North End Market Tour

The tour was well organized. It was great that we could sample some of the food. Beth was an excellent tour guide. She is very knowledgeable about Italian food and cooking. She was enthusiastic about the tour. That gave us a warm, welcoming feeling.

tour was much too talky.i think a lot of people on our tour were hoping for more tips on how to make some of the products shown. also most of the shops visited were very pricey.(maybe i am out of touch).there also could been more info given about events in the north end,past &present.i:e:the old BRINK'S location and background info or the fresh cheese shop,much in the news today. in summing up,it was such a nice day that it helped take away some of my disappoitment.

This was my present to my mom for Mother's Day. She was actually the one who had heard of the tour and "hinted" that I buy us tickets. Well I only have her to thank because it was one of the best tours that I have been on. As someone who has now lived in Boston for 7 years, I always found the North End to be a little intimidating. I never knew where to go and was always afraid of walking into a tourist trap. This was a great introduction to the area and not only was there delicious food, but the snippets of history and culture were fascinating. Our tour guide knew so much about the area and was more than helpful in answering any questions. He clearly had been doing the tour for a while and knew all of the shop owners. Remember, this is a market tour and not a restaurant tour. We weren't clear on that when we signed up, so if you're looking for restaurant recommendations, look elsewhere. If, however, you're looking for shops and markets to get the best fresh, imported, and authentic cuisine, look no further. Delicious food, friendly and knowledgeable tour guide, and a newfound awareness of the North End - what more could a girl ask for?

I would recommend this tour to people interested in the history and foods of the North End. It is particularly interesting to folks who like to cook and have more than a basic knowledge of ingredients. The tour guide, a retired chef and cooking instructor, provided a nice balance of history, local culture, and culinary education that would be interesting to a wide group of visitors. The owners/employees of the markets visited were welcoming, and tour members learned where to shop for authentic and imported ingredients and locally produced products.

Jim, a former chef, was an excellent guide. Very informed and a food lover, he made us very excited about all we did and saw. I can't wait to have him for a Chinatown tour.

Very informative about the area's history and the cuisine. The northend was a great place to see and the tour made it better.

As my husband and I are lovers of anything Italian, as well as the love of cooking, this tour was a must. We always find that you learn so much more when guided by someone that knows the area and the local merchants. Our tour guide gave us the historical background of the North End, as well as introducing us to some of the local store owners. I would wholeheartedly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to get more out of their visit to Boston.

LOVED IT! My second time (went about four years ago), but went with a different friend. Dick was wonderful. The business owners were very welcoming. Since I am local, I will revisit these shop owners. Thank you!

This tour was fantastic! The information including all the hand-outs were excellent and we loved the chosen establishments. The guide was an amazing source of information covering the history and culinary history of the North End. We would have liked more time in each place to shop instead of having to go back and retrace the entire tour at the end, though.

After I initialy booked the tour I got to thinking "What would keep my interest for 3 hours concerning italian food ingrediants?" Well i soon found out. I could have listened for 6 hours. It was incredible. A must do for anyone one interested in food. Awesome !!!