Michele Topor, Inc.

My husband and I are locals and first did the North End Tour in the summer of 2009. We had Beth as our guide and couldn't stop raving about it to our family and friends. We recently took the tour again with my husband's family and everyone loved it - we were lucky to have Beth as our guide again! We are now looking forward to taking it with my parents - we can't wait for tour #3! It is a great activity to do as a group. Whether you are familiar with the area or not, you will definitely learn a lot.

We've lived near Boston for almost 40 years and hadn't taken a "real" tour of the North End. Wish we'd done this tour years ago. Have all ready recommended the outing to several friends and family members to take advantage of this memorable outing.

There were 12 of us celebrating a friends 60th birthday, this was more than we all expected. Simple wonderful the birthday girl was treated like a queen for the day we sang happy birthday to her and there was even a cake. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and easy to talk with. The tasting at different places was wonderful!!!! We were able to go back and purchase what we knew we enjoyed. I would do the tour again...Wonderful time.

The selection of activities was excellent and representative of old world North End. The tastings were generous. The handouts were very informative, and with them, we will continue to explore the North End of Boston. The tour guide was knowledgeable and personable. She made the tour fabulous.

My husband and I have lived in this area for awhile. I even lived in the north end when I was single. We've eaten in and visited the north end countless times. Visiting with a tour guide as knowledgeable and personable as Jim was a great surprise. We learned a lot and enjoyed the afternoon immensely. Jim's knowledge of Italian cuisine provided us with wonderful tips and highlights. The only suggestion is that the tour provide a bottled water and though it is difficult a bathroom stop....

The tour started with a lecture on the history of Chinese immigrants and went on from there. Our tour guide Jim is so knowledgable and presents the facts with so much enthusiasm. From the bbq, to the bakeries to the pharmacy of chinese remedies were terrific. The super market was a highlight. Ending with a dim sum luncheon was perfect. It is so different from the chinese food we usually get at takeouts. So delicious. The only disappointing item was the chicken feet. We wanted to try them and we did, but wouldn't do it again. Would definetly do a dim sum again, now that we know the protocol and equitette. Thanks Jim, it was well worth the trip to Boston.

Our guide, Jim Becker, was superb. I wasn't a particular China afficionado, but he certainly is--and now I could be, too. His knowledgeable talks on food, Chinese medicine, history of Chinatown and the Chinese in America, and the local customs were fascinating. I could take the tour ten times and still learn something. I particularly appreciated Jim's navigation of the dim sum puzzle. Reassuring and delicious!

Our guide, Jim, was very knowledgable. The tour was just the right pace and length of time. I have been to China Town many times on my own, but this helped me to learn about the history of the area, and to find some new places to go back to. I particularly liked the fact that our guide gave us a written list of the places we visited, as well as others he recommends.

This was one of the best afternoons! Spending this time with Michele (how lucky were we?) and five great women, sharing the scents, aromas, interesting stories, tips, and laughs was truly such an experiance. I will be enjoying this tour again. And... would love to be part of the China Town tour. Michele is a fabulous guide! Thank you.

Even after 30 years of dining in the North End and occassionally shopping, we found many new "gems." The best authentic bakery, coffee shop, shushi and fish, home made pasta and an unequalled selection of quality Italian wines at excellent prices. The tasting was great, the guide's local knowledge and knowledge of Italy and Italian food was very impressive. If you like Italy, Italian food or just really good food and wine, come find the secret garden of Italian delights.

We had four people in our group, We all had a wonderful time. Our guide Dick was great! After the tour we had an hour before our dinner reservation, so we went back to some of the places that were on the tour. We would do it again with guests from out of town.

We had a great time on this tour. The guide was very knowledgeable, clear, and friendly. Although the tour focuses on food, it also included a substantial amount of information about the neighborhood and Chinese herbal medicine. People who are especially squeamish about animals as a food source may be put off by the butcher shops with whole animals. A few folks on the tour were non-adventurous eaters and seemed to not enjoy as much of the food as we did, though they still seemed happy with the tour. Overall, a great experience.

we toured the north end with jim and was pleasantly surprised when he also was the guide for this tour. he is very knowledgeable in both the foods of chinatown and the history of china and it's people.

From the beginning to the end Jim gave us a ton of interesting facts. Not only about Chinatown but about the history of Boston. His knowledge about the food was unbelievable. We had a great time.

Our guide, Jim,, a former chef, was informed, amusing and had a wonderful sense of humor. You could clearly sense his connection with the neighborhood of the North End. This was my second North End Market tour, but Jim made it all seem brand new. I highly recommend this tour for everyone!