Gold Coast & Old Town Food Tasting & Cultural Tour

loved the tour...the places we went...the amount of walking was good, amount of food was great!!! i really enjoyed that we ended at the pizza place so we could sit. it was hard to eat the sandwiches at the deli...might have been easier if they were already made for us (i can hear the thought...but some might not like the dressing, etc....i would just have to counter that with the thought that most people taking a food tour are probably not the picky eaters)---and/or just have a quarter sandwich and maybe a small amount of something else???? anyways, my husband and i thought it was great!!! our guide was fabulous--enthusiastic and had lots of good tidbits of the area, etc...which was very nice. we took a food tour in new york and this was actually better!!! really liked having the piece of paper with the info of the places we went...and the coupons. we will definitely order online from at least the oil/balsamic place!!!

Our guide, Jen, was both incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the various locations and products being sold therein. She also really cared about the group members as individuals; making sure that the pace was good for everyone and wanting to know what we liked best about the tour. I very much look forward to another trip to Chicago so I can go on another of your tours.

This was one of the best tours I've been on. Not only did we try great foods, but also visited neighborhoods that we wouldn't have ventured to on our own. Along with each tasting, was a discussion on how or why these foods were made/used. We found the oil shop and tea shop to be tremendously educational. And of course, the pizza was amazing.

Everything was great about the tour with the exception of the weather. We loved all the stops and our guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. It was a nice change from most tours and you got to eat some great food !!! I will definitely take the other tour on my next visit to Chicago.

Even though it rained, we loved being introduced to the neighborhoods and enjoyed Nicky's architectural commentary. Nicky was also well informed in each of the shops and gave interesting culinary presentations. We learned alot and were treated well from the various businesses we visited. Looking forward to the Bucktown and Wicker Park tour on our next trip to Chicago. Book early..we got the last two spots on the tour 10 days before our visit.

We came to Chicago for my husband to run the marathon and a family vacation. Based on prior reviews I saw it was recommended to take the tour when you first arrive and I'm so glad we did. We did the North tour and Jen was our guide, phenomenal! Our kids, 10 and 17 enjoyed the tour as much as we did, even in the chilly rainy weather. Jen's vast knowledge of the area, history and architecture was such a nice addition, she truly kept us interested the entire 3 hour trip! We are total foodies and loved the selection of places on the tour. We went back and purchased many items from the tea, oil, spice and fudge shops. Jen also helped us with other dining recommendations as we didn't want to eat at chain restaurants and prefer to eat with the locals. We had dinner at Adoba the night before the marathon (normally eat pasta before but decided to change it up a bit and go Mexican), excellent table side guacamole, food and margaritas! Also, after every race my husband craves a good burger, so she told us about Hamburger Mary's, honestly the best burger I've ever eaten! IF, we had not done the food tour, we would have been stuck on touristy Michigan Ave for 5 days, and wouldn't have known what lie just outside the loop and shopping areas. We figured out the El and busses rather quickly and off we went. Even having 5 days we ran out of time for all the things we wanted to do, we definitely would have done the Wicker Park/Bucktown food tour and we didn't see The Bean! We did have rain 3 days of our 5 day vacation, but we made the most of it, we all had our own umbrellas and rain ponchos! All in all, Chicago is the bomb and we all agreed we would love to go back around Christmas time to see everything decorated and to shop! We will definitely do the other food tour! We shout out a big thanks to Jen!

Of all the things I did in our four day trip to Chicago, this was the best! I thoroughly enjoyed getting away from the hotel area and into the real neighborhoods of Chicago. The choice of shops we visited was good, but what really made the tour was our guide, Jen. Her knowledge of not only the shops and the food, but the homes and history of the neighborhoods was excellent. I'd highly recommend this tour!

I was in Chicago with my husband - who was attending a legal conference, therefore, while he was in meetings, I wanted to do something besides just shopping. I do love to cook, so that is why I chose this tour, because of the blend of places that we visited. The mix of shops was perfect and I did go back to 3 of the places and made purchases. Our tour guide was Jen and she was great - very engaging and full of facts and knowledge about Chicago history. It did rain almost the whole tour, but we were having such a great time that I don't think anyone minded - just be sure to take an umbrella and raincoat if rain is in the forecast! I would definitely take the other tour the next time I come to Chicago - but I can't imagine that it could top this one.

My sisters and I took the tour and all three of us loved it. Our guide, Jenny, was great, full of information on the Gold Coast. The tour lasted a little over three hours, but the time flew. Don't eat much before you go, you'll get a lot to eat!

Arianna was fantastic.