🗺 sightseeing
🍽 Food & Drink
I'm Zeynep — I'll Take You Across the Bosphorus to Eat Istanbul the Way Locals Do
📍 Istanbul, Turkey
About This Experience
My name is Zeynep and I live in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul. The city that visitors see is Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar. The city I live in is across the Bosphorus — reachable by a 20-minute ferry that costs less than a coffee — and it is where Istanbul actually eats. I take groups on the morning ferry from Eminönü to Kadıköy, through the Kadıköy food market (the best in the city, no contest), for a balık ekmek fish sandwich at the Bosphorus-side stands, and into the neighbourhood for a proper midday meze spread at a meyhane that has been operating since 1987. I explain what Istanbul is as a city, why the two sides of the Bosphorus feel like different countries, and what this food means to people who eat it every day.
Traveler Reviews
B
bassem Mohamed
★★★★★
R
R Vs
★★★★★
A
Amara Osei
★★★★☆
T
Taha Shater
★★★★★
D
Daniel Okafor
★★★★★
Meet Your Guide & Host
Zeynep Kaya ✓ Verified
I grew up on the Asian side of Istanbul, in Kadıköy, which is where the city lives when it is not performing for visitors. Kadıköy has the best food market in Istanbul, the best balık ekmek (grilled fish sandwich) on the Bosphorus, and the meyhane drinking restaurants where Istanbulites eat meze until the small hours. I have been eating my way across both continents for 32 years. Istanbul is one of the great food cities on earth and almost nothing that is sold to tourists — the tourist restaurants around Sultanahmet, the 'traditional' restaurants on the guided tour circuit — has anything to do with how this city actually eats.
View full profile & all experiences →Frequently Asked Questions
How long is "I'm Zeynep — I'll Take You Across the Bosphorus to Eat Istanbul the Way Locals Do"?
This experience lasts approximately 5 hours.
How much does "I'm Zeynep — I'll Take You Across the Bosphorus to Eat Istanbul the Way Locals Do" cost?
It's $20 per person. You book and message your guide in the Local Guide app.
What languages is it offered in?
Zeynep Kaya hosts this experience in Turkish, English.
Who is my guide?
Zeynep Kaya, a verified local guide. I grew up on the Asian side of Istanbul, in Kadıköy, which is where the city lives when it is not performing for visitors. Kadıköy has the best food market in Istanbul, the best ba
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