Cooking Alaturka Istanbul Cooking Classes

A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TIME IN ISTANBULOur first class at Cooking Alaturka was such a great experience we signed up for a second one as well. Leyla and Rocco make a perfect pair for this business— Leyla is a professional, trained tour guide and Rocco is a professional chef. We first did a food tour and cooking class, and then did a second class a week later. I recommend doing a tour and a class, since that way you learn about the city as well as the food. And in case you’re not sure about hanging out with a bunch of strangers on your vacation, Leyla and Rocco are great at including everyone and it was delightful to share the dinner with other travelers.Bottom line: We can’t recommend this experience highly enough. It’s fun, and educational, and really amplified our experience as tourists who like to do more than just sightsee. Go sign up right now.

We are a couple from New Zealand and we did our cooking class on a friday night! The experience was so much more than our expectations. The staff were very friendly, welcoming and joyful. They were extremely easy to communicate with, the steps were easy to follow and the food was delicious. We had so much fun! We made 5 course meals from fresh, organic ingredients and at the end, we were able to enjoy the meals as if it was a provate top class restaurant. I’d definitely recommend this if you are looking for some unique, exciting experience in Istanbul!

Güzell

I did a cooking class last night and it was SO FUN! I was amazed by how many dishes we made, and how restaurant quality the final food tasted. She was so good at explaining things that I feel like I’ll be able to make it on my own when I get home. This was a highlight of my trip!

Ci siamo sentiti a casa.Scampati al trambusto dei commercianti per le strade di Istanbul, abbiamo trovato un posto che meritava davvero di essere cercato.Sono rimasto molto colpito dall'accoglienza che ci ha riservato Rocco e dalla simpatia con cui Nazli ha condotto la classe di cucina.Con l'aiuto di Nazli e Rocco, siamo riusciti non solo a preparare con molta facilità alcune pietanze scoperte e gustate nei giorni passati qui a Istanbul, ma anche a comprenderne meglio l'identità.Raccomando questa esperienza a chiunque volesse tornare da Istanbul con qualche cianfrusaglia in meno e con una storia in più.

Had such a fun experience in Rocco and Leyla’s kitchen! They opened up a private class for myself and a friend and we had the best time learning about Turkish history and Ottoman cuisine. The meal prep was easy but informative and fun. The meal turned out delicious and we ate it with Leyla with some fantastic local wine. Would highly recommend this class to anyone who enjoys cooking, food, history, and wine! Leyla was also such a funny and warm host! She was also very helpful with local recommendations for other restaurants and attractions. She even called a few places to make reservations for us! Thank you for a memorable afternoon!!!

If you visit Istanbul it’s a must! My boyfriend found this class on a travel blog and it was one of the most authentic culinary experiences we have had while traveling. Leyla and Rocco are super warm, friendly and knowledgeable. We did the class with two of our friends and we had a blast! They welcomed us very warmly and we’re extremely organized. We began by getting to know each other and having an overview of the 5 dishes. They printed out the menu with the recipes for us to take with us. While cooking everything was seamless and we all got to contribute to the cooking. We learned about the different regions of Turkey while sharing about our own cultural dishes similarities and differences. After cooking for a couple of hours we got to eat dinner in a beautifully placed table where Layla served us the different courses with some really tasty white Turkish wine. Hands down one of the best culinary experiences we have had. They are a very warm and kind couple I highly encourage you to experience them on your own!

What a great experience! Rocco and Leyla are lovely people and great chefs and teachers. Their passion for what they do is infectious. We learnt a lot, we made new friends, and we cooked and ate an amazing meal!

Rocco and Layla were wonderful teachers and hosts. Hopefully I got their names right.We prepared a wonderful soup, some stuffed grape leaves , an eggplant dish and some fried zucchini patties and a super dessert. We do have a print out with the recipes and the names of these dishes, which I chose not to type due to my poor typing skills.Our lunch time class consisted and another couple who were very interesting, conversationalist and compatible with us.As you can see, we highly recommend the dining experience that we had .And hope the couple have a long and successful career with their school.

My partner booked this as a birthday present for us both when we visited Istanbul this week and it was such a fantastic way to spend an evening and to taste such fabulous Turkish food.It was just us and another lovely couple and Nazli was our chef. Both her and Rocco were great - really knowledgable, fun and excellent hosts. They also catered to us being vegan and vegetarian and we made dolmas, hummus, chicken salad (for the other couple), lentil kofta, and stuffed figs with walnuts. We ate some delicious meals in Istanbul and this was up there with the best.A great way to spend an evening/afternoon learning about the culture, cooking a new cuisine, and eating delicious food with some wine and new friends. Would absolutely recommend! Thanks Rocco and Nasli!