I have done a few food tours or variations thereof before, but our tour with Yummy Istanbul was my very first walking food tour. Every part of this 10-stop tour was walked, except for a short ferry ride from Europe to Asia (and this part of the premise of dining on two continents). Walking gives you so much more opportunity to notice little details that you would have missed otherwise and it gives you a feel for the city that cannot easily be replicated in a single venue restaurant or driving from venue to venue…and in a city that consists of layer upon layer of rich history and culture, this was incredible. Every stop on the tour, whether it be breakfast or ice cream, visits to the markets or walking and snacking our way along little back alleys just felt so incredibly authentic and we loved it. Here, yes, credit has to go to the city and its incredible cuisine, but in equal measure, it has to go to our guide, Leyla. An avid foodie with a passion for her city, she not only looked after our culinary needs, but she was quick to share not only the history of the dishes that we enjoyed but also her extensive knowledge of the city’s history, making every stop and turn to feel like a little adventure. This tour took virtually a whole day and even though we had limited time in the city and there were so many more things that we wanted to do and see, I would, if given the chance for a do-over, choose to do this tour again. I cannot recommend it enough. As far as the food itself is concerned, be warned… it is a lot (and Leyla did warn us and despite this, we were ill-prepared for how much food there was). I found most of what was on offer incredibly delicious but the stand-out items that I would recommend keeping an eye out for were the grilled olives, hazelnut spreads, pomegranate Turkish delight, baklava, dolma, lentil soup (seriously, the best soup, I have ever eaten) and the Menemen.