One of my favorite things to do when visiting a city is a food tour. A food tour is basically a walking tour where a guide takes a group around to a few places to try local food. It’s like a pub crawl, except you visit some combination of restaurants, shops, and other eateries. You can find them in many cities in Europe, the United States, and beyond.
When I visited Seville, Spain, a food tour was one of the best things I did! We bounced around between tapas places and sampled some incredible local food (and wine, of course). Then we settled in for a late dinner with our small group. Ever since I went on that tour, I’ve been hooked.
Let me explain why you should add a food tour to your next trip. At the end, I have some food tour tips too!
#1 It’s the perfect introduction to a city and its food culture
If you’re looking for an introduction to a new city, a food tour is perfect. You learn what’s great about a city’s food, and you get to try lots of different things in a short span of time. Food tours tend to highlight foods that a city is famous for, like gumbo in New Orleans or cacio e pepe in Rome. At the same time, a tour also helps you get to know some of the city areas you’ll want to visit.
On my Seville food tour, we learned how to do tapas properly. As an American, the idea of tapas is confusing. How do I even order? We learned that basically you order a drink up at the bar, then scope out what there is to eat and maybe order a couple tapas. It’s not a meal really, more of an activity–one that shouldn’t be rushed. Going with the group made it easy, and it gave me the confidence to go out for tapas on my own after that!
#2 You’ll try foods you’ve never eaten before
Trying new foods is one of the great adventures of traveling, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. With a food tour, you get the chance to try things you might not order on your own. Your guide will help introduce what you’re eating. Often, you’ll get small portions or split a tray of bites amongst members of the group. It’s an easy, low-pressure way to try new foods.
Continuing with my Seville example, one of the things we tried was a kind of chorizo sausage that paired well with manzanilla sherry. I would not have ordered either of those things on my own, but they were great! On another food tour in Florence, I got to try different kinds of cheese I’d never tried before.
#3 Get advice from a local on where to eat
Your food tour guide will probably be someone who is passionate about their local food scene. This is something you can use to your advantage. Ask for restaurant recommendations and you’ll be getting expert advice! Need to grab a quick lunch while sightseeing tomorrow? Your guide can point you toward a good spot.
#4 If you find a place you like, you can go back
You can also think of a food tour as a preview of places to eat during your stay in a city. If you just got a small taste of a restaurant’s food and loved it, you can go back for lunch! Maybe you popped into a local bakery and saw they had a great breakfast menu. Plan to return.
For my Spanish food tour, it was one of the tapas bars, a tiny place that I probably would have walked right by on my own. Stepping inside, it was a simple and charming place. I knew I had to go back for another glass of wine.
#5 A food tour is a great social activity
When you’re in a new city, things can feel lonely, especially if you’re traveling solo. Any tour can be a great way to meet other travelers, but a food tour is especially social. There’s something about sharing a meal with others that really gives you a sense of personal connection. You’re trying the same new foods, and it’s natural to talk about things as you go. You start the tour as strangers, but there is usually a sense of friendship that develops.
Tips on booking a food tour
Pick a great food tour – This may sound obvious, but my advice is to Google “food tour [your city]” and look at listings on Tripadvisor and Viator. The reality of food tours is that they can change a lot over time, faster than a guidebook or blog can keep up with. Click through the listings and look for recent reviews. If people are taking the time to leave great reviews of a tour, you probably have a winner!
Find a good value – Tours can vary a lot in price depending on the length of tour, the type of cuisine you’re eating, and your location. Most are in the $50-150 range per person. Make sure to look at what’s included in the tour to get a good value. If the prices seem like a lot, don’t forget that you’re getting an experience and probably the equivalent of a nice meal bundled together for one price.
Double check the meeting place and time – This applies to any tour, but make sure you know where to meet up with the group. Give yourself plenty of time to get there. You don’t want to be the one keeping everyone else from eating!
Take pictures of everything – Smartphones make it easy to take quick snapshots of signs, favorite foods, and menus. Even if you’re not taking Instagram-worthy photos, you’ll have a souvenir to remind you of the places you eat! Also, your phone automatically saves locations in the photo metadata, so it’s easy to find a place again if you want to return.
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