Gold Coast & Old Town Food Tour

My husband, myself and another couple did a tour of the near North on a cold, windy day recently. What a fantastic guided tour, great food, awesome tour guide and interesting sites of Chicago! Well worth the walk.

The food was amazing. The pacing of the food choices was amazing. LOVED that we got to walk a lot (good exercise). Learned lots about the culture, history and architecture of that area: extra bonus. Our tour guide, Ariana, was PHENOMINAL.

My husband and I really enjoyed this tour. THe guide, Arianna, was fabulous. She provided great historical background on the neighborhoods and buildings during the walk. We were happy with all the stores we visited. I liked the fact that we were taught something at each shop. Only bummer is you don't have time to shop, so plan on your last day like I did. We will definitely visit the stores again and check out another tour next year.

Being a local Chicagoan and actually a part of the tour (TeaGschwendner), it was great to see the other locations and be exposed to new information about specialty foods! I love tea and being able to learn about chocolate, pizza, spices, vinegar and oil, was a delectable experience. I was fascinated by the Spice House. Learning local Chicago history and architecture was fun, and it was great to take my Mom and sister, who love specialty foods, on this tour. Arianna, our tour guide, definitely made this tour amazing for us with her open, gregarious, and entertaining personality besides being a good friend. My Mom kept saying, "Arianna makes this tour awesome!" To everyone who works with Chicago Food Planet Tours, specifically Nicki, Shane, and Arianna, thank you for this opportunity. We truly enjoyed it. Melissa

Having been to Chicago many times and done other walking tours - this one definately stood out from the rest. Lots of fun, good food & good information. Our tour guide was Arianna and she did a great job. Highly recommended.

I signed up to go with an out of town guest.... Ho-Hum...I thought... what could you teach me about Chicago that I did not already know.... was I in for a surprise.... I learned that I love pastrami with sour kraut...did you say reuben 2???.... that I could actually enjoy tea... I thought that was for all those woosies at the office... except for you, David Carradine, oh, how I miss thee.... that chocolate is more than kisses and santas... ok, I knew that already.... that my Polish heritage makes a pirogi that rivals the Italian gnocchi...hey, talk to my mother, she's the reason I'm a retard..... that oil is not just another lube... yes, ok, I know, and at the same time, uh, no.... and that pizza is not just another fast food that upsets my stomach... it can be non greasy so that you don't need 5 napkins to sop up the grease before you dive in... our guide, a youthful soul, obviously from the southern most tip of Costa Rica, was entertaining and filled with tid bits of know-how... without being pretentious or over-bearing... hey who can explain to a person twice their age how the gold coast got its name with a straight face? I know what you're thinking... this is another bs review by an insider... ok, you go ahead and believe that.... just remember I'm the guy downing the pastrami sandwich in a seat at the counter at Ashkenaz deli on Cedar at the start of the next tour, while you are sitting at home wondering what would be fun to do and good to eat. Boo - Yah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillary was our tour guide and she was very knowledgeable and friendly. We were impressed with the cultural information provided. Not to mention the food tastings were wonderful. We ended up going back to only one of the merchants due to rain that came later after our tour. Would have gone back to a couple more if not the downpour. We had a great time on our tour and look forward to doing it again next time we visit Chicago. Even my husband, who was unsure about a food tour, really enjoyed it.

I can't wait to try the other tours! I was expecting great food and fun restaurants/shops that I wouldn't find on my own, which is exactly what I got. What I didn't expect was the fun and incredibly interesting 5 minute lessons on the food we were tasting. My parents and I are into food, but much of the information was brand new to us. The tourguide was fun and personable, and didn't give all of the obnoxious tourist anecdotes I've heard a million times because the tour was much more neighborhood-specific, and even included some architecture commentary. Also, I appreciated that there was enough walking and small enough portions that I didn't feel stuffed, just full. The price sounded steep at first but was incredibly cheap for the entirety of the experience. What a great way to spend 3 hours!

I really enjoyed the tour and learned so much local history and facts about chicago. I really want to try one of the other tours when the weather warms up!

Jess was an amazing tour guide. The places were unique and the group was fun. It is worth the money.