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The district surrounding Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is itself a sprawling, ancient marketplace, home to every conceivable craft, and featuring a historic core where traditional craftsmen carry on their work in atmospheric hans – Ottoman-era trading posts. Yet people rarely open their eyes to the culinary treasures of this quarter, which is filled with small backstreet eateries frequented and well-protected by the neighborhood merchants and artisans who dine here every day. On this full-day tour, we'll explore the area's historic hans, meet some traditional craftsmen in their tiny workshops and eat in those hidden restaurants that, like the merchants themselves, reflect the regional diversity of Turkey. Fittingly for such a historic district, our day will begin in the courtyard of a former religious school that dates back to the early 1700s. Here we'll have some tea and traditional pastries before diving into the bustle of the neighborhood. Working our way through streets lined with small shops, we'll next stop at a family-run cafe with a rooftop terrace offering a jaw-dropping view of the Grand Bazaar. Sitting down to take in the view, we'll join local merchants for a breakfast of menemen, Turkish-style scrambled eggs. From there, we'll continue along the edges of the Grand Bazaar to a hole-in-the-wall doner spot, housed inside an old kiosk on the grounds of a still-functioning 19th-century mosque. Passing through an area that was once filled exclusively with hatmakers' shops, we'll then stop at another local favorite, a tiny esnaf lokantasi – a kind of restaurant serving homestyle meals to neighborhood shop owners – that, unique to this area, is run by a woman. We'll try her daily specials, which change according to what's in season and available in the produce markets, but always reflect her roots in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains region. Diving deeper into the backstreets, we'll make our way through a 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 meet some of these artisans and also have an unforgettable, freshly baked flatbread made by a pair of masters who have been working together for decades to keep the area's merchants fed. As we weave through the backstreets, we'll also pop into the shop of one of Istanbul's best kokoreç – grilled lamb intestines – makers, before finishing up at a sweets shop for a delicious milk-soaked cake that made its way from Albania to Istanbul. It's a fitting end to a day that takes in Istanbul's Bazaar Quarter as it's never been seen — or tasted — before.
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