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Food tours in Baku: what to eat and which tour to book
Eating in Baku centres on lamb, rice, fresh herbs and tea. Plov is the dish for celebrations, with dozens of regional versions; everyday food is qutab (thin stuffed flatbreads), grilled lyulya and shashlik kebabs, small dushbara dumplings in broth and dolma wrapped in vine or cabbage leaves. Meals come with a plate of raw herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers and tandir bread, and end with black tea in pear-shaped glasses, served with jam and sweets such as pakhlava and shekerbura. The Caspian adds sturgeon and caviar, though both are expensive and tightly regulated. The Old City and Fountain Square are where the restaurants are most theatrical and most expensive; Taza Bazaar and the residential districts are where Bakuvians shop and eat.
Use this page to know what to order and where to find it. The tours shown here are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; prices and schedules change, so confirm on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Baku
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plov plov (şah plov, şirin plov, toyuq plov) | Saffron rice cooked separately from its topping of lamb, chestnuts, dried fruit and onions. Shah plov is baked inside a crisp lavash crust and cut open at the table. | Traditional Azerbaijani restaurants in the centre and in the Old City; shah plov usually needs to be ordered for two or more. | roughly 12–25 AZN a portion (about €6–13); shah plov for a table more |
| Qutab | Very thin flatbread folded around minced lamb, herbs (göy qutab), cheese or pumpkin, cooked on a dry griddle and brushed with butter. Often served with yoghurt and sumac. | Bakeries, cafés and casual restaurants everywhere; also sold fresh around Taza Bazaar. | about 1.5–4 AZN each (about €0.80–2) |
| Dushbara düşbərə | Tiny lamb dumplings, many to a spoon, served in clear broth with dried mint, vinegar and garlic. | Traditional restaurants and cafés serving home-style food. | roughly 6–12 AZN a bowl (about €3–6) |
| Lyulya kebab and shashlik lülə kabab / tikə kabab | Minced lamb pressed onto flat skewers (lyulya) or chunks of lamb or beef (tikə), grilled over charcoal and served on lavash with onion, sumac and herbs. | Kebab houses and grills across the city; good ones are often away from the Old City. | roughly 6–15 AZN a skewer (about €3–8) |
| Dolma yarpaq dolması / kələm dolması / üç bacı dolması | Minced lamb and rice with herbs wrapped in vine leaves or cabbage; 'three sisters' dolma is stuffed aubergine, tomato and pepper. Served with garlic yoghurt. | Traditional restaurants; small vine-leaf dolma is on most menus. | roughly 8–15 AZN a portion (about €4–8) |
| Piti | Lamb and chickpea stew cooked in an individual clay pot, originally from Shaki. You tear bread into a bowl, pour the broth over it, then eat the meat and chickpeas separately. | Restaurants specialising in Shaki food; not every place has it every day. | roughly 10–18 AZN a pot (about €5–9) |
| Tea with jam and sweets çay, mürəbbə, paxlava, şəkərbura | Black tea in armudu (pear-shaped) glasses, served with fruit or walnut jam, lemon and sugar cubes, plus pakhlava (layered nut pastry) and shekerbura (crescent-shaped nut-filled pastry). | Tea houses (çayxana) and cafés, including along the Boulevard and in the Old City. | a pot of tea roughly 5–15 AZN (about €2.50–8); a tea set with jams and sweets more |
| Dovga dovğa | Yoghurt soup with rice, chickpeas and a large amount of chopped herbs, served hot in winter and cold in summer. | Traditional restaurants and home-style cafés. | about 4–8 AZN a bowl (about €2–4) |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Taza Bazaar (Təzə Bazar)
The city's best-known food market, north of the centre: herbs, pomegranates, dried fruit, nuts, cheese, butter, meat, fish and caviar sellers, with small bakeries nearby.
Old City (İçərişəhər)
Walled old town with restaurants in restored caravanserais and courtyard tea houses. Atmospheric but priced for visitors.
Fountain Square and Nizami Street
The central pedestrian area, with cafés, bakeries, sweet shops and restaurants of every kind. Convenient, but it is also where tourist-trap bars operate.
Baku Boulevard (Dənizkənarı Milli Park)
The long seafront promenade with tea houses and cafés; where Bakuvians walk and drink tea on summer evenings.
Neighbourhood çayxanas and kebab houses
Simple tea houses and grills in residential districts away from the centre, where prices are lower and the clientele is local. Traditionally tea houses were male spaces; central ones are mixed.
Food tours in Baku compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijani Cooking Class & Old City Tour & Lunch | 3 hours | from €52 per person | — | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Taste of Azerbaijan: Cuisine Tour with Snacks and Dinner | 4 hours | from €89 per person | — | Evening eaters who want dinner and drinks rolled into one, plus the city after dark. | Check dates |
| Baku Street Food Tour | 3 hours | from €107 per group | private | Couples, families or friends who want the route and pace set around them. | Check dates |
| Baku: Guided Wine Tasting & Old City Tour | 1.5 - 2.5 hours | from €17 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
Azerbaijani Cooking Class & Old City Tour & Lunch
On GetYourGuide · run by Old City Tours LLC
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €52 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 5 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
Taste of Azerbaijan: Cuisine Tour with Snacks and Dinner
On GetYourGuide · run by Baku Tours by Baku Explorer
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €89 per person
- Rating
- 4.4 ★ from 13 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Prearranged meal (2 appetizers and 1 entree meal per person) and soft drinks from our custom menu Tea set with sweets Guided tour Gratuities
- Suits
- Evening eaters who want dinner and drinks rolled into one, plus the city after dark.
- Starts
- Icherisheher, Bakı, Azerbaijan
Baku Street Food Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Eagle Travel Azerbaijan
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €107 per group
- Rating
- 4.6 ★ from 9 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- private
- Included
- Private transportation Air-conditioned vehicle Local street food Local drinks Gratuities
- Suits
- Couples, families or friends who want the route and pace set around them.
- Starts
- Meeting point: Double Gates of the Old City (Icherisheher) — the main entrance to the Old City walls. Your guide will be waiting in front of the gates.
Baku: Guided Wine Tasting & Old City Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by NOMADZ Travel Co.
- Length
- 1.5 - 2.5 hours
- Price
- from €17 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 3 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Guided walking tour of Baku's Old City Transportation Wine tasting Personal expenses Additional food and drinks
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Street food in Baku is mostly qutab, döner, samsa and pastries from bakeries and small counters, plus tandir bread straight from the oven. There are no night-market food streets; the casual meal is a qutab or döner eaten at a counter, or a kebab at a simple grill.
Sit-down meals
Sit-down meals are long and generous, with salads, herbs, cheese and pickles before the hot dishes, then tea and sweets. Many restaurants add a service charge of around 10%, so check the bill. Traditional restaurants often have live music in the evening.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes in Baku usually cover qutab, dolma or plov and run around 2–4 hours, sometimes in a family home. Some start with a walk through Taza Bazaar to buy herbs and meat. Ask whether the class is hands-on or a demonstration.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | 30–45 AZN, about €15–23 (qutab and tea, kebab lunch, simple dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | 60–100 AZN, about €30–50 (two traditional restaurant meals) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | 200+ AZN, about €100+ (upmarket restaurant, sturgeon or caviar, wine) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Possible with some effort. Herb, pumpkin and cheese qutab, herb plates, salads, dovga, aubergine dishes, kuku (herb omelette) and plenty of bread and cheese are meat-free. Many soups and plovs use lamb stock or fat, so ask. Vegan food is harder because of butter and yoghurt.
Halal: Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority but secular country. Lamb, beef and chicken are the standard meats, pork is uncommon, and much meat is slaughtered in the traditional way, but formal halal certification is not usual and alcohol is widely served. Ask if certification matters to you.
Gluten-free: Rice-based plov (outside shah plov's lavash crust), grilled kebabs without bread, dolma and many salads are naturally gluten-free. Qutab, dushbara, lavash, tandir bread and pastries are not. Awareness of coeliac disease is low, so explain clearly.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Bars and clubs around Fountain Square where a friendly stranger or a group of women invites you in, then a very large bill arrives for drinks. Decline invitations from people you just met, choose your own bar and ask for prices before ordering.
- Caviar and sturgeon priced per 100 g or per kilo, with the portion weight not stated until the bill. Ask for the weight and total price before ordering. Buy caviar only from licensed shops with sealed tins and a receipt; there are export limits.
- Tea houses that bring a full tray of jams, sweets, nuts and fruit with your tea and charge for all of it. Ask what is included in the tea set and what costs extra before it arrives.
- Unmetered taxis outside restaurants and at the airport quoting high fixed prices. Use the official purple London-style cabs with a meter, or a ride app such as Bolt or Uber, and agree the price first if there is no meter.
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Baku?
Many restaurants already add a service charge of around 10%, shown on the bill; if it is there, no extra tip is expected, though rounding up is appreciated. If there is no service charge, about 5–10% for good service is normal. In tea houses and cafés, small change is enough. Cash tips are more likely to reach staff than card tips.
Is the food in Baku halal?
Most meat is lamb, beef or chicken and pork is uncommon, so many meals are halal in practice. However, Azerbaijan is secular, formal halal certification is not standard, and restaurants serve alcohol. If certification matters, ask the restaurant directly, or choose places that state it. Kebab houses and traditional restaurants are usually the most reliable.
When should I visit Taza Bazaar?
Go in the morning, when produce and herbs are freshest and stalls are fully stocked. The market opens daily from early morning until evening, but some sellers pack up in the afternoon. Autumn is the best season for pomegranates, persimmons, nuts and dried fruit. Bring cash in small notes; prices are often negotiable at stalls. Check current hours before going.
Is it safe to buy caviar in Baku?
Buy only from licensed shops that sell sealed, labelled tins with a receipt. Caspian sturgeon is endangered and trade is regulated; caviar sold loosely at markets or by street sellers may be illegal or poor quality. There are also limits on how much you can take out of the country and into the EU, so check the rules before buying.
What time do people eat in Baku?
Lunch is usually from about 13:00 to 15:00 and dinner from about 19:00, often running late. Restaurants in the centre are open all day. Weekends and summer evenings are busiest, especially at places with live music or terraces. Tea is drunk throughout the day and almost always after a meal.
How much should I budget for food per day?
On a budget, about 30–45 AZN (roughly €15–23) covers qutab, a kebab lunch and a simple dinner with tea. Two meals in traditional restaurants come to roughly 60–100 AZN (about €30–50). Upmarket restaurants, wine and especially caviar or sturgeon can easily take a single dinner over 150–200 AZN. Old City restaurants charge more than similar places elsewhere.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.