Gold Coast & Old Town Food Tasting & Cultural Tour

Our tour with the fabulous Jennifer was the highlight (except for seeing my bucket list, Seurat) of my first trip to Chicago. Fun and so much more informative than the double decker tours! THIS IS A MUST and as for the food.. WOW! Worth a trip from Florida, alone!

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It was a wonderful mix of good food and information about the area. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and made it a great experience. I would highly reccommend this to anyone.

Jen was our cheerful tour guide who enthusiastically steered us through our Near North Side culinary journey. Sample sizes were ample and diverse, aisle shopping was fun, scenery was pleasant, and vegetarians eagerly accommodated. I don't get the criticism from a handful who complain that they didn't get to eat $42 worth of food. The point is to sample various cuisines and be guided around by a local while enjoying the walk, learning about history and architecture. I was plenty full by the time I finished the tour (some of the samples given include a Reuben sandwich (or potato pancake for the non-meat eater), slize of cheese stuffed pizza, cheese and hummus/crackers, and plenty of toffee brittle. YUM!

I had some reservations about going on this tour in the wind and light rain, but I need not have been worried. The tour was awesome. It was a fantastic way to see Chicago, learn about some history and architecture, and visit some wonderful local shops. The food was excellent and I retraced my steps to purchase items at the conclusion of the tour. It made me want to go and cook! Our tour guide was fantastic- a fountain of knowledge and just very welcoming. She went the additional mile to make sure everyone was happy- even taking me aside and showing me a map of the town so that this confused kiwi from San Diego could understand the layout of Chicago. Fantastic!

I live in the suburbs of Chicago and when my brother came to visit from California, I looked for activities that I thought he and I would like. We were extremely pleased with the tour. Our favorite stops were the oil and vinegar shop and the tea shop, mainly because we learned something at both shops. I will revisit these stores. We also enjoyed walking in the three different neighborhoods. But mostly the tour ended up being so enjoyable because of our tour guide. She was very friendly and made everyone feel at ease.

The guide (Nicky) was enthusiastic and very well informed, kept things moving, and introduced us to real gems of shops. The only downside was that there was no time to make purchases at each shop, and the coupons provided did not include online sales. However, if I am in Chicago again with free time available, I would not hesitate to take another tour from Chicago Food Planet.

i was super excited to surprise my girlfriend with the tour as a birthday present. i am typically not into tours at all but this one sounded different. it was even better than i expected. it was a beautiful day and we were warmly greeted by our tourguide, nikki, who was awesome. we visited all sorts of unique specialty shops and restaurants and learned so many fun facts about neighborhoods we have never explored before. and everything we tasted was delicious!!! i can't say enough good things about the experience. it made me excited to visit chicago again, and next time i would like to do the other tour option. thanks for a wonderful view of chicago:)

One of the most interesting and fascinating experiences. Our guide, Nicky, made us feel as if we were on a private tour with her. Her comments about the history of the neighborhoods we visited were informative and enjoyable. We've lived in the Greater Chicago area (Vernon Hills) for 11 years but were unaware of the sites we visited. We plan to recommend the tour to allof our out-of-town visitors. We have already recommended it to our neighbors and local friends.

We thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Our guide was great - very friendly and upbeat. It was a great way to see the city in a non-touristy kind of way. We love to learn about history of cities and did learn a few new things on this tour. The food tasting was fantastic - from the Pastrami sandwich to the oils and balsamic vinegar to the delicious chocolate treat. Definitely a great way to bring exposure to the gems you may never have found out about on your own. I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. Great date idea for couples!

Lots of good food. We went to places we wouldn't have ventured without someone in the "know". What a great way to experience Chicago.