Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour

Based on the reaction of our group of 6 (4 from Chicago and 2 from California) everyone was very positive about the experience. Not only did the guide, Arianna, know her stuff, but she was personable, interesting and thoughtful throughout. Seeing the Near North and hearing about the architecture added to the wonderful experience of stopping in the various specialty shops and hearing firsthand what the shopkeepers had to share about their products. We would ALL highly recommend this tour. Arianna has the 11:30 time on Saturday.

From our greeting at Aschenaz Deli and the delicious Rueben sandwich the sights, sounds, tastes and smells were wonderful. At each stop we learned about the products sold there and were able to sample. Along the way bits of Chicago's history and architecture were discussed. Our guide was knowledgable and enthusiastic. I have already recommended this trip to several people and will remember fondly our gastronomical adventure in Chicago.

I am a local and live in downtown Chicago, and I learned much more than I ever could have expected. The tour guide we had (Saturday at 11:30am) was knowledgeable, fun, informative and very inclusive of a very mixed group. The restaurants and stores we visited were perfectly spaced out, and had wonderful new ideas and even "eating lifestyles" to consider. Needless to say, we backtracked at the end of the tour, and purchased wonderful items from almost every place we visited to take home with us. Everything from Jalapeno flavored oil with a cilantro vinegar to Fire Salt spice and wonderful teas. It was so fun, we are going to do the other tour when more friends from out-of-town come in! Seriously, this tour is not to be missed by out-of-towners OR LOCALS!

Myself and two of my girlfriends went on a long weekend to Chicago and wanted to do something different. We wanted to do a tour but not just a regular tour. We decided on this and we're so glad we did. We would have never seen the areas we walked to if we didn't do this tour. We discovered some great shops and got to try some cool foods. We definitely got enough food, so you will not need lunch after. In fact, we did eat breakfast but then upon arriving at the first stop of the tour, we got a sandwich tasting! Every place was very generous with the tastings- you get the whole item, not just a bite. I would highly recommend it, it is fun and interesting! You will walk a lot but we wore flip flops and were fine. There are a lot of stops, it was quite lovely. Arianna, our guide, was awesome! She even wrote out a list of things for us to do later that evening. We took one of her restaurant suggestions that night and the place was great. She went above and beyond what she had to do and was extremely enthusiastic! Really enhanced our Chicago weekend!

I've lived in Chicago for 4 years now and I have only been to one of these great places that we went to. Plus the historical and general depth of knowledge of the specialities of the stores was great. If you like history and good knowledge then its a great tour, but as a great bonus, you get to eat amazing food.

My wife and I very much enjoyed this tour. Two things stand out: first, a brief review of the architectual and cultural aspects of Near North Side of Chicago was quite interesting and not something you get on the big tour buses. Our guide, Jennifer, was quite knowledgeable about the area (s). I especially enjoyed the walk through the Gold Coast area and seeing some of the homes there - Florsheim and Playboy Mansion stand out. Jennifer knew the prices of the condos that are being converted from the old mansions. Second, the foods and accompanients on Wells St. in Old Town was also interesting. I think this part of the tour is mostly for the ladies, but I particularly enjoyed testing the oils and vinegars at Old Town Oil. I wanted to take some home, but cannot due to restrictions of liquids on air flights. We both enjoyed the deep dish pizza in Lincoln Park. One thing I would have enjoyed on the food tour would be a "Chicago hot dog". I have heard of these but not sure how they are different from other hot dogs. That about sums it up. Say Hi to Jennifer! Ron

The guide was fantastic, energetic and very friendly. The food was great, not too much because walking with a full stomach is very unpleasant, but not too little. It really worths the price. We enjoyed a lot, specially the spices, oil&vinegars, teas and chocolate shops. We would definitely repeat it!! and we came back to our country with tons of goodies!

The tour was fun, factual and interactive. We were comprised of all ages (16-60+) and nations (locals, domestic out-of-towners and international visitors: from Canada and Colombia). So it's great for couples, girlfriends spending a day out on the town or a family touring Chicago. Our guide was engaging, very well spoken and enlightened even us locals with some fun facts about the neighborhoods. The food tastings were delicious, well portioned and well paced. It was a great mix of food, walk/talk. A fabulous way to spend 3-hours in Chicago!

We were in Chicago for a girls weekend. We really enjoyed the tour. Our guide, Jen was wonderful! The tastings were great. The food was plentiful. I thought that the oil shop wouldn't be very intriguing but it turned out to be one of my favorites. It was interesting to see the neighborhoods and learn a little of the history of the areas. Next time we would like to take the other neighborhood tour since we enjoyed this so much. Highly recommend this one.

The tour was even better than we expected. Our guide, Ariana, was a very nice person, we could see that she enjoyed very much her job. Beyond the food tour itself, she provided us with many interesting information on the culture and architecture of the places we've been to. Be prepared to walk! Especially if it's a hot and sunny day, you'll be in the sun and must have energy to go through the tour. If you don't like to walk or you're not "fit", don't go. We loved every place we've been in the tour, except the Catering/Chocolate Gourmet Store, where no one showed to talk to us and/or we were not provided with interesting information at all, besides learning that the owner is a star in the business and his catering preferred by Governors and Presidents... I would certainly recommend this tour to anyone who loves food/eating/culture!