# Culinary Backstreets > Authentic local food guide for global cities with offline access. (iPhone/iPad app by Culinary Backstreets.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/culinary-backstreets/id534876766 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Culinary Backstreets](https://appshunter.io/developer/534876809) - Category: Food & Drink, Travel - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 2.60/5 from 12 App Store ratings · 31 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 16 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-09-01 - Data updated: 2026-08-07 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/culinary-backstreets/id534876766/reviews.md ## What is Culinary Backstreets? Download the application for free and purchase each city volume of reviews for only $3.99 each, with a lifetime of free updates! The definitive guide to eating locally and authentically in several of the world’s greatest food cities, including Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City – with more to come! Each city volume within the application is purchased separately for $3.99 with free updates to the database forever. Beyond the kebab, souvlaki, tapas, soup dumpling, feijoada or taco – and what you will find listed in most guidebooks for these cities – lies a wide range of unique regional cuisines and restaurants with hints of cooking from all around. Most of these spots, though, are found far off the eaten track. With Culinary Backstreets as your trusty guide, you will know what to eat and where to eat it. 

   Application features: 
-Content provided by Culinarybackstreets.com, the online global guide to local eats. -The absolute best of Culinary Backstreets’ local correspondents’  eating experiences: hundreds of opinionated reviews of local and authentic restaurants, street food carts, bakeries, dessert shops and more.
 -Search functions and integrated maps that make finding the perfect meal easy. 
 -Vivid photos of food and the people who make it.  
-Content always available in off-line mode. 


   About Culinary Backstreets:

 Partnering up with some of the most knowledgeable and passionate food writers and bloggers across the globe, Culinarybackstreets.com is a hotline for the hungry traveler, bedside reading for the foodie voyeur, and a heavily bookmarked index for those who live among the culinary backstreets featured in our pages. Dispatching from Istanbul, Athens, Shanghai, Barcelona, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Tbilisi (with more cities on the way), Culinarybackstreets.com is a community of readers and writers who follow their stomachs to the next destination.   Praise for Culinary Backstreets’ Istanbul app:

   “Finally, a guide that truly shows you how to eat like a local in Istanbul!”
-Anya Von Bremzen, contributing editor at Travel+Leisure, author of “The New Spanish Table”

   “…. The insiders guide to the back streets, hidden gems and tasty bites in the glorious old city on the Bosphorus. I love it.”
 Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC NEWS

   “Affectionate, funny and delicious. A must-have road map to the tastiest secrets in this beautiful city. I never leave home without it.” 
-Ivan Watson, International Foreign Correspondent, CNN   

“The brains (and stomachs) ….you want guiding you through the vast culinary treasures of one of the world's most interesting eating cities.”
-Seth Kugel, Frugal Traveler, New York Times   

“Brilliant insider guide to the best eats in Istanbul.” 
-The Guardian ## Key features - Curated local food reviews - Integrated maps for easy navigation - Offline content access - Vivid food and people photography - Content from global food correspondents ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Istanbul | $3.99 | one-time | | Athens | $3.99 | one-time | | Barcelona | $3.99 | one-time | | Istanbul | Free | one-time | | Shanghai | $3.99 | one-time | | Rio | Free | one-time | | Mexico | $3.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 31) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/culinary-backstreets/id534876766/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Not helpful, even in Istanbul *2024-02-27, version 2.3.1* Weird design for an app. I can’t look up a restaurant by food item or location or even meal offering. The location part of the app doesn’t link to any map app so it’s hard to find the restaurants. Not worth the price and I won’t recommend. ### 1/5 — Broken app *2022-02-20, version 2.3.1* App repeatedly fails to load Mexico City map and still charged me for the download. Needs serious work. ### 2/5 — Outdated *2019-08-02* The reviews would be excellent, if even half of the restaurants reviewed still existed. Was great for Istanbul, absolutely awful for Shanghai. ### 5/5 — Way better than trip advisor etc. *2019-03-28, version 2.3.1* Best restaurants I went to in Istanbul were found in this app. The highly reviewed spots that you’d find on other apps were not often good, or were too crowded. Love this app. Will try for other cities from now on. ### 1/5 — When are updates coming? *2018-05-26, version 2.3.1* Been a long time waiting for updates and new cities ### 1/5 — Huh *2017-07-24, version 2.3.1* Lousy. Not well organized. Not worth $4 ### 1/5 — Doesn't work *2016-07-14, version 2.3* I paid to download the Barcelona app and it doesn't work - what a waste of money didn't get to use it ### 3/5 — A good start *2016-06-27, version 2.3* I love the website. That being said, the Mexico City portion of the app is light. It needs a lot more work. I realize that Mexico City is huge, so for that I will give you a grace period. Once the content improves, I will rate/review again. Until then I will not be suggesting your app to my traveling friends. If you improve the app to be as good as your website, it will be a five star for sure. Fingers crossed! ### 5/5 — Best istanbul app out there *2016-06-01* Update -- rio one has a section dedicated to Olympic area! Will be great in August! So psyched! Update --- love the Barcelona even more than the istanbul one! Offline maps with gps tracker (without roaming) is worth the money alone. Not to mention the excellent content - you won't be sorry that you purchased this one- it's our go to guide in istanbul! Update--- new map interface works even better! Love macs maps! ### 5/5 — I love culinary backstreets *2016-04-12, version 2.2.1* I read the weekly emails, have used the EatItinerary service and the Athens, Istanbul and Barcelona apps. I have found the information to be spot-on. I appreciate the focus on 'real' food representative of the place and culture. My only criticism is that I'd like to see some general price rating system so you have an idea if you are likely to spend 10 or 40 euro on a meal. Lots of the places covered either don't have websites or don't list prices. Overall a fantastic culinary resource. ## Frequently asked questions about Culinary Backstreets ### What does the Culinary Backstreets app do? The app serves as a guide to eating locally and authentically in various major food cities around the world. It provides hundreds of opinionated reviews of local restaurants, street food carts, bakeries, and dessert shops, focusing on unique regional cuisines often found off the beaten track. ### How does the app make money? The application itself is free to download. Users can then purchase individual city volumes of reviews for $3.99 each. These purchases come with a lifetime of free updates to the database for that specific city. ### What are the key features of the app? Key features include content provided by Culinarybackstreets.com, hundreds of detailed reviews from local correspondents, search functions with integrated maps, vivid photos of food and people, and the ability to access all content in offline mode. ### Which cities are covered by the app? The app currently covers major food cities such as Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City. More cities are planned to be added in the future. ### Can I use the app without an internet connection? Yes, a significant advantage of the app is that all content is available in offline mode. This means you can access reviews, maps, and photos even when you don't have an internet connection, making it ideal for travelers. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.3.1 — 2016-10-12 This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included. New cities in the app preview. ### 2.3 — 2016-04-24 Improved functionality and stability. ### 2.2.1 — 2016-03-28 Fixed content downloading ### 2.2 — 2016-02-23 Properly linked Istanbul In-app purchase to previous Istanbul CB app ### 2.1 — 2016-02-10 · Improved user interface for purchasing, restoring and managing city volumes · Allowing users to delete an individual city from their device in order to free up space · Reduction in the overall application size on the phone (city by city) ## Apps similar to Culinary Backstreets | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [EatOkra](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eatokra/id1175921760) | 4.7 (1,204) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Guardian Feast: Daily Recipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guardian-feast-daily-recipes/id6468674686) | 4.8 (624) | Free | Food & Drink | | [ckbk: discover great cookbooks](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ckbk-discover-great-cookbooks/id1476621703) | 4.7 (96) | Free | Food & Drink | | [World of Mouth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/world-of-mouth/id1454663016) | 4.9 (355) | Free | Food & Drink | | [FOODING®](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fooding/id6445838039) | 4.7 (304) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Eater](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eater/id6469005148) | 4.2 (57) | Free | Food & Drink | ## Related topics [culinary backstreets](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/culinary-backstreets) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-07.*