armenian book venders
- as then begin grazing on…
Our Kurtulus tour starts with an exclusive visit to a sports club belonging to that historic community, where we’ll have our first breakfast, followed by a stop for the heavenly dairy delights of Erzincan. We’ll walk off breakfast with visits to local artisans
- artichoke peelers, cuckoo clock repairmen, Armenian book venders
- as then begin grazing on our way to lunch. There will be stunning meze samples, including top-grade stuffed vine leaves and topik, a classic Armenian speciality. Down the street, kebabs at a real-deal grill house will arrive sizzling, fresh from the fire. Along the way, we’ll sample street food from the Mediterranean port city of Mersin and share a couple plates of the daily special in a cozy family-run lokanta. Depending on the season, there may be boza, a fermented millet drink with Ottoman roots, or Turkish-style ice cream at a beloved dairy bar run by the third generation of a local family.
Location
Açık Yol Sk. No:2
Açık Yol Sokak
The meeting point is in front of the Carrefour Supermarket, Feriköy, Açık Yol Sk. 2-6, 34377 Şişli.
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
(13 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Snappysnaps_ca
Nov 10, 2024
Wonderful Slice of Daily Life in Kurtulus - A wonderful way to experience a slice of life in an Istanbul neighbourhood away from the tourist clutter. Better yet we got to see the neighbourhood from a resident's perspective as our guide Esin had lived here. She introduced us to many of the people we met as we walked the streets and got a better understanding of the daily habits of the people who lived here. The food was amaziing as we tasted our way through the day. Some highlights were the pickle shop Pelit Turşuları and the breakfast restaurant Yılmaz Tandır Ve Dürümevi.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
507salimh
Nov 5, 2024
Fantastic neighborhood food tour - Really great tour of a non touristy neighborhood with Katerina who is from there and lives there. A great window into not only the food but the history and culture of the neighborhood.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
634pieterg
Nov 4, 2024
Full(filled) - Interesting and tasteful tour through Kurtulus, a neighbourhood we otherwise definitely would not have come to (at one point one of the passers-by apparently expressed amazement by the fact there were tourist here after he heard us speak English - Katerina translated).
As a true local in Kurtulus, Katerina could not only tell the story of the neighbourhood and show us the hidden gems, it was generally interesting to get to talk to and spend several hours with somebody who gave us more insight in the city and country in general. This was our first experience with Culinary Backstreets and will probably not be the last.
No need to say, but we were absolutely stuffed after the tour, kind of the point of course.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
848sarahw
Oct 26, 2024
A fantastic six hour food tour around a local neighbourhood . - This 6 hour tour was excellent. We were a group of six led by Katarina who knew this neighbourhood personally. The tour was a great combination of traditional breakfast, visiting local restaurants, cafes, street food and independent grocery shops.
There was a lot of discussion regarding the cultural heritage and food from Turks, Greeks, kurds and Armenians and their influences. We enjoyed traditional Turkish coffee and tea, saw different churches and talked about customs and traditions. We saw and sampled flat bread being made in a tandoori oven. We tasted and sampled a lot of food but it was well spaced out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lcallanson777
Oct 14, 2024
Amazing experience with a talented and kind guide - Katerina was an amazing guide; I loved exploring this neighborhood and that it seemed to completely lack tourists. Many people on the street or in the shops knew Katerina, which made for a more authentic experience. And there were SO MANY STOPS. I only wish I could have eaten more at every one because it was all so delicious. Well worth the price and time spent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davidby2417de
Oct 13, 2024
Fabulous tour with knowledgeable guide - We had a fabulous tour of Kurtulus! Our guide Benoît was so knowledgeable and passionate about this diverse neighborhood and its cuisine. We enjoyed everything we ate — including some really surprising stuff — and left totally stuffed. Would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Azorefamilytrip
Oct 7, 2024
Great neighborhood - Katerina was excellent in every way. My wife and I enjoyed our time, learning about her neighborhood, history and of course food.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kieran_g
Jun 20, 2024
Brilliant walk with a local! - This is a fabulous tour! We loved walking around the neighbourhood and popping in to all the local craftsmen. The tour is so much more than food - which is also amazing! We enjoyed the local places and some unusual dishes we would not otherwise have tried. Walking with Benoit is like walking with a friend showing off all the great parts of his neighbourhood!
Review provided by Viator
I2334rcpaulm
May 19, 2024
Best way to experience Istanbul - We did the tour of Kurtulus, a step back into the history of this working class neighborhood with layers of immigration and the food traditions associated with each. This was our second food walk with CB. This may be best for returning guests to Istanbul. A first visit may best benefit from the Old City walk or the Two Continents walk. Either way, CB is a great resource for people who want to discover the history and culture of a place by way of delicious food. I’ve also done the CB walks in Lisbon, Porto, and Queens NY and am always blown away by the quality of the guides and the choices of the vendors chosen for the tour. Remziye was a great guide in this latest walk.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
367eileenc
May 13, 2024
Delicious Kurtulus with Remziye - We had an informative and delicious tour with Remziye. She was so personable and enthusiastic about local foods and the people that help make and sell throughout the neighborhood. For all my foodie friends would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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