Chicago Food Planet Food Tours

My husband and I are big food lovers and we have been to Chicago many times. We loved the chance to visit a new, and very eclectic, neighborhood and sample some of the best food that the locals enjoy. Nothing fancy, but the portions were generous and everything was delicious. A true representation of classic Chicago neighborhood finds. We also enjoyed the sight-seeing portion of the tour. This was an unexpected surprise. It was interesting to see historical homes and nice to have a break from eating so we could make room for more! We would highly recommend this tour for adults and children alike!

This was a fantastic tour! We were looking forward to the food of course, but it turned out that the actual walking tour of the neighborhood was just as interesting and enjoyable. A beautiful neighborhood full of culture and history. The 7 places we visited were delicious and wonderful! Our tour guide, Kent, was awesome! He was so much fun and knew so much about the area and all the places we visited. He definitely made the tour! The next time we come to Chicago, we will definitely do this tour again and tell everyone about it also!

My hubby & I had a long w/e getaway without the kids & it was our first time to Chicago. We were staying in the core of downtown & likely wouldn't have explored this neighbourhood if not for the tour. We both enjoy good food & this tour gave us an opportunity to try many different types in one outing. We're also not big on 'guided' tours but the tourguide provided so much interesting info, not only about the Chicago neighbourhood which she was clearly enthusiastic about, but also about the different places we stopped. When the tour ended, we went back to a few of the shops to pick up some things we enjoyed on the tour. Next time we visit, we'll try a different neighbourhood!

My wife and I have recently found that city tours are a terrific way to see the REAL city. So, when we decided to escape HOTlanta for a few days to Chicago, she did some research and found this tour. The number of times we looked at each other with that "I didn't know that" look was remarkable. I wasn't even aware of a oil and vinegar store! The variety of locations really made it fun and to learn of the architecture along the way really put the icing on the cake. The pace was perfect and the amount of food was perfect. Thank you for clear directions and terrific organization. I must also pass along HUGE cudos to our guide "Jess". She was everything you would want in a guide. SO knowledgable! She really took the time to understand her group (and ALL of our names!) and made the tour seem like she was doing it for each individual! She really knows the locations (taking over for the tea guy, for example) and her knowledge of the city itself and the architecture was amazing! Words to describe her: Adorable (my wife's word), aware, fun, funny, smart, engaging, and very happy to be doing what she was doing! I cannot say enough about how glad we were to have JESS as our guide! We have already talked about coming back for one of the other tours you offer! Nice job and THANK YOU!

We've been to Chicago many times but had never even heard of this area. After taking this fun, educational and delicious food tour we will definitely be back. All the food "tastings" (and I use that term very loosely because we were stuffed by the end of the tour) were wonderful and unique to the area. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in something different to do while in the Chicago area. Besides all the great food we experienced it was nice to see and hear about all the architecture of the homes surrounding the area that we strolled by on our way to the next eatery. We have heard wonderful things about the China Town Tour as well but didn't happen to be there on the day it was touring so that is on our bucket list for next visit. Oh and Kent our guide was wonderful. NOTE TO KENT'S MOM: You raised him well - he is a pretty fabulous tour guide and you should be very proud of him. Bon Appetit!

From a Jewish deli to Hugh Hefner's mansion to Old Town, Chicago has a great history and interesting neighborhoods. The food was so good and we were amazed at the portions served, did not walk away hungry. Ken, our guide was entertaining and informative. The places we visited were gracious and seemed genuinely pleased to see a group descend on their establishments. Very nice time.

We got so much more out of this tour than we were expecting. Not only did we eat some really great food, but we also learned something at every stop as well. Our tour guide gave us interesting information at every location in addition to the architecture in the neighborhoods we walked through. Worth every penny and we can't wait to do the 2 other tours.

Learned a lot about Chinese foods and customs .... very interesting. I would highly recommend this tour.

This was our second time to take this tour. Both times our tour guide was excellent and very informative. You can only take a walking restaurant tour in a big city that has lots of local restaurants in close proximity to each other with different and unusual food offerings. Every food sample was delicious. Both Hot Chocolate and I Cream have been profiled on the FoodNetwork. A very interesting, delicous, and different activity.

This was a great tour- enjoyed it much more than we even expected to. Our guide was so informative with a great personality and excellent general knowledge of the city. As we were traveling from about 50 miles away we will be making a day trip back soon to enjoy other tours you have to offer.

My husband and I recently took our 2nd Chicago Food Planet Tour. This time we took the Bucktown/Wicker Park tour and it was FANTASTIC. Our guide, Nicole was excellent and really made the tour with her knowledge of the area present and past. Parking is FREE on the side streets...and the area is easy to get to and get around in. We loved each and every stop and will be returning to spend more time in that area. Our first tour was the Near North and it was also wonderful. Please treat yourself to this experience!!!

The tour started out strong with a tasting of the best Reuben ever. Great sampling at the Spice Merchants and the Olive Oil and Tea people, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'lunch'. The no-shopping rule really hurt the merchants. We were on limited time and had no way to go back and shop later. The long trek to the last location--supposedly the best stuffed pizza in Chi-town-- was a real disappointment, and far from the start point-- which after hiking in the 95 degree heat really necessitated a cab ride back to the hotel. I say ditch the pizza, plan a circular route and give people time to shop.

Enjoyed the tour very much. Our tour guide brought a lot of information. Loved hearing about the history of the area and the architectural information about the homes and buildings we saw. The food was fun! Got to try some things I would not have selected AND enjoyed the experience. It was definitely a good time.

We had a comfortably paced walking tour of the Gold Coast to several of Chicago's great food spots. Our guide, Kent, was fun, well informed and did some great demonstrations for our group. We met friendly vendors willing to share their knowledge, answer questions and let us sample their specialties. These included the best Reuben we've ever had, a terrific pizza you have to try to believe, wonderful Polish pastries , scrumptious chocolate, heavenly tea and more. The smells alone are captivating! Along the way we learned some history of the area, and Kent showed us some of the beautiful and varied architecture of the neighborhood. It was great to see that vegetarians and those with food allergies were given options designed especially for them with no fuss, so no one felt out of place on this tour. We were able to pick up water to drink along the way and take a restroom break part way through, so even on a hot day, no one had any complaints. The only thing to note is that this tour doesn't end where you start. You'll be about 1 1/2 miles from where you meet the group, but we had no trouble nabbing a taxi and making the $5.20 trip back to our hotel. Others in our group chose the L or the bus, both very near the end of our tour. If it had been a cooler day, we would have reversed our route to do a bit of shopping at some of the specialty shops, but as they all ship product all over the country, we could do our shopping online and use the coupons the tour company provides! We had a great afternoon and will be taking another of these tours next time we in town!

This is the second time I did the Near North tour, and while nothing changed, really, from last year, it was still an excellent time. My out-of-town guests all enjoyed it very much. We learned about food, obviously, but also Chicago history, architecture, you name it. There is ample time to chat with your guests, the others on the tour, and the guide. The best tour of Chicago that I know, and I've done them all: boat, bike, kayak, you name it.