Traditional Home Cooking with a Local in İstanbul City Center
50 reviews
Experience hosted at home by
Gülşah
4 Hours
English, Turkish
If you’re looking for things to do in Istanbul that let you experience the city like a local, this home cooking experience is the perfect way to connect with Turkish culture through food. We’ll start by exploring the colorful, historic markets of Kurtuluş, where you’ll see vibrant spice stalls, freshly baked simit at the local bakery, traditional cured meats at the charcuterie, and jars of pickled delicacies. These shops are full of flavors that have shaped Turkish cuisine for centuries, and as we shop together, I’ll share their history and the best ways to use these ingredients in home cooking. 🍲
Once we’ve gathered everything we need, we’ll head to my home kitchen, where we’ll cook side by side just as Turkish families do. We’ll prepare authentic dishes like dolma, börek, mezes, and traditional soups, learning the small details that make them truly special. As we cook, we’ll chat about Turkish food culture, daily life, and the personal stories behind each dish. 🍴
When everything is ready, we’ll sit down for a homemade feast, enjoying the rich flavors, warm hospitality, and good conversation that make meals in Turkey so special. More than just a class, this is an opportunity to connect, share, and create lasting memories. 💬
If you’re wondering what is best to do in Istanbul, this experience will leave you with a full belly, a full heart, and a deeper appreciation for the city’s flavors and traditions. 🧡
What do our guests say?
The evening was much more than a cooking class, it was a long conversation about food and life in Turkey. Starting with visits to the local markets, explaining some of the specialties and getting Gűlșah help choosing some spices to take back home with us, and the odd sample on the way it was very welcoming. Her flat is very beautiful and well laid out to allow us to fully participate in the cooking. A delightful meal with more than enough for everyone. A true pleasure and a wonderful time to end our trip in Turkey. Highly recommended.
20.11.25
Iain
Turkish neighbourhood meandering and dinner preparations!!. Don’t this walking tour that leads you to a cooking class that has all involved in the preparation. Chopping, pouring, stirring and rolling all part of the Turkish culinary experience. Our hostess Gulsha was wonderful and welcomed us into her home to share a night together. Sign up today to make sure you can experience this fun cooking class. Highlight was walking through the neighbourhood and tasting when you could or buying new flavours for your enjoyment after class. Al also sharing the meal with other travellers was wonderful.
20.11.25
Lorraine D
MUST DO AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE IN ISTANBUL!!!. Ok guys this is MUST DO while you’re in Istanbul. You’ll get an amazing experience starting with super friendly meeting with Gülşah - your cooking mentor. But not only cooking mentor, also she takes you to local little stores to show you how locals live and shop for food. Honestly, after few days spent in the city centre, thanks to Gülşah, we found out the real Istanbul, not the tourist one. Breathtaking stores, lot of informations about local life and unforgettable taste of everything we tried. Once you get to Gülşah’s apartment, you start cooking and that’s the highlight of this class because then you figure out why is their food soooo good. And Gülşah knows very well how to cook. DO IT GUYS because you won’t get better authentic experience than this.
Well done Gülşah!! You deserve 100 🌟.
Thank you ❤️
16.11.25
Tomáš H