Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour

My husband and I had heard of this tour a couple of years ago and decided to do this specific activity to celebrate our anniversary. What a pleasant surprise to have such an enthusiastic guide (Jen) who was also extremely knowledgeable about the area. This included the history and architecture of the neighborhood as well as the food we were sampling. The food, by the way was very good. She explained how it was made, the people behind it, as well as offered us plenty to try. It was a very personalized tour. Jen wrote down lots of other places for us to try in her home town of Chicago, and just wouldn't let us go until all of our questions were answered. We would definitely do another food tour in Chicago or other places that this company offers them. What a secret treasure!!!! We will spread the news!

This is a great new way to explore the city. It gives a traveler insight to history, architecture, and culture

This was the second time we have done this same exact tour in Chicago. We came out last year to visit some friends and did this tour for the first time with them. They are locals but enjoyed the tour just as much if not more than we did because they are able to frequent the places we visited on a regular basis since they live in Chicago! We planned a trip back this year and this tour was the first thing on our list of things to do. We called our friends and they absolutely wanted to join us again. We did this tour assuming it would be exactly the same as last time but were pleasantly surprised to see that a few things had changed (we had potato latkes last year at the deli and this year we tasted Reuben sandwiches). The guides we have had both times were phenomenal. We had Jen this time and she was an amazing spirit with a wealth of information and truly enjoys what she does. The tea, spice and olive oil tastings are always our favorite because they are so unique. They are a great part of the tour and I hope that never changes. The only thing we would change about the tour would be to allow people a little more browsing time while we visit certain stops. I realize there are multiple tours happening and that the tours can't be too long for various reasons but speaking at least for us, we would do this tour at twice the length because of how much we enjoy the experience and because of the reasons we would take a tour like this to begin with. We felt a little rushed this time and while the presentations are great at each stop there was really no time to even look around the shops for more than a few minutes before we were off to the next place. I think its probably a great way for someone who has never been to Chicago to get a taste of everything which is the point of the tour, but it would be awesome if there was even maybe a separate longer tour for people who did want to really take it all in and be able to browse around and actually buy some spices while at the Spice House for example. We always try to make it back to these places after the tour but it isn't always practical time-wise or location-wise. I think the stores would get much more business if the people on the tour could buy stuff while they were there. It doesn't have to be half an hour but even 15 minutes to give people a chance to take it all in, smell the different teas they offer, talk to the people that work at Old Town Oil about their recipe suggestions using their different types of olive oil etc. We will always recommend this tour and truly enjoy the experience each time. The architectural and historical facts that are included as part of the tour are an essential and wonderful part of the tour as well.

It was a different way to see Chicago. Any tour that involves food as part of the experience wins in my books. All the stops were great. Except for maybe the Catering Chocolates one. I didn't quite get why we were there. The chocolate, pizza, oil and tea were awesome and we went back a few days later to buy stuff from the stores to share with the family we were visiting with.

My husband and I took this tour on our first day in town. It was fabulous and we really got to see a side of the city that we probably would have otherwise never have seen.

Not only was our tour guide intelligent and insightful, she also kept things interesting and fun. It was an amazing, non-stop journey. I really enjoyed this tour and have recommended it to many people.

This is a fantastic tour, the highlight of our trip as we were visiting from Tokyo, Japan. Really enjoyed the variety of shops included on the tour. It was very educational as well as tasty! Would have never had the chance to sample balsamic vinegars, olive oils and more! A must if you like food and want to learn more about Chicago.

This tour was even better than anticipated. Our guide was personable, fun and very knowledgeable. The presentations were full of interesting facts and the food tastings at each place were delicious, more than adequate and made our entire group want to visit again to dine and/or shop. We also enjoyed the unexpected bonus of the architectural and historical information provided as we walked through several different neighborhoods. It was a great way to spend a day in the city with friends.

We really enjoyed our very informative tour guide, Kate. The 7 stops were unique, interesting and all had yummy tastings. The pace was perfect and the distance between each stop was nice. Our only diappointment was that we had to get back for a meeting and we didn't have time to go back after the tour and do some shopping. It would be great if the generous coupons provided could all be used on the web.

Wow! I cannot say enough about the Near North Food Tour! This was a great way for me to see the heart of Chicago on my short weekend trip! The worst part was that I was LATE and missed the first 2 stops. I took the train when i should've taken a cab from my hotel. Just when I had given up, my cell phone rings and it's Nicky of the tour and she says, "Shawna, are you still coming to the food tour?" WOW! The website says they will not wait for you, but it doesn't say that they won't take care of you! Nicky gave me a number to a cab company and kept up with me 'til I caught up with the tour! AMAZING! I sampled the most awesome foods, saw some of the greatest buildings and was in the company of an EXCELLENT tour guide and enthusiastic travelers! I had too much toffee (can that happen?), loved the cinnamon and over did it on the pizza! I've placed an online order for the vinegars and oils and I can't wait to get back! Sign up! You'll get MORE than your money's worth!