Enjoy genuine Tex-Mex, fresh seafood, and more at one of these highly respected outings.
When visiting America’s greatest restaurants, take into account these gourmand-recommended trips.
America is frequently referred to as a “melting pot of civilizations” because of its diverse population. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that its food scene is equally diversified. Destinations around the nation draw tourists with their internationally acclaimed foods and cuisines, from Chicago‘s hearty deep-dish pizza to Napa Valley’s award-winning farm-to-table fare. U.S. News has put together a list of 15 can’t-miss gourmet tours in the Best Foodie Cities in the USA to help you experience the best of the best while on vacation. To find out more about each encounter, keep reading.
Taste of Savannah: Savannah, Georgia
Everything about Savannah symbolizes Southern charm, from the streets lined with oak trees to the excellent food. Join the First Squares Food Tour offered by Savannah Taste Experience to get an overview of the city’s Southern delicacies. The trip, which is offered every day, allows visitors to Savannah to sample regional specialties such she crab soup and shrimp and grits as well as some unexpected surprises like British meat pies and hog belly doughnut sliders. The three-hour walking tour costs $53.95 for adults and $40.95 for kids under the age of 11 and includes sampling at six restaurants and retail establishments.
Sonoma, California, Food Tour
Sonoma’s culinary sector, though frequently eclipsed by Napa Valley, is just as outstanding because of the region’s abundance of specialty food shops, farm-to-table restaurants, and tasting rooms. Consider signing up for a three-hour guided walk with a Sonoma Food Tour local expert to assist you in navigating the town’s culinary scene. The Original Food, Wine & History Tour includes food and wine tastings from well-known establishments like Wine Country Chocolates and Vella Cheese Company along with information on local history, architecture, and culture. It costs $92 and leaves from Sonoma Plaza every day at 11 a.m.
Austin, Texas: Austin Eats Food Tours
Austin’s delicious barbecue and Tex-Mex cuisine draw foodies from all over the world, but the city’s culinary scene goes far beyond these two staples. Experiences are available through Austin Eats Food Tours that appeal to a range of palates. Join the South Congress Tour for a three-hour tasting tour through one of Austin’s quirkiest neighborhoods for breakfast tacos, burgers, and pizza if you’re in the mood for the classics. Enjoy brunch? then join us for the brewery bus, walking tour, Saturday brunch, and BBQ. Alternatively, choose the Best of Austin Food Truck Bus Tour to sample dishes from the city’s renowned food trucks, which are scattered throughout South Austin, Downtown, and the East Side. The first tour is $69 per person.
San Diego, California, bite
Visitors to San Diego who wish to learn more about the local cuisine may think about taking one (or more) trips with Bite San Diego. Six three- to four-hour walking tours around some of the city’s most well-known areas, including the Gaslamp Quarter and North Park, are offered by this gastronomic tour company. Activities like the La Jolla Walking Tour offer sampling of at least five restaurants’ offerings, including as fish tacos, apple pancakes, and more. Tour specifics vary, but generally speaking, adventures cost $47 per person and are offered once or twice a week.
Walk Eat Nashville: Tennessee, Nashville
The restaurants in this city provide a wide variety of foods that are worth traveling for, from regional favorites like Nashville hot chicken to Mexican street tacos. Travelers advise including a Walk Eat Nashville tour in your itinerary to help you find Music City’s gastronomic wonders. The business provides three-hour tours of Nashville’s gastronomic districts, including downtown, East Nashville, and Midtown. The operator’s Nashville Eats Food Tour stands out among its offerings, though. Every Monday, author of “Nashville Eats,” Jennifer Justus, leads a tour that costs $88 per person and includes tastings of barbecue and buttermilk biscuits as well as an autographed copy of Justus’ cookbook.
Houston Food Tours by Taste of Houston:
Houston should be on your radar if you enjoy multicultural cuisine. Although this Texas city is primarily renowned for its delicious Tex-Mex food, other international cuisines including Spanish and Italian are also widely available. On a walking tour with Taste of Houston Food Tours, savor a taste of this global influence. You can partake in up to three and a half hours of sampling at four locations during your $65 or $89 tour of Houston’s downtown, The Heights, Montrose, or other food-focused areas. But keep in mind that tours are only offered in the afternoons on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Portland, Oregon’s Forktown Food Tours
Portland is a terrific trip for food connoisseurs since its restaurants, farmers markets, and more than 600 food carts all feature fresh, organic products. In Portland, there are numerous tour providers, but Forktown Food Tours is particularly well-liked by tourists. Forktown Food Tours offers two-and-a-half to three-hour trips through places including Division Street, North Mississippi Avenue, and downtown, offering anything from Korean-American fusion food cart fare to a cured pork, cheese, and beer sampling at a local brewery. Tours run at various times and cost $85 or $89 per person.
Seattle Food Tours: Savor Seattle
It won’t be difficult to get a wonderful supper in the Emerald City because Seattle restaurants are known for serving food produced with seasonal, sustainable ingredients. Look no further than Savor Seattle Food Tours to discover more about the foods that contribute to Seattle’s distinctive eating scene. You may sample dishes like razor clam chowder and wild boar polenta on the company’s nearly three-hour Gourmet Seattle Tour, which costs $71.99 or $73.99 per person (depending on the day). Additionally, Savor Seattle Food Tours provides customized tasting excursions, such as a trip focused on chocolate and a tour of Pike Place Market.
South Carolina’s Charleston offers culinary tours.
Charleston Culinary Tours can provide you with either an overview of low country food in Charleston or an inside peek at some of its restaurants. The typical downtown gourmet tour offered by this tour company comprises tastings at four or five restaurants, while its well-liked Upper King Street Culinary Tour brings you to four eateries in its eponymous neighborhood. A market buying experience with a chef and an oyster-focused walking tour are two further unusual options. The majority of tour alternatives cost $60 per person and last three hours or less.
Wine and Gourmet Food Tours in the Napa Valley
Gourmets and wine enthusiasts are drawn to Napa Valley because of its five Michelin-starred restaurants and plenty of renowned wineries. It might be difficult to secure a reservation at one of Napa’s renowned restaurants, so your best chance of getting in may be to join a culinary tour. Two Napa-based culinary excursions are offered by Gourmet Food and Wine Tours, one of which includes a visit to The French Laundry’s garden in Yountville. Each tour costs $175 or $195 and includes meal and wine pairings at restaurants like Morimoto Napa and Lucy Restaurant & Bar at Bardessono.
Los Angeles Melting Pot Food Tours
You could spend your entire vacation relishing the delectable cuisine found in Los Angeles’ diverse neighborhoods. Melting Pot Food Tours is highly recommended by users to aid in locating the greatest eateries in well-known culinary destinations like The Original Farmers Market as well as off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods like East LA. The company’s Sunday-only Thai Town tour, guided by renowned chef Jet Tila, is a must-do for foodies. The $199 per person cost of the tour includes samples of foods including papaya salad and jade noodles.
Tours of New York City‘s cuisine
One of the nation’s top travel destinations for foodies, the Big Apple is home to Michelin-starred restaurants, specialty food shops, and more. Although it is not difficult to find an original pastrami sandwich, pizza slice, or bagel here, try taking a Foods of New York Tours excursion to experience the real New York at Chelsea Market, Brooklyn, Chinatown, and other unmissable culinary hot places. Visitors adore The Original Greenwich Village tour, which costs $54 for adults and $35 for children aged 3 to 12 and includes eight tastes of traditional Italian fare including cannoli and meatballs.
Food Planet Chicago: Chicago
Regional specialties abound in the Windy City, including deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, and hot dogs coated in sport peppers, all of which may be sampled on Chicago Food Planet’s flagship tour, the Best In Chow. This three-hour tour, which includes stops at popular local eateries including Portillo’s, Al’s Italian Beef, and Lou Malnati’s, costs $35 for children and $55 to $57 for adults (depending on the season). Those interested in eating Chicago’s Chinese cuisine can take the seasonal Chinatown Adventure tour and sample steamed barbecue pig buns, egg tarts, and more.
New Orleans Tours with Doctor Gumbo
Doctor Gumbo Tours, a traveler-recommended company, is a terrific choice for tourists who wish to sample the world-famous Cajun and Creole cuisine of New Orleans, even though it only provides two culinary tours: a traditional food history option and one that mixes local cuisine with handmade cocktails. In six locations across the French Quarter, the company’s three-hour Food History Tour combines local history with samplings of gumbo, muffalettas, po’boys, and other area favorites. It costs $55 per person and is available every day besides Tuesdays and Thursdays.
San Francisco Local Tastes of the City Tours
The No. 1 Best Foodie City in the USA, San Francisco, is known for its seafood and sourdough bread, but it also has excellent ethnic cuisine that you can sample when you go on a tour with Local Tastes of the City Tours. There are available evening tours that incorporate visits in both districts and include tastings of dim sum, handcrafted chocolates, and pizza, as well as group walking tours in areas like Chinatown and North Beach (San Francisco’s Little Italy). All three trips cost $59 per adult, $39 for teenagers 12 to 16, and $15 for children 2 to 11 and leave once or twice daily.