Istanbul: The Tasting City — Drinks & Plates
- 4–5 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Kadıköy doesn’t perform Istanbul — it lives it. On this evening walk through the Asian side’s most spirited neighbourhood, you’ll taste your way through centuries of drinking culture: from an Ottoman confectioner founded in 1777 to a wine bar pouring Anatolia’s oldest grape varieties, from a century-old pastry house to a meyhane where the rakı flows as the evening settles over the city. Seven stops. Seven stories: Turkish coffee, şerbet, çay, craft beer, native wine, limonata, rakı — each one rooted in a place, a tradition, a moment in this city’s long and layered history. One neighbourhood that quietly holds more of Istanbul’s soul than any postcard ever could. Maximum 12 guests. No tourist trail. Just the Asian shore, as locals know it.
Inclusions
What's included
- A curated walk through Kadıköy's historic market district, Moda, and the Fenerbahçe waterfront
- Licensed guide specializing in Istanbul's drinking culture & history
- Seven drink tastings across seven historic Kadıköy venues
- All tastings included: Turkish coffee, şerbet, çay, craft beer, Anatolian wine, limonata & rakı
What's not
- Gratuities (optional but appreciated)
- Additional food or drinks outside the tasting selections
- Transportation to the meeting point or from the end point
Itinerary
We meet at the ferry terminal, where the Asian shore begins. From here, we walk into the heart of Kadıköy — a neighbourhood that has been feeding and watering Istanbul for centuries.
Since 1923, this narrow Kadıköy institution has been roasting and serving Turkish coffee the old way — thick, unfiltered, unhurried. We begin here with a cup and lokum, and the first story: how coffee arrived in Istanbul and changed the way the city thought.
Founded in 1923 by a Greek confectioner, It is one of Istanbul’s most quietly remarkable survivors. Over çay and chocolate, we trace the layered history of Kadıköy’s non-Muslim communities — and why this pastry house is still here when so many others are not.
Istanbul’s oldest confectionery — supplier to the Ottoman Imperial Palace since 1777. We pause here for şerbet, one of the city’s oldest drinks, and the story of a family business that outlasted empires.
From the Ottoman palace to the 21st century: Kadıköy’s craft beer movement arrived quietly and is now one of the most vibrant in the city. We try a glass and talk about how drinking culture shifts — and what it says about a neighbourhood in transition.
Every bottle on their list is Turkish — sourced from over 70 Anatolian producers. We sit, we pour, and we talk about what it means that Turkey has been making wine for 7,000 years and most of the world doesn’t know it.
Between the wine bar and the meyhane, we slow down. Sofa’s garden is one of Kadıköy’s most quietly beautiful spots — a courtyard hidden from the street, where we pause for a limonata and let the afternoon settle before the final act.
We end at a meyhane with history in its walls — rakı, meze, and the particular kind of conversation that only happens when the day has been long and the table is good. No sunset over the sea, but something better: the feeling of a neighbourhood that has fed people well for a very long time.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Easily reached by ferry from Eminönü (20 min), Beşiktaş (25 min), or Üsküdar (10 min). Your guide will be waiting at the Kadıköy ferry terminal entrance at 17:00. We recommend taking the ferry — it's the most scenic way to arrive on the Asian shore.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 12 travellers
- Operated by
- Via Vestigia
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Not suitable for those with severe food allergies (nuts, dairy, gluten, seafood)
- Gluten intolerance / celiac disease — bread, beer and meze may contain gluten
How it compares in Istanbul
- Its from-price is 21% below the median of the 3649 experiences we list in Istanbul.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Istanbul
Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus, with Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, busy bazaars and ferries crossing between continents.
The historic peninsula holds the greatest landmarks. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome face each other in Sultanahmet, the Basilica Cistern lies beneath the streets, and Topkapı Palace spreads across the hill above the Golden Horn. A short walk away, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar have traded for centuries, and Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the great Ottoman architect Sinan, crowns one of the city's seven hills.
Top-ranked sights in Istanbul: Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahce Sarayi), Bosphorus, Bosphorus Bridge (Bogazici Koprusu).
Special offers in Istanbul
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
