Merrylands Culinary Tour: Exploring Afghan, Syrian, and Persian Flavours

Embark on a unique culinary adventure in Merrylands, Australia, and explore the vibrant flavors of Afghan, Syrian, and Persian cuisines. Discover the rich cultural heritage and hear inspiring stories of resilience and hope from the local business owners.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Granville Park Montrose Avenue, Merrylands - In the Merrylands Tour you will explore the tastes and cultures of Afghanistan and Persia. Enjoy dishes lovingly prepared, and shared with you by the newest Australians. Traditional recipes have come on long journeys from homes in Afghanistan and Persia (Iran), brought to keep homelands alive in hearts and bellies.
What's Included
  • Accompanied by a local guide
  • Inclusive of breakfast
  • Lunch provided
  • Snacks throughout the day
  • Enjoy food tastings
  • Tea and coffee available
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Merrylands is a melting pot for many recently arrived Australians, some of whom have sought refuge from their native lands. This excursion will reveal to you the delicious culinary secrets they are eager to share.
You’ll explore the rich tastes of Syria, Afghanistan, and the delicacies of Persia, including its distinctive use of dried limes and saffron….

Location
Al Shami Restaurant
Railway Terrace
We meet at Al Shami Restaurant at 102/106 Railway Terrace. It is across from the Merrylands train station. You will find our guide waiting for you in a yellow T-shirt. Please arrive 15 minutes before the tour start time.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(191 Ratings)
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Compass466981
Nov 22, 2024
Amazing food and knowledgable guide - Such a fascinating and well-run tour. Sahar was a fantastic guide and made sure everyone felt comfortable, included and full by the end of it! She provided us with invaluable knowledge not only about the food we were eating and the countries it came from, but the local restaurants and shops we visited in the community. I'm already planning what tour to do next.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicoleae5608ch
Nov 19, 2024
Fantastic, Don’t Hesitate to Book - I have done a lot of travel and food tours but this was hands down one of the best food tours I have ever done! Sahar was a wonderful and warm guide who was very generous with sharing her knowledge of the food and the people of the Merrylands community. The food was incredible and abundant. I’m a sucker for an ethnic grocery store and this tour did not disappoint. Sahar patiently explained everything on the shelves. The people in our group were wonderful to meet which made it even more fun. This is a not to be missed experience of Sydney and a fabulous representation of Australia’s successful multicultural society. An absolute must do for anyone travelling to Sydney and for locals alike. Good thing I don’t live in Sydney as I would get too fat!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
199venya
Nov 18, 2024
Brilliant Experience - Everything from the booking to the doing was fantastic. Sahar and the people in the Taste office (thankyou Noor!) were incredibly helpful and made the Sunday tour my wife and I did extremely memorable. Sahar is a wonderful guide and we enjoyed hearing every bit of information she had about food, life, groceries... anything and everything. My wife loaded up her shopping bag with lovely stuff we can't get in Brisbane. Each of the restaurant tastings was great, even though I know how hard it can be to deal with Vegans, of which we are two. Also lovely were thje other people on the tour, so it became a very special gastronomic and social event. We will make sure we do a Taste tour every time we come to Sydney for pleasure. Finally, we will definitely go back to the restaurants and bakeries we visited (the aromas are still with me, especially the last bakery we visited), as well as the grocery stores. Thank you Sahar for being such wonderful company, you are very special indeed. xxx
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Noorb968
Nov 4, 2024
Explosive flavours and heartwarming stories - We walked to 6 different locations. Starting at Al Shami Restaurant, we tasted some amazing Fettah and Foul. The restaurant was beautifully decorated with some classic Fairouz music. Then we walked to a Persian supermarket and Afghani bakery to taste some freshly made bread. We then made our way to Kabul House to have lunch. We enjoyed some tasty lamb and rice sprinkled with raisins and Afghan styled meat dumplings in a yoghurt/dill sauce. The food was absolutely delicious. We then walked to another Persian supermarket that had a large selection of herbs and nuts. Our final stop was an Afghan dessert shop. We tried some carrot juice with Saffron ice cream and some traditional Afghan desserts. The tour guide was a beautiful young Afghani woman. She was so nice, vibrant and expressive. She shared stories from growing up in an Afghani household. Her passion for her heritage was very clear and heartwarming. I would recommend experiencing this tour if you've never had middle-eastern/afghan/persian food. The people on the tour with my husband and I were really sweet and everyone enjoyed each others company. Couldnt have been a better day spent with great people.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Neilmv3681vr
Oct 31, 2024
Amazing! - An amazing experience. Delicious food (covering breakfast, lunch and dessert) and a wonderful guide. I learned so much and my taste buds were spoilt
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kyliev1970
Oct 28, 2024
Best Day Out - What an absolute awesome time I had, enjoyed every minute of it and our tour guide was by far the best I have ever experienced
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lesstrodden
Oct 27, 2024
Do experience at least one Taste Tour! - It was great to experience different cuisines, and to talk with Shazia about her experiences. The supermarkets one we went to was Persian, were fascinating too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D776brbelindam
Oct 22, 2024
Knowledgeable guides and amazing food - Our two guides were so knowledgeable and we really appreciated them sharing their personal stories. All the food we tasted, in particular the Syrian food, was amazing. So culturally diverse in a hidden pocket of Sydney. Was great experience as a adult family group of 9
Review provided by Tripadvisor
577melinday
Oct 22, 2024
Fantastic tour - We loved this tour, we were lucky to have Farhat as a guide and she is a lovely person. She took time to explain the customs and culture and to answer any questions we might have. We also got to taste some yummy food that we might not normally have had. I would recommend this tour 100%.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O4817mtgregh
Oct 8, 2024
Brilliant! - A brilliant experience, made all the richer by our wonderful guide, Latife. She was personable, knowledgeable, passionate about her subject matter, and had some very nice touches to the tour, such as providing us with tea and "mystery tastings". I would strongly recommend this tour to all comers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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