Melting Pot Food Tours

We really enjoyed our walking food tour of Old Pasadena. There's a lot of varied and delicious food provided, and interesting information about the area (history and architecture) and about the restaurants and shops visited. Our favourite was probably the tea shop--we went back later and bought some teas that have amazing subtle flavours.

Diane was a great tour guide. She was very knowledgeable about the area and history. She knew all of the vendors and was very friendly with them. They all came out to meet us, which made us feel very welcome. All of the food sampling was fantastic. We all loved it and we even had a picky teenager with us. I would recommend this to just about every age group. I'm not sure small children would enjoy it, but our teenagers loved it. It was the highlight of our time in LA!! We went back to the Farmer's market afterward to purchase a few items and even went to one of the restaurants that Diane recommended for dinner.

Armed with a knowledgable local guide and a shopping bag you are in for a great treat with the Melting Pot Walking Tour. From coffee and donuts to flavoursome authentic sushi, our tastebuds were tantalised for three full hours. This tour was unique in the way that shop owners spoke with us about their produce and the passion behind their business. From a tourists point of view this was a fantastic was to be introduced to a new city as food is clearly a big part of LA. This tour was true sensory overload - amazing tasting samples, inspiring stories to hear, the freshest produce to be sighted and food that touches the heart. Be warned....don't eat before you arrive!

All the food is absolutely great and our tour guide Mike filled us in not only on the significance of the different ethnic and American foods, and other tour shop products, but added many details about the history of the area and its architecture which made the tour multidimensional. We really appreciated the emphasis on locally owned businesses which offer affordable and excellent cuisine . We will definitely do another tour with Melting Pot next time we're in LA but we will wear pants with generously giving elastic waistbands. Old Pasadena rocks! M & D, Lincoln, Nebraska

Awesome!! Had a great time!!

My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the walking food tour in Old Town Pasadena. We discovered and tasted food samples from some wonderful restaurants and shops. We even went back to a few after the tour was over to buy some items to enjoy at home later. Our guide was always friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of the area and about the shops we visited. I had also done the Melting Pot tour at the Farmer's Market a year ago, and enjoyed it just as much. I can't wait for the Melting Pot Tour organization to add another tour location to its list.

Tour guide was outstanding, food varies great and it al tasted great. What a way to spend a Saturday!!

We went on the 3rd street food tour with Kendall and had a great time. We tried many different types of food (all were delicious) and were full by the time the tour was over. We learned about the history of the area, as well. I gave this four rather than five stars because I wish there would have been more non-sweet options. However, the sweet foods were delicious!

My Sister came out to Los Angeles for a visit and I thought this would be a fun activity as we both enjoy food and cooking and things like foodnetwork channnel, etc. We had a wonderful time and not only tasted some yummy food, but also got to learn some history about Old Pasadena. It was great to meet the shop owners too and learn about their background and how they started their restaurants.

Diane was a fantastic guide. We sampled our way through Farmer's Market and 3rd Street and met wonderful and friendly merchants along the way. I would highly recommend this tour to both locals as well as visitors to the LA area. We look forward to trying the Pasadena tour.

What a GREAT choice to start off our holiday weekend! My husband and I planned a little get-away to Pasadena... planning to enjoy time together, good food, a "walkable" city, and interesting sights. In every way, the Old Pasadena Food Tasting Tour kick-started our weekend adventure. Our guide, Lisa, was beyond wonderful. From her first warm smile and greeting, I knew we were in for a treat! She did a fabulous job introducing us to store owners, explaining a little bit of their stories and how they started their individual restaurants and shops. Lisa navigated us through the back alleys and darling courtyards of Pasadena, stopping often to explain the colorful history of both the city and important individuals. We loved this part of the tour and enjoyed having the time to appreciate the architecture of Old Town and the foresight of the Pasadena people that worked to rejuvenate this part of the city. Most apparent is Lisa's knowledge and enjoyment for good food! Each stop that we made for tasting was clearly chosen for specific reasons.... namely the outstanding fare! There were so many excellent stops, providing delicious items that opened our eyes to various dishes and new places to re-visit. We were thoroughly "stuffed" when finishing our tour and glad that we were able to walk between all the delectable stops! In addition to all the tasty treats, we learned so much! Shorts lessons in what makes a brilliant olive oil, why "muddling" helps to create a terrific tea fusion and how kitchen ingredients are perfect for making a moisturizing soap were only a few. We planned this tour for the first day of our stay in Pasadena. I am so glad we did! It was the perfect introduction to the city and allowed us to return to many of the places we stopped at along the way. Fun, Interesting, Novel, Yummy.... Pasadena Food Tasting Tour was Amazing! Thanks so much, Lisa! We look forward to booking another food tour by Melting Pot Tours again very soon!

Diane was AMAZING!!! Learned so much and ate the best treats.

Having lived in the LA area for 40 years, this was only my second time to Farmer's Market. I will definitely go back ..the choices of foods was fantastic .. love the French Macaroons!!! 3rd street is also definitely worth repeat trips!!

The Farmers Market tour was like a hidden gem of LA! My husband and I truly enjoyed ourselves and learned and tasted lots of delicious food from local merchants. In fact, we loved it so much that we went back to the Farmers Market on our own before the end of our vacation. Diane was a great tour guide and we are glad we did it. Will definitely try the Pasadena tour next time we're in California.

This tour was awesome. It lives up to all the reviews I read. I am so glad I found this tour because I would have been missing out. I am telling all my friends that they have to do this tour. It's worth every penny. I love to eat and we ate the entire time. You don't need to have breakfast and you will not want lunch. The background and getting to meet some of the owners was great. The next time I'm in California I will do it again.