Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour

Taking this tour as our first line of business as tourist in Chicago was the absolute smartest arrangement I could have made for us! We saw and learned so much as well as received great tips from our guide as to other great parts of the city to explore. I can't say enough good about it! What a wonderful adventure! From the minute our very firiendly, knowledgeable tour guide started talking, we knew we were going to love it! She was interesting in that she was born in another country and has lived in numerous US cities but has a true, deep passion for Chicago that shows in her work and she educated us completely! The facts she shared about the history of the city, the architecture of the buildings, the star studded entertainment fun and the neighborhoods and foods was ideal! We were captivated by the tour for the entire 4 hours and didn't want it to end. The walking was at a comforable pace, (we had 16 in our group and the ages ranged from 16, my daughter, to a group of women in their late 60s) and the tastings were spaced leisurely allowing us to enjoy the surroundings between one shop and the next. I have raved about it to everyone that I have talked to about our trip and highly and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone going to Chicago! My 16 year old loved it equally and I have heard here telling her friends how cool it was too! We plan to visit the city again and will quickly sign up for the other tours available since we already enjoyed the tour that took us to the jewish deli, the tea shop, The Fudge Pot, the spice shop, the oil shop, the chocolate/catering shop and that ended with a slice from the outstanding Batistas (I believe that's the right name?!) deep dish pizza shop! I hope you like it as much as we did!

The walk was wonderful, filled with interesting sights and information but not much food. Our guide was great with a warm personality giving each of us attention and answered our questions even when they were silly. Food however, was sparse getting only one small bit as a sample of the whole establishment except for the pizza.

The food stops on on the tour were diverse and top-notch. I discovered many great places I would not have otherwise found during my Chicago visit. I went back and visited several of them to make purchases. Our guide, Arianna, was knowledgable, personable, enthusiastic and energetic. She enhanced each and every food and cultural/architectural stop. I would recommend the tour to anyone visiting Chicago and intend to take the Wicker Park food tour the next time I'm in Chicago.

The Near North Food Tour in Chicago was simply excellent! Jennifer, our guide, was wonderful and most entertaining. Her insight about the areas we toured was really informative and we loved hearing the history of the various locations we walked through. Had we had more time, we would have taken another Chicago food tour of a different area because our experience was so great with this first tour. Would recommend this activity for anyone interested in food, cooking, architecture and history.

This was a perfect tour. Jennifer, our guide, was personable and knowledgable. We enjoyed every aspect from the tastings to the neighborhood walkings. I have already recommended the tour to family members who will be going to Chicago in August. I will continue to praise this tour and the next time we are in Chicago we will take the other tour offered.

Arianna was awesome and gave the tour with enthusiasm! The food was great, even though I was a little hesitant about the oil shop and the spice shop. My husband hates doing tours, but he thoroughly enjoyed this! We will definetely be ordering some of the oils and spices online. And the pizza at the end was amazing! We're both glad we took this tour!

I thoroughly enjoyed Kate, our guide. We learned a lot about the Near North and about some of the wonderful establishments that have been in that area for a long time. There were ample "tastings" and the group moved at a slow enough pace that it was relaxing to be on the walk. Very interesting and now I feel comfortable going back to those areas. I also look forward to taking the other tour that the Chicago Food Planet has to offer.

Our tour guide was Kate. She was as friendly as she was knowledgeable about the city. She seemed to have a great relationship with all the owners of the establishments we entered, and worked well with them to explain exactly what we were eating. Along our walk she provided great details about the history and architecture of chicago, which i was not expecting. We had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat. After the tour was over, we immediately went back to some of the stores to do some shopping. Bravo!

My husband and I were in Chicago for a week and the Near North Food Tasting Tour was the No.1 "must-do" according to Trip Advisors . We were not let down. The tour was great! The samples were very generous and we can't wait for our olive oil/vinegar, tea and spice orders to arrive home so we can re-live the experience! Thanks to Shane and Jennifer for a fantastic tour...You two are the best!

Touring Chicago and visiting the unique shops and restaurants was the best part of out trip!! The people were so friendly and helpful. The food was fabulous. Can't wait to go on another tour. We only went to the North tour, but wish we had also booked the Bucktown tour. We definitely will go on our next visit to Chicago!!