The Bazaar Quarter is one of the world’s biggest open-air commercial centers and a historic hub of small craftsmen who still carry on their tradition in the atmospheric caravanserais. On this food tour, we will meet and eat with these craftsmen.
Summary Description
Highlights
- Meet local artisans
- Tea and Turkish coffee
- Taste of a variety of meat
- Taste a variety of sweets
Description
On our Grand Bazaar food tour, we’ll start the day with a full breakfast celebrating the best of the dairy highlands in Eastern Anatolia, followed by an unusual wedding soup from Konya. Then we’ll make our way through the garment district to a cluster of Ottoman-era hans (traders’ inns), home to a guild of traditional craftsmen in their tiny workshops. There we will have an unforgettable, freshly baked pide before grazing our way in, out and around the Grand Bazaar, taking in a perfect kebab, a bite of Edirne-style liver, and a spread of seasonal, vegetarian mezes. We will drink tea and Turkish coffee in out-of-the-way places, while the sweet notes on this route begin with kadayıf, an Arabian-influenced love letter from the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, and end with a delicious milk-soaked cake that made its way from Albania to the Istanbul. It’s Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter as it’s never been seen — or tasted — before.
Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter is one of the world’s biggest open-air commercial centers, crowned by the planet’s largest covered market, the Grand Bazaar. It is not only a sprawling marketplace specializing in everything from knitting yarn to knockoff purses, but a historic center of small craftsmen who still carry on their tradition in the atmospheric caravanserais — Ottoman-era trading posts — that dot this area. With all of the shopping, people rarely open their eyes to the culinary treasures of this area, which are well-protected by the merchants and craftsmen who dine here everyday.
On our Grand Bazaar food tour, we’ll start the day with a full breakfast celebrating the best of the dairy highlands in Eastern Anatolia, followed by an unusual wedding soup from Konya. Then we’ll make our way through the garment district to a cluster of Ottoman-era hans (traders’ inns), home to a guild of traditional craftsmen in their tiny workshops. There we will have an unforgettable, freshly baked pide before grazing our way in, out and around the Grand Bazaar, taking in a perfect kebab, a bite of Edirne-style liver, and a spread of seasonal, vegetarian mezes. We will drink tea and Turkish coffee in out-of-the-way places, while the sweet notes on this route begin with kadayıf, an Arabian-influenced love letter from the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, and end with a delicious milk-soaked cake that made its way from Albania to the Istanbul. It’s Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter as it’s never been seen — or tasted — before.
Included / Excluded
- a dozen different edible specialties
- Culinary Backstreets guide
- Breakfast with locals
- Transportation to and from the meeting point
- No alcoholic drinks are served
Start / End Locations
Important Information
Know Before You Book
- Food Tasting - Let us know if you have any allergies
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Meat-heavy tour, not recommended for vegetarians, vegans or gluten-free diets
Cancellation
Cancellation Cutoff: 72 hours
Cancellation Notes: 100% refund if given 1 week notice prior to walk. 50% refund if given 72 hours notice or more. Less than 72 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund
Options and Pricing
| Culinary Backstreets of the Bazaar Quarter | RETAIL PRICE |
|---|---|
| Adult | $125.00 |
| Child (6 - 12 years) | $62.50 |
| Infant (0 - 6 years) | N/A |
Points of interest
- Rüstem Paşa, Rustem Pasha Mosque, Hasırcılar Caddesi, Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Beyazıt, Grand Bazaar Center, Kürkçüler Pazarı Sokak, Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Binbirdirek, At Meydanı Cd, Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Sultan Selim, Yeni Mosque, Genç/Bingöl, Türkiye
- Emirgan, Emirgan Park Otopark, Emirgan Korusu İçi Yolu, Sarıyer/İstanbul, Türkiye
- RĂĽstem PaĹźa, Spice Bazaar, Fatih/Ä°stanbul, TĂĽrkiye
- Sultan Ahmet, Hagia Sophia Mosque, Ayasofya Meydanı, Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Cankurtaran, Gülhane Parkı, Kennedy Avenue, Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Galata Bridge, Galata Köprüsü, Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Terms and Conditions
Liability Waiver By completing the reservation you acknowledge the following: If you have food allergies, you are ultimately responsible to ensure your own health and safety. If you share information about your allergies, we can provide you with some guidance about the food purveyors on your tour, but we are not responsible for any allergic reactions that you may have. We are not responsible for any damages or losses incurred as result of acts by entities beyond our control, including but not limited to restaurants, shops, market stalls, eateries and food carts. We are not responsible for acts beyond our control, including but not limited to acts of God, act of nature, acts of war, or other unrest caused by state or non-state actors. If you are disruptive, we have the right to ask you to leave the tour without refunding you or providing you with a credit for your tour. You are aware of and responsible for all damages or losses that may arise during the course of the tour resulting from: Risks associated with food, water or other drinks, including alcoholic beverages; physical accidents during the tour or at any of the locations visited; transportation failures; forces of nature; criminal activity; damage, loss or misplaced property; or accident or illness without means of rapid evacuation or availability of medical supplies or services. You agree that any claims that may arise will first go to arbitration and only if not resolved in that manner shall be heard in court. In both cases, grievances shall be heard in the jurisdiction of Washington, DC. You further agree to be responsible for your own welfare and property and accept any and all risks of delay, unanticipated events, inconvenience, illness, injury, emotional trauma or death. You further acknowledge that participation in Culinary Backstreets tours is based upon execution of this Liability Waiver. By completing the reservation process you release and discharge forever Culinary Backstreets, its employees, owners, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns, from and against any liability arising from participating in this tour. You further agree that this release shall be legally binding upon you personally, all members of your family, all minors traveling with you, your heirs, successors, assigns, and legal representatives, to the maximum extent of the law. I am aware that while on or traveling to or from my activity with Culinary Backstreets, I might be exposed to COVID-19 from other people, animals or objects. I assume all risk of any such contacts, including sickness, incapacity or death and agree to hold harmless Culinary Backstreets from any such developments. In addition, I recognize that the World Health Organization, U.S. Department of State as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have warnings concerning same and am choosing to travel and assume all risk myself.
