Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour

This was a very pleasant and informative tour. The seven food tasting stops had a good variety. We sampled: a latka, tea, fudge, cheese and cracker spread, oils and vinegars, spices, and, at the final stop, an amazingly delicious piece of pizza. The group consensus was that the oil and vinegar sampling was the best. You could keep sampling from about 10 balsamic vinegars aged up to 18 years and from about 10 extra virgin olive oils, mixing them yourself in a little cup and then sampling. At each sampling stop there was a lot of interesting and relevant information about the specialty food. Our guide, Jennifer, was very well informed about the architecture and history of the neighbourhoods we covered. Her enthusiasm and obvious interest herself in what she was showing us was infectious. She was sensitive to individual needs and interests of the tour participants. My only negative comment: the tour was overpriced, considering that there were 18 people in the group and the food samples were generally very small, and that the guide received gratuities.

We had a great guide: Jessie was knowledgeable, personable, fun, efficient and human! Some of the places we visited were truly exceptional. We loved the oil and balsamic vinegar, the spices, the teahouse. We went back three times to the Oldtown, ate at two of the recommended places, shopped for oil and vinegar (but forgot to use our discount voucher!!). We loved the fact that Jessie told us heaps about the houses and streets we were passing through. She was definitely better informed than the Chicago architecture tour guide we had a few days later in the city... We learned about areas of Chicago we probably would otherwise never have found (on our last visit we didnt go much further than Michigan Avenue) and we had life-changing experiences with oil, vinegar and cinnamon!! Thank you!!!

The tour itself was good -- great local places to stop and sample things, good walk, good architechture, good history and background -- but having done one of these before in NY, I think there are a couple things that could be tweaked to make it even better. First, they tell you not to eat before you come, but then they don't give you much food at all til the last stop - almost three hours into the tour. For my husband and I, that was a full 7 hours after the toast we'd had for breakfast, and we were famished. If they'd done that stop first (it was a full piece of stuffed pizza), we could have had a good base from which to continue (and better enjoy) the other stops. That would also be nice from another perspective: that final stop was by far the longest walk of the afternoon, and it was up by itself in a different neighborhood. I would have rather found my way up there on my own, then walked back down into the more populated downtown area. In all, a good tour, but it could be even better with a little tweaking.

I was very happy with the tour, we went to some interesting shops where we could try out different things. I learned a lot about the architecture too and the history of the neighbourhoods we walked through. I liked that there was a large amount of walking, it allowed us to appreciate the houses and it was good exercise. The tour guide (Ariana) was very knowledgable and excellent, and I liked how she added her personal spin to things. Very good tour, highly recommend.

The walking tour was informative and fun! Definitely wear walking shoes - I wore flip flops and my feet and calves are still paying for it! The food portion was awesome. My group of friends went back to 4 of the 7 stores we visited and ordered half-baked pizzas to take home from Bacino's. We can't wait to take a tour of another part of the city!

Jenn was our guide, and was well versed in the foods/businesses, and also the city history, which was a big plus for a first-time visitor to Chicago. Her personality and engagement with the group was at least 50% of the reason why we would enthusiastically recommend the tour. The only surprise, as a tourist, was that there was no meat/sausage stop on the tour. I would have figured that to be a staple of the Chicago food tour. That said, all the stops on the tour were fantastic. Thanks and we'll make sure to recommend this to others visting Chicago!

During th entire tour it rained from start to finish. Despite it raining, my spirits and enjoyment for the tour never lessened. I never looked at my watch once to see how much longer until the tour ended. This tour really keep my attention from start to finish. The tour guide was awesome and well organized. This was tour was fabulous. I can not recommend this tour enough.!!!!!!

Our group leader Jessie was very informative and enthusiastic. The pace was quite acceptable. The food was very good. They were able to accomodate one group member that has Celiac. We enjoyed ourselves, even though it rained.

I really enjoyed the tour even though we were stuck with a rainy day. Our tour guide kept the mood light and upbeat despite the dismal weather. I have to caution individuals thinking about taking the tour solo. At times I felt as though I was just tagging along because everyone else was participating with friends and family. My attempts to stay engaged and interact with the guide were limited by a couple that monopolized much of our tour guides time while walking. All in all a nice experience with lots to learn and experience.

the tour was a great way to see the city and try some good eats at local shops.