I love a good food tour. I’ve done two different ones in London (East End and Soho), one in the town where I lived in Florida, and one in Chicago. I find them to be a great way to learn about the area you’re exploring. Because let’s face it, food plays a huge part in shaping a culture and a city. So when I knew I was going to be back in New York, visiting family, I wanted to play tourist for the day and hop on a tour. And that’s where Foods of NY Tours comes in!
I spent a very rainy afternoon wandering around Nolita (which stands for North of Little Italy) tasting insanely good food with a Foods of NY tour. The area is known for being the stomping grounds of old Italian mob families, the mecca of street art in Manhattan, and a cultural hub in the area. But, you don’t have to choose this tour, there are several other options.
Foods of NY Tours
Foods of NY Tours offers several food tour options around New York City. They’ve been running tours since 1999 so you know they know what they’re talking about. The knowledgeable guides spend a couple of hours walking around historic neighborhoods in New York City with you. And you can tell that they love what they do. The guides are fun to be around, make you feel comfortable, and entertain you the entire time.
They pay attention to detail. My guide Heather made sure that everyone was having a great time. She engaged in conversation with each member of the tour and even seemed to remember names (which I don’t think is an easy thing to do in most cases). She made sure everything was perfect, from the sit down stops to the quick stops on the sidewalk. (And it was torrential downpouring the entire time and she was still amazing).
Food of NY tours not only brings you to a ton of mouthwatering delicious places, but they also teach you about the area you’re wandering around in. So you get an afternoon of tasty food and you learn something new.
The Tour Options
Heart and Soul of Greenwich Village
Spend three hours exploring the melting pot that is Greenwich Village. This tour is offered Wednesday-Monday and it focuses on wandering around the super popular area of Greenwich Village on the West Side. Enjoy six on the go tastings (including pizza from one of my favorite places on earth), as well as one seated tasting.
Chelsea Market and The Highline
If you prefer to take an indoor tour, then head to Chelsea Market and The Highline. Explore the famous NYC food market and taste cookies, pizza, and more. The tour lasts three hours and is offered 7 days a week. During the Chelsea Market and Highline tour, you’ll enjoy seven on the go tastings and one seated one.
The Best of Brooklyn
Explore Brooklyn with the Foods of NY crew. Spend a half day wandering around the different neighborhoods of BKLYN on a bus! You’ll enjoy six different tastings in four different parts of Brooklyn. The tour is offered 7 days a week and includes six generous tastings.
Original Greenwich Village
Indulge in some of the tastiest treats from the Mom and Pop shops of Greenwich Village. On this three hour tour, which is offered 7 days a week, you’ll wander around the West Village enjoying the best that some of the most famous local businesses have to offer. There are six on the go tastings and two seated ones on this tour!
Flavors of Chinatown
If Dim Sum is your thing, then this is the tour for you. Spend your Friday and Saturday tasting the best of America’s largest Chinatown for three hours. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy three seated tastings of Dim Sum (yum) and one on the go.
Nolita and Little Italy’s Secrets
As I said before, I was lucky enough to join the Nolita and Little Italy tour. I chose this one because Nolita is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan. I was bringing my Mom along, and she hadn’t really spent much time in that area.
We met in front of the Little Cupcake Bakeshop before embarking on our three-hour tour. We went to Emporio Restaurant, Oficina Latina, Tacombi, Balzem, and Stick with Me Sweets. The food was absolutely incredible. Everything we tasted was insanely delicious and we even had a splash of some tasty Tempranillo at Balzem.
I’m not going to tell you what we ate at each restaurant, because I think that an element of surprise is always best when taking a food tour. But, I will tell you this… I was so full after this tour. I indulged in some of the best food I’ve had in NYC on it. It was tremendously delectable.
Value For Money?
I think that a lot of people get hung up on cost for these food tours. They may seem expensive, but they really aren’t. Especially on Foods of NY Tours. Over three hours, we enjoyed four sit down experiences, two of which included a drink (one alcoholic, one not). We also enjoyed two on the go desserts. I think that for $58 USD per person, it’s a total bargain!
Travel Colorfully was an invited guest of Foods of NY Tours. But, as always all opinions are my own!
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