North End Market Tour

Our tour guide had so many great stories from growing up in the North End. It was like we were given the inside scoop on the past and present lives of the local store owners and restaraunts. No need to take notes. We received hand outs and an information packet during the tour. I now know what Sfagliatelle, D.O.P. and Aceto Balsamico is. Take the tour and you'll feel like a pro when it comes to Italian cooking, eating and pastry! If I ever go to Italy, I'll definately take Michele's tour there as well.

The three of us enjoyed the tour immensely and will keep the handout about various stores for our next visit to Boston. The North End of greengrocers, import stores and laundry hanging-out-to-dry may be changing but enough is still there to make the walk around a great delight. Along with all the local color and sense of times gone by, we had an up-to-date exposition of fun information - where the phrase "caught red-handed" came from, how to tell the sex of a eggplant and the difference it makes, smooth and interesting liquers, and much more. Your trip was a great success.

We couldn't have chosen a wetter Saturday to take a tour of the North End ( May 13). Poor Paul gave two tours that day. We happened to be his second tour. He said the first tour was even wetter! Paul was very informative and passionate about the North End. All of the store owners were very friendly and didn't seem to mind us dripping all over their floors. We really liked all of the samples of food and drink. We did not go back to shop after the tour was over. We headed right for Artu's for wine and food. It was very good. Our group is planning on returning to the North End on a warm sunny day to retrace our steps to see what we missed when we had to keep our heads down under our hoods and umbrellas. Thank you for a unique experience.

Toured with 5 of my girl friends - all love to cook & eat and despite torrid rainfall and record flooding - we attended in the rain. Should have rescheduled tour for weather this extreme, was less enjoyable because we were freezing and uncomfortable much of the time. The folks at Maria's Pastry and the Salmuria (sp?) were warm, welcoming and generous in their samples. Polcari's coffee shop was also warm & welcoming but a little lite on the samples. Dairy Fresh had a fabulous selection; however, very little effort was extended on behalf of the vendor to welcome us. The vegetable store which wouldn't let us inside and gave us a thimble-full of fennel bulb to taste was terrible - won't go back there - they were pathetic and a waste of time. The liquor store (run by brother & sister - name?) tour was informative and a nice selection of wines & liquors. Martinetti's I could skip, like going to Kappy's no pizazz and - atmosphere is like an outlet but no bargains. Fish and butcher stores - didn't learn/experience enough with either to comment. Our tour guide was excellent (Paul). He was knowledgable, informative and pleasant. Printed materials on tour, stores & recommendations were very helpful - more would be better. Lunched at Artu's on your recommendation list and we all enjoyed. The meal was good but nothing out of the ordinary. The service was pretty good. If we weren't soaked to the bone and really cold - it would have been far more enjoyable. We understood tours were run rain or shine; however, the weather was really extreme, tour should have been rescheduled. If you can book last minute, I recommend it.

It feels just a little too much like they're trying to spit out as much information as they possibly can in the little while they have. Unless you have a basic understanding already, the italian terms and references they make will likely go right over your head. I felt I came away with an expensive guide to walk me through the streets of the north end. Nevertheless, they put me onto this great Gelato place that I tried after the tour. That recommendation was right on. If there was a way to keep the tour from becoming so much of a regurgitation of facts but make it more personable, that would make it easier to remember instead of walking away with little more than a somewhat full stomache and a pile of papers. Nice area though.

This tour was so much fun. We learned so much and brought home some great cooking and food shopping tips. I come from an Italian background and loved the old-world neighborhood and the samples were a plus too. It was a three hour tour but went by very fast. One of the best parts of our trip!

We had a really good time and enjoyed it hugely. It was a shame for us we did it so near the end of our stay in Boston- it would have changed our eating habits. But it will be immensley useful for next time. We saw a lot, learned a lot, and ate a lot. Highly recommended.

Mother nature didn't cooperate but, notwthstanding the inclement weather, we had an enjoyable time. Our tour guide, Paul, was knowledgeable, entertaining, and did a great job of making the tour interesting and informative. Probably the best way to discover the many delights of the North End!

We loved all the sweet samples along the way! Our tour guide was enthusiastic and well informed. You walk away with a map, a list of North End businesses, and a restaurant guide. Really cannot wait to go back to some of the stores we visited and try some of the others we only heard about. Definitely not for the claustrophobic - stores are small and crowded!

My sister had just moved into an apartment in the North End and I bought tickets so that she could get to know the neighborhood. It was a great tour and took us to many places that we would not otherwise have gone to. For someone living in the North End (or anywhere in Boston), this tour is a great way to find out where to shop for the best veggies, wines, meats, olive oils, etc. It was also historically informative. All in all, it was a very good tour. I would highly recommend it!