Chicago Food Planet Food Tours

I, along with my husband and two boys (15 and 12), would highly recommend this tour. We've been to Chicago many times, so we wanted to try activities we've never done before in the city. I researched this tour and read great reviews. Well, the reviews were right! We were blessed with great weather and a great guide, Nicky. She was incredibly friendly and outgoing. Plus, she's a native of Chicago which I think is an advantage. We went to places we've never been before and learned about architecture and other things along the way. Very inexpensive for all the information/food tastings you get in the 3 to 3 1/2 hour tour. You also get coupons to use at the places you stop. After the tour ended, we went to four of the seven places to make purchases. I'm sure I'll probably make orders online for gift-giving, too! It really says something about the tour when two school-aged boys liked it! We've already talked about taking the other tour next time we're in Chicago. I'll definitely recommend going to anyone I know traveling to Chicago. Keep up the great job!

We did the Lincoln Park tour in Chicago. We all enjoyed this more than any other event on our Chicago vacation....even my two teenaged kids!!!!! A few things: Our guide, Nicki, was absolutely outstanding! She got to know us all individually and was just as at ease with adults as she was with children. Her many stories of the history left us all wanting more. Note: the website says that this is not a full meal, but rather a "tasting". True, but do youself a favor - skip breakfast and don't plan dinner for the night you take the tour. They give you so much food, you will be MORE than satisfied. The selection was quite varied and each shop was outstanding. I wouldn't recommend this for young kids, but anyone over 10 would love this! From the pizza to the spice shop, the vendors were all warm and welcoming. It is a long walk, but not at all tiring. We paid just over $40 per person and it was 100% worth every penny.

We love Chicago and we thought we had been just about everywhere in the city...but wow what a nice surprise! We saw stores that we did not know even existed. The merchants were wonderfully kind. Shane our tour guide really impressed us with his knowledge and charm. Thank you for a most enjoyable day...we will come again, and tell others about the tours.

My husband and I, along with another couple, decided to do the food tour after someone recommended it to our friends. Although it was early in the season, the weather was beautiful, and the tour was fantastic! There were many surprises along the way--we weren't expecting much out of a visit to a spice shop or an oil shop, but we all agreed that it was one of the most interesting (and educational, thanks to our guide, Shane!) experiences we have had. Shane was our "tour guide," and he was excellent and extremely knowledgeable, not only about the food, but about architecture, history, and Chicago in general. We had a great time and will probably recommend it to many of our friends in the future!

We had a wonderful time getting to know the area better and eating some very delicious food, it was just the right amount. We went back to two places the next day for more, they give you a couple of coupons too for the places you visit. Would go again to the other area tour!

We had both been on the Near North Tour twice (three times myself) and each experience was fabulous yet unique in terms of what the different guides brought to the table. We had been wanting to take the Bucktown/Wicker Park tour to see how it fared, and I'd been considering it for a larger group outing. I'm sorry to say that the guide was interesting but not nearly as engaging as previous ones, the insight into the culture of the neighborhoods wasn't as deep, and the eating experiences were a disappointment to us. The Chicago hot dog stop was good, "Hot Chocolate" was great, and the beer at Piece was good but the pizza average (more of a night spot). The antipasto salad and the falafel were AWFUL (an acquired taste, I guess), but the stop at Icream was neat (though the ice cream was not awe-inspiring). We decided that there were two key elements that led to our disappointment: first, on the Near North tour, there was a nice mix of dining establishments (deli, pizza, cholcolate) and shops (tea, spice, oilerie) as compared to all dining stops on B/WP. More importantly, the owners or principals at each establishment on the Near North tour spoke at length directly to the group - not so on B/WP. It was a nice personal touch that's missing on the B/WP tour. Because there were no shops on this tour, we had no interest in revisiting any of the stops while in the area, and I doubt that we'll make an effort on return trips. It seems like an effort was made to replicate the Near North tour in a different neighborhood, but the substance is lacking.

We liked the variety of foods we got to try. The deli had a great rueben. The fudge Pot was excellent chocolate. Delightful Pastries was awesome! The oil/vinegar shop was interesting and informative. The pizza was good at the end. There are architectural stops along the way and gives you a chance to rest. There is some walking involved but nothing too brisk for the average person. One lady on our tour had a little trouble keeping up but everyone else seemed fine. Know your limits! We had a great tour guide--Arianna (sp??) Loved her! Very knowledgable and friendly. Would recommend this tour if you want to get to know the city and if you like to try new things. We had a great time!!

I loved the mix of food eating and education, and the historical/ architectural facts given as you walk through old neighborhoods on this tour. Ariana was a delightful and knowledgable tour guide who really made the tour fun and interesting.

Even if you think that you won't like it, try it! The felafel sandwich was the star stop. I would change the pizza stop to a different type of pizza, and offer a larger portion of the deli salad (the salad was underwhelming) and ice cream.

The tour was really great and covered a lot of ground. What I liked most about it (besides the food, of course ;) was that it gave you a good layout of Wicker Park and Bucktown so that you could get your bearings (especially if you're not a Chicago native). The foods we sampled were overall excellent and with big, oftentimes full portions (for example, we were each given an entire Chicago hot dog at one location and a sizeable falafel sandwich at another). I made the mistake of eating breakfast beforehand, but you'll be more than ok going on an empty stomach (considering the portion sizes and the fact that the samplings run pretty close together). Overall I really enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend it! :)

It's nice when you participate in an activity that exceeds your expectations, and the Bucktown/Wicker Park Food Tasting & Cultural Tour certainly did. The food tasting locations were all very good. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about each location, the history and development of the Bucktown/Wicker Park area, and the experience was tasty, interesting, educational, and fun. I would highly recommend this event for anyone looking for a casual, leisurely activity, (especially if the weather cooperates) that won't disappoint. I was introduced to business establishments and locations that I would have probably not ever visited or experienced, had it not been for this tour. So if you know someone who's favorite things to do is walk (a little) and eat (like my wife) then this is a winner.

My 3 kids and I went on this wonderful walking food tour with the greatest guide, Nicky. She was informative, energetic, and kept us eager to make the next stop. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone ages 13 and over. We went April 1 and the weather was beautiful and our group was fun. The owners of each stop were very accommodating and made this a memorable trip. Thanks!

The tour was excellent. We learned a lot about Chicago and the tasty food in the city. The spice store and the oil store were really great, and have wonderful products. The tea was also delicious. My dad, who is not exactly what you would call a foodie, even enjoyed the tour. It was a fun and different way to see the city.

I had a great time. I wouldn't have found all those great places on my own. The guide (Ariana) was fun and knowledgeable. Only negatives are that I'm not sure the last stop was worth the long walk (or maybe start at the end and work back to Ashkenaz) and I would like to have other payment options rather than credit card through a service with a fee. But those are small matters. I'd definitely recommend this for foodies.

We really enjoyed the tour. The guide was friendly and interesting, adding commentary on architecture and history in between stops. The 7 restaurants and stores were even better than expected from the reviewed we read. There is no shopping during the tour, in order to keep on schedule. The tour ended 1.5 miles from where it started, but we decided to retrace the route so we could stop at all the stores we had visited and buy items.