Gold Coast & Old Town Food Tour

We joined a group led by a great guide (I have to admit I've forgotten her name, but not her stories). I think it was Ariana from Costa Rica, she was engaging, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The architecture was fascinating and the food was very good, especially at the Deli and the Spice and Oil shops.

We had the best time and have already reccommended it to others going to and living in Chicago. All of the stops were delicious and interesting. We just wish we could have had 5 minutes to shop at some because we had planned to go back to make purchases but never made it. Our guide was fabulous and really made the tour.

Arianna was a fantastic guide. All the stops were fun, informative with wonderful things to taste. We learned some new things about tea, oil and vinegar, Chicago style pizza, etc. Delicious! It was a long walk though. The write up says the tour is OK for all ages and fitness levels and I think that is a bit misleading. I have slight arthritis that causes pain with walking and I had a hard time making it all the way. Overall, I would recommend the tour, with the caveat to be prepared for a long walk.

Adrianna, our guide, was the most engaging, witty, funny, interesting and totally charming guide one can ask for! Everyone in my group loved the tour and came away really learning quite a fair bit in the process. this tour is a MUST-DO in my books, for anyone visiting Chicago! Cheers KL

My wife and I were both very pleased with this tour. We are foodies and we found each stop to be a mini-revelation. Our guide was very pleasant and knowledgable. Plus we learned interesting tidbits about the neighborhoods that we walked thru. Even a couple on the tour from Chicago was surprised by each stop (they hadn't heard of any of these places). Overall, the hype was true, this tour is not to be missed. We felt that this was the highlight of our trip to Chicago.

This was an amazing experience. It was truly an experience that you all must partake of. Ariella was absolutely incredible. I had no idea what we were signing up for, but boy am I glad that we did. We have two daughters, ages 9 and 11 and they had a great time. The information about Chicago and the different neighborhoods was priceless. The tea, spice and oil stores were unbelievable as was the various food tastings. One can not imagine how much fun you can have experiencing different teas, spices and oils/vinegars. It was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. As I said we had 2 daughters and they both loved the walk as well as the food. Ariella was really fun and she was full of information and was very willing to share it. Thank you for a fantastic tour! We'll be back and try other food tours.

I grew up in the suburbs, but then moved out of state for the last few years. It was amazing to come home for a visit and see a side of the city that I never got to experience before. We went on the tour to celebrate my best friends birthday and we had so much fun - it was a day to remember! It was educational and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. We got to taste items from every store we stopped in and the portions were huge. I was expecting small tasting items, but ended up being thankful we had skipped breakfast that morning. Not only is this tour great for tourists but for locals alike! Make sure you leave time at the end of the tour to walk back to all the stores you liked so you can make your purchases with the coupons the tour guide issues you. We walked back with one of the ladies that we met on the tour and had a great time shopping and getting to know our new friend. All in all this tour is a must do for anyone visiting the city!!!! Thanks for such a great time!

This was an outstanding tour, well worth the money.

Hillary hosted our Near North food tour and from the first moment, she had our hearts. She has an amazing sense of humor, coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. We had a blast while learning about the food and history of the area. The food vendors were no slouches, either. The lady at the tea shop explained more about tea in less than 10 minutes than I would have thought possible! We loved experimenting with the olive oils and vinegars and learning about spices, too. I highly recommend this tour, whether you're local or, like us, tourists. You are guaranteed a great experience.

`We are a gourmet group from St. Louis. We all loved the tour and our guide was GREAT. She was very informative and personable. The food tastings were very good and substantial. If we are in chicago again, we want to take your other food tour. Thanks for a memorable experience.