New York City - Hell's Kitchen Tasting Tour

We not only sampled a variety of ethnic treats, but also got a feel for the neighborhood environment and history. Our guide was enthusiastic about the area. She made us want to go back.

This tour was awesome! Our guide was very friendly and knowledgable, not only about the food but also about the area and New York in general. The samples were great and we went back to the area during the rest of our trip to try some of the other restaurants the guide recommended. Definitely something I would recommend!

You learn a lot about the area, that would have been missed without this tour. Our guide was so informed and knew the owner and chefs personally. It was great to get some new inspirations for my own kitchen. If you enjoy food I recommend you take this tour.

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, energetic and fun. He made us feel very comfortable and was particularly tuned in to whatever needs/wants we had. For example, my wife is gluten sensitive and a vegetarian, but I forgot to mention her vegetarianism when I signed up on line, nonetheless, he still made sure to call ahead to each establishment so that she could be served. We could tell his love of food and history was genuine and the restaurants we went to were uniformly excellent. We were the only ones on that tour, and at times the restaurants were very busy and we weren't always given "special" consideration right away, but it never took too long to be served and I enjoyed every bit of it. I'd be curious how it would have been if we had a bigger group.

We had a fantastic time on our Hell's Kitchen food and history tour with Jody on a bitterly cold Saturday in January! Jody shared his wealth of knowledge about the area from past to present and was a wonderful guide. When enjoying the food tastings, he explained the history of the chef or restaurant and he explained the special something that made the food different and outstanding. We tasted a wide variety of food - Mexican, Colombian, American, and Greek - and more! It was all unique and delicious. They were even able to accommodate the pescatarian diet and peanut allergy in our group. It was a great way to learn about Hell's Kitchen and have fun at the same time.

We chose the "Taste of Hell" tasting tour, because it highlighted an area we had heard of, but never experienced. Just a couple blocks off of Times Square, we breathed a deep sigh of relief at the change in atmosphere. Hell's Kitchen offered a feeling of community and authenticity that was lacking in the more touristy areas of the city. Melanie was an enthusiastic guide who radiated a passion for her neighborhood. Her recommendations were wonderful, appealing to a wide-range of tastes. The food was delicious and eclectic, making it difficult to chose our favorites. We thoroughly enjoyed trying local delicacies from independently owned businesses that we might normally have overlooked. The food was interspersed with Melanie's impressive knowledge of the area's history. As a result, we not only gained a comprehensive list of restaurant recommendations, but also a healthy respect for a community obsessed with providing quality products. The various culinary masters exuded a respect for the past while continuously looking toward the future. Hell's Kitchen was a unique blend of tradition and innovation, and this tour effectively highlighted both sides.

Our group was a mix of local and West coast . As it happened there were only the two of us on this tour.Each year twice a year I fly in from the West Coast , sometimes alone or accompanied with my daughters and we meet up with our local Jersey girl. We have taken numerous walking food tours. This tour of Hell 's Kitchen with Jody was fantastic. He is a wonderful tour guide who weaves in passionately tidbits rich in the history , local vibe, architecture and comings and goings of the area. He is also clearly a foodie and his ability to describe, express and enjoy added flavor that made the empanadas and greek pastries even more delicious . This is a great tour, wonderful tastings and a superb guide. Because. of Jody's enthusiasm and knowledge I am certain I will return to dine and shop in this area.Thank you , Jody.

The food tour was fun and I learned a lot, but the only thing that I thought could be done better would be if there were more stops for food. We made a lot of stops in front of restaurants and talked about them... and that was it. If there were more dining experiences that would've made it even better.

The guide was very enthusiastic and up beat but our group felt there should be talking only while walking and no visits to grocery stores, no matter how special they are considered. Furthermore there should be no extended comments about places that were not to be "tasted".We are from a large city and maybe more difficult to impress. but the tour should have been constantly moving from tasting to tasting with neighborhood history between. Could be great but was disappointing.

We'd never ventured into the Hell's Kitchen area, so we were excited to see what it offered. We also knew very little of its history,so that, too was part of the reason for this tour. We LOVED every minute of it,and did enjoy some of the "tasting" places. In fact, we do plan to visit them again next year. As for the history of Hell's Kitchen, we did learn a lot about that area.