Chicago Food Planet Food Tours

What a great way to spend an afternoon in Chicago! Don't eat before you come to this tour. You get plenty of food and/or some to take back with you. Normally, I wouldn't have come this far to go to a restaurant from downtown, but after seeing what's out here, we will definitely go to some of these restaurants when visiting downtown Chicago in the future.

You can only see so many buildings. To really get to know the culture of a city and what a city is about you have to venture off the beaten tourist path. For the less adventurous this is a safe way to see a different side of Chicago and experience what the food spots that the locals enjoy. The high light was Hot Chocolate with the fresh made marshmallows. It's not just hot chocolate it's an altered state experience. It is certainly worth the time. I highly recommend this.

This tour exceeded my expectations! I was hesitant when I reviewed the itinerary because the tour included a tea shop, a spice shop, and a specialty oil and vinegar shop, but all three were fabulous experiences and unlike any shops I had ever visited. All of the owners were enthusiatic in sharing their product knowledge and samples! The olive oils and balsamic vinegars were awesome! Our tour guide was fabulous and shared so many details on the history of the neighborhoods we were touring, the houses, the architecture and funny tidbits all around. Highly recommend this tour as a wonderful way to tour some of the best of the Gold Coast, Old Town and Lincoln Park. And a very comfortable experience for singles touring the city!

Hillary was AWESOME! Thanks so much for your personable tour! So, as to the tour itself... Hmm Definately recommend, and I will be trying another one of their tours... It was a good combination of Food followed by some specialty shops (spices, oils, teas, sweets) and finished up with the Chicago standard of a really deep dish pizza. Of more interest was the walk through the old town and exposure to some of the unique architecture. This tour benefits greatly from the nice weather as it allows you to dwell on some of the city history. I would say to avoid if rainy or very cold, otherwise a great experience.

The food was delicious, but just as fun were the explanations about the area and its history. Our guide (Kent) was very knowledgeable, and you could really tell he enjoys what he's doing. Although it was probably the 153rd time he did it. I did similar tours in NYC, so I came with high expectations and a slight fear of disappointment. Gladly, I was very pleased by the end of the day. Highly recommended!

I took the Wicker Park/ Bucktown tour... The tour guide girl was very nice and very enthusiastic ( which I think is key) .... She would explain where we were going and why we were going there.. This is not your conventional " Chicago" touristy tour.... it takes a refreshing look at an up-coming niehgborhoos which used to be and sometimes still is sketchy. .. I recommend it .. we had alot of fun

A pleasure from start to finish - a wide variety of food interspersed with information about the area and culture.

So enjoyed this tour; wonderful new tastes, information & stories about the foods and spices, trying many different basalmic vinegars (who'd have thought!), seeing the architecture & learning about the neighbourhood. Was raining but that didnt stop me going back to purchase at 4 of the shops. One of the highlights of my time visiting America.

The food tour was thoroughly enjoyable, as much for the neighborhoods we explored, and what I learned about Chicago and its history and culture as the food. Our guide, Hillary, was very informative and fun, and the food was really good. Just received the olive oils I ordered after the tour so I can think about my visit every time I enjoy them.

What better way to enjoy Chicago than walking through the neighborhoods and sampling great food? I found out that I DO like pastrami (I've already told my son that he has to go back there to buy it), that I DO like tea when properly prepared (I've always said "no thanks" to tea but no longer), brought home a catalog from the Spice House that is already marked up with things to order, and enjoyed foods from savory to sweet in some very neat little shops. Our tour guide educated us about the history of the city, the architecture, the neighborhoods, and the green spaces that we passed - even got to stand in front of the original Playboy Mansion. I believe that the actual route is more than the one mile they advertise but with comfortable shoes and clothing it is not a problem for the able-bodied. I highly recommend this tour and I plan to do the other two the company offers the next time I am in Chicago.

Informative & animated tour guides took us to a neighborhood that as a tourist we would not of otherwise visited. The the variety of tastings was excellent and we tried some very good local food, drink and sweets.

First of all, I want to admit that I was foolish and booked not only the wrong tour, but also the wrong day. Customer service was nice enough to change my ticket the same morning of the tour!!! They got back to me extremely fast and were understanding!! Jessica was our tour guide and she was super nice and very knowledgeable of the neighborhoods and restaurants. I have been on many tours because I travel a lot and sometimes a tour guide might make you feel uneasy or uncomfortable. Not Jessica! She made everyone feel like we were a big family. On to the food. Every place we went to was fabulous! It was a great mix of food and drinks that had something for everyone. I wish I lived in Chicago so I could revisit all of the places we went too, as well as the other restaurants/bars/food places she mentioned on our tour.

Kent was an excellent guide and the tour was very organized and well worth the price

This tour was a great experience and a fun way to get acquainted with a neighborhood. I was in town on business and this was a great way to spend a free afternoon. I met some really great people. Our tour group was just the right size and Jessica, our guide, was fantastic. I can't wait to try the Chinatown and North Side tours next time I'm in town.

This tour was a great way to spend a morning, especailly for someone travelling alone for a business trip. All of the places we visited were very different from each other and they were all really great. I loved the restaurant Hot Chocolate and I was pleasantly surprised that they offered so much more than just the deliciously silky hot chocolate that they are famous for. I was also surprised at how much I loved the falafel at Sultan's Market as I have never really cared for falafel in the past. This falafel is hands down the best! I loved the fresh cucumber and tomato salad, the delicious hummus and most of all the delicate and lightly crispy falafel all neatly packed in pita bread. I didn't really expect to like the Chicago style hot dog, but I was wrong. It was soooo good! I especially liked the hot pepper, mustard and celery salt. George's Hot Dogs are the best! iCream was so cool. This custom made ice cream made with liquid nitrogen technology was scrumptious and it had such an uniquely silky smooth texture. At Piece we got to sample beer made on premises and some of Chicago's thin crust pizza. This was right up my alley as I love thin crust pizza! Chicago Food Planet has a really good relationship with the restaurants and shops on their tour and all of the people we met were very welcoming and were excited to have us try their delectable food and treats. In addition to sampling al of the delicious food and drink, our tour guide was so nice and provided us with really interesting info. about these Chicago neighborhoods, the architecture and the history of many of the eateries that we walked past. I had so much fun that I couldn't wait to revisit many of these places 2 days later. On my own, I had a fantastic breakfast including: a light and fluffy quiche, warm cinnamon doughnuts and cappucino at Hot Chocolate. I also did some shopping at Goddess and Grocer, buying some Chicago made treats and some of their fantastic cupcakes. Happily, I was also able to take advantage of the money saving coupons we were given on the tour. Needless to say, I would definitely recommend this tour! It is a great way to get to know a new city, its restaurants and its people.