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Calling all foodies: Are you one of the growing numbers of travelers who plan their trips around culinary experiences? If so, consider taking a walking food tour with a knowledgeable guide. It’s one of the best ways to enjoy the cuisine of a city.
Here are great culinary tours to consider across the U.S. Bon appétit!
1. NYC Food Tour: Chinatown and Little Italy
Enjoy specialties such as pizza, dim sum and cannoli while you explore two of New York’s historic neighborhoods: Chinatown and Little Italy. Join a historian guide on Viator’s New York food tour (viator.com) as you stroll through the winding backstreets of these iconic areas. Listen to stories about the history, food customs and traditions as you sample representative dishes. The tour focuses on family-owned eateries for a genuine experience.
Length: 2 hours
Cost: from $79
More tours: New York Chinatown & Little Italy Food Tour (secretfoodtours.com; $79); Chinatown and Little Italy Food Fest Walking Food Tour (ahoynewyorkfoodtours.com; $105)
2. New Orleans Food Walking Tour of the French Quarter
Enjoy some of the most famous and popular food venues in the storied French Quarter — from Cajun eateries to the gourmet food stalls of the French Market — on this tour with Destination Kitchen (destination-kitchen.com). The itinerary features six to seven tastings of iconic dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, muffaletta, pralines, alligator bites and char-grilled oysters. Learn about the history and culture of the Big Easy as you explore its colorful oldest neighborhood, dating to 1718.
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $76-$86
More tours: New Orleans Food and History Walking Tour (viator.com; $75); French Quarter Food Tour (sidewalkfoodtours.com; $89)
3. Chinatown Food Tour, San Francisco
What’s more representative of San Francisco’s food scene than its Chinatown, the oldest in the country? Sidewalk Food Tours of San Francisco (sidewalkfoodtours.com) helps you explore the unique culture and cuisine that define Hong Kong and mainland China, transplanted to the City by the Bay. On this walking tour, taste authentic Cantonese, Mandarin and Szechuan dishes from five restaurants and bakeries.
Tuck into buttery buns filled with barbecue-flavored cha siu pork, handmade noodles and dumplings, pillowy dim sum, Hong Kong–style egg tarts and other specialties as you discover the history of their respective eateries. The tour includes stops at the city’s oldest Buddhist temple, a Chinese market and the legendary Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $75
More tours: San Francisco Chinatown Food Walking Tour (sffoodtour.com; $74); “I Can’t Believe I Ate My Way through Chinatown” Tour (wokwiz.com; $95)