Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in early November when we joined the Near North Food Tasting tour! Our guide was Jen, and she was awesome! She kept us entertained and informed throughout the walk. What great architecture and fabulous neighbourhoods. Old Towne Oil was by far our favourite stop - and we went back the next day to make some purchases! The deep dish pizza at the end was our first of our trip, and remained our favourite! Thanks to Jen and Casey for making some recommendations to us for the rest of the day!! I was not sure what to expect on this tour, but I can say that we look forward to taking the other neighbourhood tour on our next visit to Chicago. Oh, PS - thanks for the great weather too!

I would recommend this tour to ANYONE visiting Chicago. It's a bit different to the usual tourist activities, you get to view neighbourhoods you might not normally see, taste some fantastic food and learn loads from the excellent guides. Our group was a mix of locals, US tourists and international tourists. Everyone was friendly, chatting to each other. The tour guide was very informative and really friendly. And the food - well we thought, prior to the tour, that the spices and Oil stops would be a bit pointless - but they were ace. And pretty much everything we ate was so tasty. I will definitely be taking the Wicker Park tour next time I am in Chicago. Book it!

I think the best part of the tour is a chance to visit local neighourbood and try local food where first time tourists would not usually do. The tours are well organized. They gave you maps showing the walking directions and information of transit information, so you could easily go back to visit the places yourself afterwards. You also get to go behind the scenes in some places which I found quite cool. Next time I am in Chicago I will definitely try their other tours or even take the same tour again. Thanks Julie!

It was awesome to see Chicago (something other than the Mag Mile)!! Something totally different and provided culture. Not tacky in any way and very interesting and worth the money. Our guide Jessie was very well spoken and had lots of info for us as well as great recommendations.

Our group of 11 (in town from Calgary, Canada to run the Chicago Marathon) was thrilled with our experience on this tour, which far exceeded any of our expectations. Our tour guide (Jenn) was warm, personable, knowledgeable and thorough as she walked us through the lovely streets of Chicago, regaling us with stories and folklore, history and architectural information, and even local gossip. The unique shops were fantastic and the tastings scrumptious - a food lover's delight. What a truly wonderful way to spend a day and see a side of Chicago many tourists don't bother to explore. We all retraced our steps at tour's end to buy from the independent, family-owned shops that we visited. This tour was a highlight of our trip - not to be missed!

My partner and I visited Chicago Oct 6-13 and went on the Near North Food Tour on Oct 7. We lucked out on the weather, cause it was a pretty wet and cold week. Anyway, the tour was awesome. Jenn was a terrific guide and make everyone feel welcome. The stops to the various restaurants and stores were fabulous, especially when there was interaction between us and the owners/ staff. Jenn shared some great insights on the homes in the various neighbourhoods we visited and pointed out other things of interest that would be helpful for the remainder of our stay. Favourite stops included the Tea Store, Spice Store, and Oil & Vinegar stores. The Pizza at the end was excellent as well. The only place that I didn't really enjoy was the chocolate/catering place. I didn't feel the food or experience there was all that special. It could have been made more special if we had an opportunity to taste one of their specialities (something they made for one of the big clients) and if there was some interaction with the owner. Anyway, overall I totally think this was worth it. Preview the video on the site... it is a very accurate reflection of the experience you will receive.

A really fantastic tour and great way to get to know a bit more about the city. From our very friendly and knowledgeable guide, great stores etc where we sampled everything from tea, pizza, spices...as well as getting some idea of the history and architecture of the city. Not one part of the tour could be faulted - would definitely do it again if I ever come back to Chicago.

The walking tour gave us a look at Chicago we would not have seen and a wonderful tour of different and iteresting food cultures. Our guide caroline was a gem with plenty of information and suggestions and truly loved her work.

Great tour! Definitely worth the 3 hours of walking.

Had a great time on the tour. Jesse was our guide and she was awesome. Found both the culinary and architectural information excellent. Would definitely say it was worth doing. The only spot that I found that was just "OK" of the 7 we visited was the catering company (chocolate-catering). It was OK but lacked some of the interesting information as the other spots had. Well worth it!