Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour

I thoroughly enjoyed the Near North Food Tour in which I participated on a Friday morning in June. Intending to try book for the following Saturday am, I discovered that was full, but was able to purchase a ticket just 2 hrs in advance of the scheduled Friday tour. By chance this tour had only 4 other people plus the guide, Jess. The weather was perfect and Jess was a friendly, knowledgable and delightful guide. The other tour participants were pleasant and we were fortunate to have such a small group. Highlights for me were the Ashkenaz Deli and Lou Malnati's pizza food samplings, plus the informal "cinnamon and pepper" lecture provided by the owner of The Spice House, who happened to be on site at the time we visited his family's shop. Sampling olive oil and balsamic vinegars at Old Town Oil was another highlight. Staying in a downtown hotel, this tour took me to another nearby neighborhood that I would not have seen/experienced had I not participated. I will definitely look into other food tours on future trips to Chicago, but also will look for this means of exploring other cities. While there were just five participants in our group, I understand that fully booked tours include up to 18 people and would be concerned that this size group would make for a more cumbersome, less enjoyable experience.

We had a terrific time. The amount of food, the number of places visited, the history of the city highlighted, the knowledge of the guide, the amount of walking were all wonderful. We had a great time. Ashkenaz and Fudge Pot were my favorites. Thanks for a fun time! One quick point though, it'd be great if the guide counted the participants when leaving each place. One time she just did a quick visual of the group and said, "That's everyone. Let's go." and my Mom was still in the bathroom.

Never having been to Chicago before my friend and I were not sure what to expect from the tour. When I registered us I shared that there were severe food allergies to consider. Our tour guide had other tasting options ready and prepared so we did not need to worry at all. The guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the neighborhoods we visited and the foods we were served. We were provided plenty to eat - it was certainly a lunch full amount! I also learned a lot about tea, spices, the history of foods were were served and had a great time. Being into good foods and fun - this was a highlight of my time in the Windy City!

We enjoyed the Near North Tour because it gave us a chance to learn more about a particular neighborhood in Chicago and sample a variety of foods. My husband's favorite was the pastrami reuben at the Ashkenaz Deli and pizza slice at Lou Malnati's, while I especially enjoyed the vinegar sampling at Old Town Oil, the 10-minute talk with Tom Erd at The Spice House, and luscious fresh macaroons at Delightful Pastries. Included in the tour are discount coupons which we used the next day to make several purchases which the merchants were able to ship to our home. Very convenient and easy. You also get a nice tour of the neighborhood. A fun way to experience Chicago.

We've been coming to Chicago off an on for ten years and this tour is hands down one of the coolest things we've done. Our tour guide, Martha I think, was fantastic, and it's not just a food tour, all of the information on the history and architecture was really interesting. You see a slice of Chicago that you wouldn't normally see. The oils place where you test oils and vinegars is awesome and the first stop at the deli was the best reuben I've ever had - and I lived in New York!!

We had an awesome tour experience. Would recommend to both locals and tourists. Not only was the food amazing, the educational experience was more than we could have asked for. If you don't do this tour you are truly missing out!! We had fun, learned a ton about the neighborhood and left feeling pleasently full. Thanks for a great afternoon CFP!!! We'll be back.............

We were visiting Chicago to visit family & booked a food tasting tour as a group activity. One tour time was listed on the website for the Sunday Near North tour. Each of the 2 family groups booked separately for the same date and day slot for the tour. When we arrived at the tour on Sunday, we learned that the tour agency had taken it upon themselves to create 3 separate tours, departing at 11am, 11:30am, and 12:00pm. We learned that our family had been booked in 2 different tour groups. Since the entire point of the day was to spend time with our family, we asked Chicago Food Planet Tours to accomodate us. They refused. We spent the next 30 minutes making our case and arguing that they should not have indescriminately assigned us to different tour times without our consent. It was not pleasant and it put a damper on the entire tour. We finally succeeded to get people from one of the other tours to switch. Chicago Food Planet needs to subscribe to more professional business practices. Knowing what we know now, we can't recommend this tour company.

Great time wonderful tastings. Tour guide very knowledgable. Well worth the price!

I would definitely recommend the food tour for a group of friends, family or couple. As part of the tour, you get to experience the sites, history and taste of different neighbourhoods in Chicago. In addition, our tour guide was enthusiastic and very accommodating (we had a vegetarian and a 3 month old among our group...with no issues!)

My daughter and I made a weekend trip to Chicago. It was my first time there and this trip gave me a flavorful view of Chicago's near North neighborhood. I learned about the history of each location, the style of food, and experienced tastings of new products. I really enjoyed the food and our tour guide. The guide was informed, polite and excited about this tour. I tasted my first deep dish pizza and loved it!