5 Fun Foodie Tours

With a world of dining options at your feet, why settle for another theme restaurant more vested in selling souvenir mugs and tee shirts? Thanks to the influence of The Food Network, Anthony Bourdain and Public Television’s Globe Trekker, food tour companies around the world are leading the way, ushering the hungry to as many edible landmarks as possible.

In addition to providing access to the best morsels in a city or region, food tours are great investments that provide several benefits. Itineraries can help cut vacation planning time as they factor in historical landmarks and fun facts. Guides, often natives or long-time residents of the area, are only too happy to steer visitors away from tourist traps. While some food tours are undisputedly designed for grown-up palates, the following provide satisfying tastes of a place you and your kids will savor for years to come.

Testaccio Rome Market. Photo: Valerio Rosati | Dreamstime

Europe

TASTE OF TESTACCIO
Rome, Italy

Given the universal popularity of Italian food, Eating Italy’s Tasting Testaccio jaunt is the perfect first food tour for younger foodies while parents and older kids will find favorite bites as well. The four-hour walking tour enables explorers to experience Rome like a local in Testaccio, an actual neighborhood said to be the birthplace of cucina romana where residents live, eat and shop. As a result, families will sample the best gelato, pasta, cheeses and Roman street foods without crowds or long waits, as well as meet local food heroes along the way.

JORDAAN FOOD TOUR

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Experience one of Europe’s most storybook-like cities with Eating Amsterdam’s Jordaan Food Tour. The journey of 12 stops includes hearty samples of fried halibut, fresh herring, savory cheeses, smoked sausage, mini pancakes, meatballs and Café Papeneiland’s internationally famous Dutch apple pie. Instead of jostling with tourists, see how locals live by crossing through small parks, hidden courtyards, narrow streets and paths near the canals. Historic highlights include a glimpse of the Anne Frank House and several architecturally significant churches and public buildings.

Photo: Sundaymorning01 | Dreamstime

Asia

HANDS-ON DUMPLING DELIGHTS & STREET EATS BREAKFAST

Shanghai, PRC

While the former French Concession is home to several of Shanghai’s most fashionable restaurants, there are plenty of hidden treasures on side streets and narrow lanes during the daytime. Through Untour’s Street Eats Breakfast, enjoy a uniquely Shanghai-breakfast experience consisting of freshly made soymilk and fried dough, succulent noodle dishes and piping-hot baskets of the city’s best soup dumplings. Dumpling connoisseurs can take the experience a step further with Hands-On Dumpling Delights, tasting the city’s best dumplings before heading to a local cooking class to make their own. Both tours incorporate a wet market visit, bilingual guide and a post-tour Shanghai welcome pack with helpful restaurant recommendations.

North America

MILE END MONTREAL FOOD TOUR

Montreal, Canada

Sometimes, the best way to find a city’s culinary heart is to get out of the city center and head out to a neighborhood a little bit off the tourist’s radar. That said, Montreal’s ethnically diverse Mile End has been on the map for years because of St.Viateur’s perfectly rendered bagels. And through the Mile End Montreal Food Tour, you can taste what’s keeping the neighborhood buzzing, from an artisanal butcher to falafel in a vegan restaurant to homemade gnocchi topped with Montreal’s top-ranked tomato sauce.

Photo: Melting Pot Food Tours

FARMER’S MARKET FOOD & HISTORY TOUR

Los Angeles, Calif.

Los Angeles is one of America’s most ethnically diverse cities, and Melting Pot Food Tours delivers a delicious crash course in the city’s mosaic of global delights at Hollywood’s historic Original Farmers Market. The 180-minute tour artfully blends colorful local history through the market’s long-time merchants and tastemakers and generous samples of LA’s highest rated doughnuts, pizza from LA’s first pizzeria, Brazilian barbecue, Middle Eastern street food, handcrafted ice cream and more.