Boston Chinatown Market Tour

This is the second time I have been on this tour and I have to say it was as amazing the first time as it was the 2nd time. Getting into Boston and finding parking was helpful due to the instructions provided by Michelle Topor. The tour started on time and we were with a good bunch of people. The guide was very nice and provided us with lots of history information and a ton of foodie information on what, where and how to eat. Visited a chinese market, Chinese pharmacy, and ended the tour with a delicious dim sum feast. I am usually not a tour person but I have taken this twice and it really was great!

Have done Michele Topor's North End Tour twice and this one was just as terrific. Our guide Jackie did a wonderful job describing the history of Chinatown and more. Our tour was fun going in and out of shops getting tastings and leaning about foods and spices as well as some of her personal tidbits of info. Our last stop for a Dim Sum lunch was a highlight with yummy foods to try and special service to boot.

Our leader Jim was great. He was very knowledgeable about foods, history and local trivia. The size of our group was just right - 8 people. We were able to navigate the streets and shops without causing much disruption . we were able to hear Jim's talk as we were able to stay close. The people at the stops along the way were friendly. The dim sum restaurant was an experience I will try again soon. I have never been to one. Well worth the $.

We really enjoyed our tour of Chinatown. We liked all the history and culture we got to learn about.

I've taken a food tour of Seattle's Pike Street Market, and this tour rates slightly above that one. Chef Jim, our host, filled our heads with so much info that my mind is still swimming in Chinese knowledge five days later. You learn the history of the Chinese people not only in Boston, but also in the United States. The shops we visited were amazing, the people we encountered were extremely gracious, and the food we sampled were delicious. If you love Chinese food, or any food for that matter, you need to take this tour!

Despite the rain on the day, the tour was interesting and fun. Although I have some familiarity with Chinatown, the tour introduced me to both the history of the Boston Chinese community and to some shops and foods I had not tried. My only slight criticism is that I found the introductory historical information long--I wonder whether it might have been broken up a little, so that we had some history, a visit to a shop or two, and then more history rather than doing it all at once. But ours was a rainy day, which made standing around outside slightly uncomfortable.

I gave my husband the Chinatown Tour as a gift and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed learning about the history of the area as well as learning about the various foods and cooking styles. Jackie was a great tour guide and knew her way around. She gave us some great tips about where to eat and how to cook the great foods available in Chinatown. This tour ensured that we will be back to explore Chinatown on our own. Many thanks!

What a great way to spend a Saturday morning! My friend and I booked the tour to celebrate her birthday, and I'm so glad we did. We live in the Boston area, and my friend made a family trip to China last fall, yet we had only sampled a few local dim sum places, and didn't know much about the history or breadth of Boston's Chinatown. WOW, did Jim change all that! He is a friendly, enthusiastic, very knowledgeable guide with a wealth of detail at every turn. He obviously had a great rapport with the local merchants and restaurants, and anticipated the needs of them and the guests so smoothly, down to gently guiding us where to stand in the tiny shops. He clearly prepared and honed his tour over years of experience -- his bulging totebag yielded many tasty surprises. We felt completely at ease and surrounded by the ebb and flow of the neighborhood, like we were on our own weekly marketing trip. Jim chose both delicious samples of food, and enlightening tidbits of trivia, history, and cultural awareness to share with us. We were snapping photos, sharing bites, making mental notes of places to revisit, and chatting with our fellow tour participants the whole time, it flew by. Saving the best for last, our dim sum banquet was just wonderful -- the restaurant was bustling, the dishes stacked higher and higher, and everyone ate more than their fill, including most folks sampling something outside their comfort zone (like chicken feet) for the first time. Aside from the amazing food (and bubble teas!), our favorite stop was at the traditional Chinese pharmacy, it was so great to hear from the owners about their business and see local customers coming in for their favorites. We felt like we were really experiencing another culture nestled within Boston, it was wonderful. The tour was filled with thoughtful flourishes, right down to the keepsake soup spoon -- it was a great experience, and worth every penny. We are already looking forward to booking the North End "little Italy" tour next time a big birthday comes around! :) Thank you to Jim, he sparked a new pair of dedicated dim sum diners and mooncake mavens that morning.

Informational and fun is the best way to describe this tour. I can't believe how the time flew by-must be because it was so interesting. The dim sum lunch was delicious and very enjoyable. I'd recommend this tour to any adult-young or older.

Jim was a fantastic tour guide! My brother and I enjoyed the tour so much and we learned more than we ever expected to about Chinese food and culture! I now feel confident finding my way around Chinatown to eat and shop. Thank you Jim, for sharing your knowledge with us! You were a warm and welcoming host who made everyone feel like honored guests on the tour!