Gold Coast & Old Town Food Tasting & Cultural Tour

An enjoyable 3 hour walking tour layered around food stops that were well balanced. You should know that if you are leving Chicago after the tour (as we were) that you will not be able to buy goodies at any of the stops; as our guide explained, the tour gets behind schedule if they allow that. I would have liked to have learned a little more about Chicago while on the tour but I guess it is a balancing act between informing the out of town guests while not boring the local residents.

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of the Near North Side. From the Reuben sandwich, the cranberry-mango tea, spice orientation and tasting, olive oil-vinegar tasting, to the spinach pizza and pastries, everything was just PERFECT! We also enjoyed Lauren's thorough and articulate architecture and history highlights along the delightful walk. What an ideal way to spend a Saturday in Chicago!

I absolutely LOVED this tour! I have to say it was one of the best tours I've ever experienced. Our guide, Heather, was extremely knowledgeable of Near North and had so much information to give. I loved the stories and background that she provided on the different streets and the history of Chicago such as the the Great Fire in the 1872 (or maybe it was 1871???) and so much more. I have to say that the tour is more walking than eating but when you do eat, boy is it GREAT! No need to feel too guilty on this one. You'll definitely burn off what you consume. My favorite part was the Fudge Pot (you really don't need to ask why! It's chocolate!!!) and learning the history behind its owners. Thoroughly enjoyed all the history on the architecture and learning about the way of life as all of that area was being rebuilt after the fire. Looking forward to returning to Chicago to try some of the other tours! If they're anything like this one, I'm sure to be completely satisfied :-) Word of advice: Tip your guide! It takes ALOT to remember all of that information and know it well! Great job Heather!!! See you on the next trip! ~Anquanette

I LOVED the tour. I went back to several of the places and purchased a large variety of the items advertised. The staff at each of the places were helpful and thoughtful. Thank you soooo much!!! I will recommend this to everyone I know visiting Chicago.

What a delightful tour. Beginning with the deli shop(great pastrami), "seconds and thirds" at the candy shop and topping it off with pizza.. We will definitely be back for the other tours. Scott and Alia were a wealth of information. Thank you, Jeff and Eva from Reno and Maureen from San Jose

It's not just about food, it also includes culture. The building, the history, the story about the food. This is the way I want to know Chicago. Thank you for the tour. It was Awesome.

We enjoyed this tour very much - arrived on the train from central Illinois and had plenty of time to take a cab to the meeting place. The tour leader was well-organized and informative, entertaining. Would recommend this tour and plan to take additional ones.

The tasting/walking tour was well organized and interesting. Chicago was at its prettiest with tulips and hydrangeas in bloom. My group and I enjoyed it so much we are going to book another of the tours.

Did I learn a little? Yes. Did I learn anything that I couldn't have read on a poster or in literature at each stop? No. I really wanted to enjoy this tour--I love the concept of it!--but you can go to these locations on your own and not feel rushed, buy some things (no shopping allowed on the tour!), be able to talk to your companions, try the foods you want (tour has a very boring menu) and not have a yappy guide ruining the experience. That was the worst part: our guide. Maybe the other guides are better, but ours acted like she was leading a group of school children, not adults. She kept squealing "super-duper yummy" and by the end, everyone was rolling their eyes and trying not to kill her. Tour is not worth the money... Just go on your own and actually enjoy yourself!

We took this tour on May 15th, 2011. Not exactly prime weather in Chicago, but we were only in town for a couple of days and wanted to make the best out of it. We had packed raincoats and umbrellas. Hillary was our guide and she was incredible. She was fun, knowledgeable, and incredibly chipper which kept us interested and motivated throughout the wet and cold walk. Our seven stops were amazing and I learned something new at each one. Don't be discouraged about the amount of time you spend walking (which is quite a bit). The walk itself is very beautiful (especially if it's not raining...we sort of retraced our steps the next day). You are not permitted to purchase items during the tour which is unfortunate, but totally understandable. I can only imagine the chaos and time involved for a group of 20 people to make shopping decisions at the time alloted to us at each location. It would be a bit of a let down if you weren't in town long enough to go back so I recommend doing the tour early on in your stay like we did so you can return to your favorite shops. During the tour Hillary gave us a walking architectural/cultural lesson on Chicago. We were very happy about that since we did not have time for another walking tour. I recommend this tour early on in your trip especially if it's your first time in Chicago. It was for us and the walking gave us a good perspective on different neighborhoods and where things were located. We felt a lot more comfortable walking around over the next two days. It will also help us plan our next trip to Chicago since we now know where things we enjoyed are located. The locations themselves are phenomenal. Our favorites included the deli, the spice shop and the oil store. The deep dish pizza at the end of the long walk was also a welcome reward. The tastings were modest in size and not all places included food (like the spice and oil locations) so you do not have to be concerned about being full or bloated. We had a decent breakfast at around 9 and we were pleasantly satisfied after the tour's conclusion. The tour is planned out carefully so that you are neither uncomfortably full or hungry. If you're planning a trip to Chicago I would urge you to include this food tour in your activities. It's easy to reserve your spot online and you will have a great time getting to know the city through its amazing food.