| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Loved it!
|
| Mon, Aug 30 11:30 AM |
nicholav |
Female |
40-49 |
Combination |
Group of Friends |
| Nicky was our tour guide and the tour itself was delightful. We didn't rush along. She took the time to explain things and answer all questions. She was very knowledgable and easy to talk to. The stops were to places I would not normally visit but am very glad I did. I would recommend this to people who would like to see something a little different and explore an area that one would not normally associate with downtown Chicago. |
|
Don't hesitate to take this tour
|
| Sun, Aug 29 12:00 PM |
carlisp |
Male |
50-59 |
International Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| This was a nice mix of food sampling, local lore and a personable guide. This tour was very well organized and planned out yet relaxed and informal. It will rank as one of your favorite holiday experiences. |
|
|
Second time as good as the first!
|
| Sun, Aug 29 12:00 PM |
1Turkovitz |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| This was my second time on the Near North Tour and it's still outstanding. Brought my sister and niece (1st timers) and they loved it. Great way to see some of the city, learn some interesting facts, get a little exercise and taste some wonderful food. The stop at the tea, spice and oil shop, which we all said we never would have normally gone into, turned out to be the favorite stops on the trip. We went back and purchased items it each shop. Next time I plan to take the Wicker Park tour and hopefully the China town tour will be up and running soon. Thanks for a great time and our guide, Chris, was a blast. |
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|
Great tour, but the devil is in the details
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:30 AM |
Tatharp |
Male |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| This was a fun and informative tour and I woul definitely recommend it to my friends. Problems arose at 2 of the stops though. At the Polish bakery, several people got perogies (sp) that were filled with water instead of filling (potato and cheese). If this is a normal occurrence when handmaking these wonderful treats, then extra should be made so that nobody misses out. Second, at the final stop, Bocinis, they offered a special of a flight of three beers on draft for $3 for participants in the tour. When I went upstairs afterward to purchase it, I was refused service because a party of 6 or 8 people had sat at tables in the bar area and the server said they were not going to honor the offer. Makes no sense to me, but a crappy way to end what was otherwise an enjoyable tour. |
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|
FANTASTIC!
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:30 AM |
dixie1 |
Female |
40-49 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| We loved it! The food tastes were great & the tour guid was very knowledgeable! She taught me new things about my own hometown! I was surprised by the variety of taste experiences, very unexpected. |
|
|
Do Not Miss This Tour - It is a MUST DO!
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:30 AM |
kenmorton |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| This was our first "food tour." Hillary, our tour guide, was wonderful and very knowledgable. We thoroughly enjoyed the food choices, and learned a ton. Hillary taught us about the areas we were walking through. We went back to most of the establishments after the tour. We would certainly do this same tour over again, and would not hesitate to do the other tour offered. It was a very hot day on our tour, but the walking was not at all bothersome. The stops were all air-conditioned, and the proprietors very friendly. Group size is very manageable for the guide. Cost is very reasonable for what you get. Don't miss this! |
|
|
We learned a lot!
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:30 AM |
Zenka82 |
Female |
20-29 |
Local |
Couple on a Date |
| As locals, we weren't sure how much we would actually gain from being on this tour. However, we had a great time. Our guide, Hillary, was knowledgeable and very friendly. We learned some new, interesting, and fun facts about our city. We also discovered some local specialty shops such as the oil and vinegar shop, spice shop, and tea shop. I gave it a 4 star because of the price of the tour. For $42.00, I would have expected a little more in terms of food and drink. We started off with half of a Reuben sandwich at the first stop (no drink provided), an iced tea at the next stop, nothing at the spice shop (you just get to sprinkle some cinnamon onto your hand), nothing at the oil and vinegar shop either (you do get to taste some oil and vinegar, but you can do that whether or not you're on the tour), a few pieces of chocolate covered toffee at the following stop, 1 Polish pierogi and 2 kolacky at the patisserie (no drink), and finally a slice of spinach stuffed pizza at Bacino's (only tap water is served). Now, to be fair, I didn't feel hungry after the tour at all, but at $42 a person, it would have been nice to have had soft drinks provided at the deli and patisserie. Overall, I would recommend it to others. |
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|
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I DID IN CHICAGO
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:00 AM |
jannette76 |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Other |
| THIS TOUR WAS GREAT!!! OUR TOUR GUIDE ARIANA WAS THE BEST SHE KEPT THE TOUR EXCITING!! I DID NOT EXPECT TO GET SO MUCH HISTORIC INFORMATION ABOUT CHICAGO, I LEARNED ALOT AND ENJOYED HEARING SO MUCH ABOUT CHICAGO. I WILL DEFINITELY DO THIS TOUR AGAIN NEXT TRIP TO CHICAGO!! |
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|
We loved the diversity of shops/restaurants visits
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:00 AM |
susannewalle |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| My husband and I consider food a wonderful part of life...we love to try new things. This tour allowed us to do just that and get a bit of education, history, background on the foods, the shops, and the neighborhoods. Our guide was very energetic and helpful with lots of information and advice. We will use much of what we learned from her to make our next trip to Chicago even better - shows to see, restaurants to try, and shops to purchase specialty items not available in our region of the country. We highly recommend this food tasting tour! Bon apetit!! |
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|
So fun AND informative!!!!
|
| Sun, Aug 29 11:00 AM |
LBETKER |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| Our guide for this tour was Ariana (hope I spelled that correctly). She was interesting, informative, articulate and the tour was good but she made it fun!
My favorite stop on the tour was Old Town Oil. We liked it so well that we walked back there at the end of the tour on a 90 degree / 90 % humidity day to buy some oil and vinegar. It was also a great way to walk off some of the Bacino's pizza calories, which BTW, is also wonderful. I'm definately NOT a fan of Chicago deep dish pizza (Gino's, etc.) this stuffed (therein lies the difference) spinach pizza is to die for. Filling, in healthy sort of way...if that makes sense.
Bottom line...DO IT!!!!! |
