Top US Cities for Food Tours
Some of the best food tours across the USA, from New York and Boston to Tucson and Los Angeles.
People go to the States for all kinds of reasons – to take a road trip, visit great cities like New York, see the fall colors, take the kids to Disneyland, or hang out in Hollywood. It’s not often that food is given as a reason for going, but because of its size and diversity, the USA is one of the best countries in which to enjoy great eating.
Whether it’s New York cheesecake, Chicago’s legendary pizzas, or southern barbecue, the USA has it all. Every major city has a host of different cuisines, and every one of those cities has enthusiastic people offering foodie tours to showcase their finest eating (and drinking) from street food to fine dining.
Here, in strictly alphabetical order, are some of the best US cities for enjoying food tours.
Photo by Leah Overstreet, www.leahoverstreet.com
Austin Food Trucks Tour
There’s been a huge boom in food trucks over the last few years, with everything from cheap street food to fine dining popping up in all kinds of locations. In Austin there are over 1,000 food trucks, and this tour takes in some of them, along with a chance to sample Texas BBQ, visit the Farmer’s Market and sample a range of Austin products from chocolates to cheeses.
Boston Chocolate Tour
Be warned. You’d better like chocolate if you take the South End Chocolate Tour in Boston. The walking tour is less than a mile but you’ll be tempted with every kind of chocolate imaginable, as well as learning the history of chocolate, chocolate-making techniques, and how best to store the stash of treats you’ll pick up along the way.
Photo (c) Feast Food Tours
Charlotte: Soul of the South
Southern food is a cuisine of its own, and the Soul of the South tour from Feast Food Tours shows you the best that Charlotte in North Carolina has to offer. The company has several tours in different neighbourhoods, and this Uptown tour explains southern cooking with visits to restaurants both old-fashioned and modern. It includes a look at the local craft brewing scene too.
Chicago Pizza Tour
Chicago has some of the best pizzas in the world, and its specialty is the deep-dish pizza. Chicago Pizza Tours let you sample the several different kinds of Chicago pizza as well as learning the history of the dish and of the restaurants that serve it. It’s one of the most fun tours you can take in Chicago.
Denver Food Tours
Denver in Colorado is a great city for walking around, and for eating and drinking in. It’s the capital of the US craft beer scene, and is bursting with chocolatiers, cheese shops, craft distilleries, bakers, and a healthy food truck scene. Delicious Denver Food Tours takes in all of these in a range of tours, including a Denver Wine Walk, that is definitely our kind of thing!
Las Vegas Downtown Food Tour
Vegas is known for its Michelin-starred chefs and vast buffet breakfasts, but there’s a whole other side to the city away from the Las Vegas Strip in the historic downtown district. Vegas Valley Food Tours walk and talk you through the history of the original Las Vegas, with chance to sample ethnic foods a million miles from what you’ll find in the casinos.
Los Angeles: East LA Latin Food Tours
LA is such a diverse city that it has a wealth of food tours, but one of the best introduces you to the tasty Latin flavours of East LA. Sample hand-made tamales, visit LA’s first tortilla factory, try salsas and guacamoles, and finish with a lunch of goat and pupusa followed by iced Mexican chocolate.
Tastin’ Round Town on Beale Street in Memphis
Memphis Burger or BBQ Tours
Memphis is famous for its BBQ, and you can certainly try that on a Tastin’ Round Town tour, but there’s a lot more on offer too. There’s a BBQ tour, a pub tour, and a downtown Memphis tour.
Tastin’ ‘Round Town Memphis Food Tours
New Orleans French Quarter Tasting Tour
Along with music, food is definitely one of the highlights of the Big Easy. New Orleans Culinary History Tours obviously show you how the city’s unique cuisine developed, as well as letting you sample the local specialties and visiting several restaurants, including the two oldest in New Orleans. There’s also a companion drinks tour telling the story of the city’s cocktail culture, which dates back to the 19th century.
New Orleans Culinary History Tours
New York
Foods of NY Tours has been in business since 1999 and claim to be the original food tour company. They have several tours covering different New York neighborhoods, including Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Brooklyn, and Little Italy.
San Antonio
San Antonio Detours does a variety of city tours but one of the most popular is every Saturday from 5-8pm, their San Antonio food tour. It takes you away from downtown to where the foodie action really is, and you’ll discover why San Antonio is one of only two UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy in the USA (the other is Tucson, see below).
Photo (c) www.sffoodtour.com
San Francisco Chinatown Food Tour
Local Tastes of the City in San Francisco offer several walking tours, but our choice would be the Chinatown Walking Food Tour. The city’s Chinatown is a vibrant and colorful part of San Francisco, and if you’re even remotely interested in Chinese food, this tour is a must. You’ll enjoy dim sum from Chinatown’s oldest bakery, see fortune cookies being made, sample various Chinese teas and more, and all on a 3-hour walking tour that’s been voted Best City Tour several times.
Tucson Food Tour
Tucson is one of only two US cities, along with San Antonio, to be chosen as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Take a Tucson Food Tour and you’ll realize just why that is. A downtown tour combines food with history and architecture, another tour visits five locally-owned restaurants, while their Brewstillery Tour showcases the craft brewing and distilling boom happening in Tucson.
