Michele Topor, Inc.

We took this tour because we did one in Italy and loved it! The North End trip gave us a short and informative history of the North End. The tour visited several local shops with information about the "products" and some tastings. Being a nice Saturday afternoon it was crowded in the North End so many of the stores were busy which was a little distracting from the "lecture" session.I would recommend taking the earlier tour as the 3:00 ended at 6 and then there really wasn't time to do shopping because we were starving and needed to go have dinner. We are looking forward to revisiting the North End and shop in the suggested shops and then have dinner at one of the recommended restaurants.

I'm really not a foodie, but who doesn't like spending a few hours in the North End? I originally thought $60 for a 3 hour tour - by the time you add the tax and svc charge, was too much money, but by the end of the tour, I knew it was well worth it, in tips and tricks alone. It's so nice to see the real sense of community within the North End. It's like it's own little town, and made me wish I could walk into my local stores and "they would know my name". This tour is fun, worth it, and a great "investment"...but I won't spoil the secrets. Take the tour and you'll see why.

We booked a quick trip to Boston and had used zerve for food tours in both Chicago and new Orleans that we loved. I went to this link http://www.zerve.com/ThingsToDo/Culinary_Food_Walking_Tours/ and saw the Boston tour and booked it. This is a market tour and not a food tour. My disappointment may be with ZERVE for listing this as a food tour. Had I done more research, I probably would have picked one of the other food tours that zerve sells in Boston. If you are looking for a market tour, I agree with the other negative post, we went in shops and customers couldn't enter. As we entered another store selling the same things, we didn't bother going in. Very disappointing.

John was very knowledgeable and personable. There were five of us in the group and he made us feel like friends though we hadn't met most of the others before. The merchants were very welcoming and provided tasty treats. The information we received has and will continue to influence our choice of products. We look forward to future visits to the North End to shop and eat.

We had a "stay-cation" and joined Jim Becker on a walking tour of the North End. As a former chef and restaurant owner his knowledge of food and wine and his passion for quality products was evident throughout the three hours we spent strolling through shops. We loved the tour so much when we learned he was leading a tour to Chinatown the following day we signed up for it. We were equally pleased and delighted. It was fun to spend time with the tour participants learning about the nuances of Dim Sum and sampling the variety of delicious foods. We highly recommend it for both local residents and visitors to Boston.

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!

Great tour! Enjoyed learning about the local history as well as the food. Our tour guide was great! Would definintely recommend.

Came on the tour with a friend ( both of us from out of town). We enjoyed the tour, the guide was knowledgeable and interesting. The pace was a out right. The shopkeepers were friendly, the foods were tasty. I really appreciated the little tastes of a variety of things. I would (and already have) recommended this tour to others. Thank you for providing the written handouts.

Enjoyed the tour, food and history of the area. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Jacqueline was our very capable guide, and she was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and had a good sense of humor! She shared treasures and stories that covered regional chinese foods, customs, local markets, medical herb treatments, and even a very smelly live chicken shop. It was cold and slightly rainy, but the weather didn't matter, as we were off from one adventure to another, with lots of different tastings, in a very compact area. I especially appreciated the way Jacqueline was very adept at encouraging and answering a wide range of questions by tour group participants. I would recommend this to any foodie, rain or shine.

Our guide and tour were fantastic - we had a small group and we all interacted and asked questions at will - We all got along wonderfully and we had such fun at the Dim Sum! Our tour guide told us enough history and back data to keep our interest but also kept us moving! I have already told all my friends about this tour!!

As a local, I had been to the North End many times, but only at the surface, going to the usual Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry and a smattering of Italian restaurants. This tour, with Al, took me beyond the superficial and I loved it. I learned about Italian and Italian-American food and ingredients, met shop owners, sampled a variety of ingredients and foods, learned about the history of the North End, and enjoyed all of it. I was tired by the end, but no matter, I've already been back to four of the shops. I'd happily do it again - and might.

We thouroughly enjoyed the North End Tour. Food and history...what a great combination. The tour guide we had was spectacular! Mark, our tour guide, lives in the North End and combined the food and history so well! I can't wait until we go on the Chinatown tour! Thank you.

I wanted so much to love this tour, but it was awful. We and most of our tour group were on time, and we had to wait for a three person part of our group...this was to me unacceptable...the instructions on the ticket were specific about when and where to be. Then as we finally got started the tour guide was over informing us, so much that most of the group tuned out on several occasions. We were totally disruptive to the local businesses because we were in the shops for so long, one shop was about 40 minutes and I saw what would be actual customers see us in the shop and turn around and leave thinking the line was too long. The tour was billed as a two hour tour, the guide told us three hours, and at three and a half hours we were totally done and left the group. Then because of the timing there wasn't any time to shop while we were in the shops for the extended informational portion or after we were done, very disappointing.

I would highly recommend this to others. Included not only food commentary but a little history as well. Thoroughly enjoyable.