Fall in love with the bustling metropolis on these exciting Chicago Food Tours!
Chicago Food Tours! Chicago, also known as the Windy City, is certain to blow you away with their passion for sports, impressive architecture, extensive cultural scene and of course, delicious cuisine. If food is the way to your heart, you will love the West Loop, a once industrial neighbourhood now home to the French Market that is filled with the city’s most chic and desired restaurants. Sports fans unite in Wrigleyville and art lovers cannot miss out on Bronzeville, formerly home to Louis Armstrong! Wicker Park is the cool, hipster area of Chicago brimming with cafés, art galleries, bookshops and cocktail bars, not to mention lush green spaces and public art. The neighbourhoods Pilsen and Logan Square are both charming areas with cultural diversity in their food and arts. After all that, relax and take a stroll downtown by the Chicago River, the only river in the world that flows backwards!
Fun fact: Chicago is home to the Twinkie! So if you’re a sweet-tooth, don’t forget to stock up for the ride back home.
Keep exploring the American continent in other unique cities such as Denver and Atlanta, or make your way up to Canada and enjoy a guided experience in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Chicago Food Tours
What is one thing these neighbourhoods all have in common? Amazing Food. There is so much variety it can be really hard to choose sometimes. That’s why we’ve chosen the best Chicago food tours to make sure you’re getting the best quality meals in the best quality company, stress free.
1. Chicago Food & City Tours
Recommended by Bon Appetit and USA Today, Chicago Food & City Tours is the way to go. They believe food is the best way to connect you to their city, and they know how to do it. Their engaging guides will take you (and your tastebuds) on an adventure, sampling delicious treats and discovering all about Chicago’s colourful history. And don’t worry, you can select from their 5 tours, ranging in neighbourhood, length and walking distance, to best suit your needs. Their Chinatown Adventure Food Tour will take you on a trip around the world! On this tour you can savour 5 sit-down tastings of authentic cuisine from the Canton, Mandarin and Szechuan regions. Also, you will learn about the proper etiquette and see pageantry demonstrations of ancient Chinese culture and customs. But the fun does not stop there! Check out their website to see the full list of their tours.
2. Chicago Beer Experience Tours
Chicago. People. Beer. Need I say more? Chicago Beer Experience Tours know that there is no better way to get to know someone (or in this case a city!) than over a nice cold beer. They understand that history is most appreciated through stories, and they have chosen the most exciting ones to share with their guests! For example, their Sins and Subs Beer Tour details the most sinful parts of Chicago’s past. Find out all about the wicked going-ons between the 1800s and 1900s such as the Prohibition, crime bosses, saloons and gambling. All this of course, while discovering the Loop and South Loop and tasting the area’s most iconic beers. No matter which tour you choose, you’ll experience great story telling and tasty drinks. For more information on Chicago Beer Experience Tours, click here to go to their website.
Book Your Tour3. Sidewalk Food Tour
Chicago Sidewalk Food Tour will bring you to the heart of local Chicago cuisine. Think classic deep-dish pizza, savoury Mexican tacos, sweet American donuts, just to name a few. Sidewalk Food Tours are known for their knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides who will show you how to live like a local, and teach you about the history of Chicago that you wouldn’t have gotten in class. Take part in their River North Food Tour and discover the diversity of cuisine that makes up Chicago. From Italian to Mexican, Spanish to American, you will taste it all. Also, in between meals you will visit refreshing green spaces and admire important architecture. Click here to visit Sidewalk Food Tour’s website.
Book Your Tour4. Tastebud Tours
Tastebud Tours began as a wholesome family passion and has grown to be one of Chicago’s most authentic food tour companies. They love to share Chicago’s flare with visitors, but always remain true to the local experience. With a variety of tours, you can choose to embrace the modern city or dive into the past and enjoy a historical adventure. Their Chicago World’s Fair Food Tour is a truly unique tour that will take you iconic stops at the World Fair and 1893 Columbian Exposition. Let yourself be taken away to 1893 with Bertha, a character straight from the 19th century who will entertain you with her favourite memories and most importantly, favourite foods from the famous World’s Fair. One thing is certain, you will leave any Tastebud Tour with a full stomach, and a full heart. Visit their website here for a full list of their walking food tours.
Book Your Tour5. Chicago Detours
This is no regular walking food tour… Chicago Detours is the place for all-in-one food and architecture tours! If its more your style, take part in their architecture and history tours.. but who doesn’t like food? Chicago Detours are passionate for architecture and history, but this is no boring history class! They love sharing their love of the city with others, and embrace their creative side to keep you entertained and learning. Participate in their Factories to Calories: Fulton Market Food Tour and discover all about the industrial past of Chicago’s meatpacking district and its transformation into a trendy and chic neighbourhood. See the art deco of the Richter Foods building, and learn to find clues of the past in its landscape. The history is in the streets, and a walking tour is the best way to explore! Click here to find out more on their website.
6. Bobby’s Bike Hike Tours
Looking for a faster pace? A bike tour is the way to go! With Bobby’s Bike Hike Tours, you are able to see more city in less time. Not to mention build up an appetite for the well-deserved food stops along the way! Bobby’s Bike Hike Tours believe in giving back to the community and keeping you and the environment healthy. You won’t want to miss out on their Bikes, Bites & Brews Tour where you can explore Chicago’s most coveted neighbourhoods and indulge your cravings. What’s on the menu? Pizza, hot dogs, cupcakes, beer…and more! A biking food tour is an excellent way for a visitor to discover a city, but is also a great way for long-time locals to see their home through a new set of eyes. For more information, visit their website here!
7. Chicago Food Walks
Chicago Food Walks is headed by Rebecca Wheeler, a trained chef and cooking teacher who is well-versed in worldwide cuisines. So you can be sure you are receiving only the best with Rebecca. Chicago Food Walks offers up-close, private Chicago food tours to give you undivided attention. Guided by an expert in the food industry, take part in an enriching learning experience where fun is a priority and that will leave you will long-lasting memories of Chicago. Their Vietnamese Argyle Food Walk is a must for all Southeast Asian cuisine lovers. After a wave of Southeast Asian immigrants arrive in Uptown Chicago in the 1970s, their presence and businesses revitalized the area. Explore Argyle and learn all about Vietnamese cuisine and culture, and let your tastebuds travel around the world. For a full list of available tours, visit the Chicago Food Walks website here.
8. Prohibition Tours
Have you ever wondered what nightlife would have been like during the prohibition? Look no further! Prohibition Tours offers you a fun and thought-provoking experience of this infamous period in Chicago’s past. On their Original Chicago Prohibition Tour, you will live an afternoon of sipping cocktails at speakeasies all over the city all while learning about the city’s notorious history and sharing laughs. You can always count on your knowledgeable tour guides and experienced bartenders to offer you insight on the best cocktails that best suit you, and best represent the era. All you have to do is hop on the bus, and take a sip of history. Click here to visit their website and learn more.
Book Your Tour9. Chicago Pizza Tours
I don’t know about you, but when I think of Chicago food there is one word that comes to mind: Pizza! Pizza lovers should all experience at least one of the Chicago Pizza Tours. Offering both walking and bus tours, everyone can participate and visit the city’s most historic and iconic pizza joints, as well as see where the future of Chicago pizza is heading. The Original Chicago Pizza Tour will show you the city’s pizza legacy as you travel through four different neighbourhoods such as Lincoln Park and Lakeview. Learn about the different types of pizza that exist, and the importance of the right ingredients and techniques. Pizza may not be rocket-science, but Chicagoans take it just as seriously. To learn more, visit their website here.
Book Your Tour10. Underground Donut Tour
Underground Donut Tour operates in cities all across the US from New York to Seattle. So donut mess with them, ’cause they mean business! All jokes aside, donuts are a serious passion for Underground Donut Tour and are a staple in American food. You won’t want to miss out on their Original Chicago Downtown Tour. Here you will stroll through beautiful downtown Chicago and stop at 4 delicious donut shops to taste an array of treats both classic and innovative. Have you ever wanted to eat sweets for a meal but a parent didn’t let you? Well now is your chance to indulge in that childhood (and current) fantasy of yours! For more information, visit their website by clicking here.
Book Your Tour11. Chef Driven Food Tours
Chef Driven Food Tours are a truly unique culinary experience, to say the least. All of their guides are Chicago-native professional chefs whose first-hand experience in the industry is essential in providing you the best quality food and drink, as well as the knowledge to guide and educate you. They focus on small groups sizes to offer a more personalized experience, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. Participate in their Pilsen Tour and embark on an adventure that will take to the best rated foods of the flourishing Mexican and Italian cuisines that inhabit the area. Also, visit important cultural sites such as the National Museum of Mexican Art. To learn more about their tours, click here to go to their website.
12. Pizza City USA
Did you know that Chicago has 10 distinctive styles of pizza? Thanks to Steve Dolinsky, founding member of Pizza City USA, we now have the research to back that up. Steve has studied every pizzeria in Chicago to determine these 10 styles and round up who serves the best pizza in each respective style. He’s a published author on the topic (you can read these findings in his book) and is, needless to say, THE expert on Chicago pizza. Did I mention he also offers pizza food tours? Chicago Pizza Bus Tour is the place to be for the most authentic and delicious takes on the city’s most iconic food. Visit four different pizzerias, each with their own style, and enjoy classics like the Chicago deep-dish and tavern-style as well as innovative artisan-style pizza. For more information, visit their website here.
Book Your Tour13. Chicago Foodways
Chicago Foodways‘ focus is on the local neighbourhood. One of Chicago’s greatest features is its cultural diversity that can be seen in the city’s architecture, street art and of course, food. Each neighbourhood holds in own history and charm, and Chicago Foodways makes it their priority to offer an enriching experience of the city’s hidden gems. Their Saigon to Stockholm Food Tour will have your tastebuds travelling around the globe, all while you learn of Chicago’s colourful history and innovative present. Making Vietnamese summer rolls and drinking Swedish glögg are only a few of the exciting activities you can take part on during this tour. To see more, click here to visit their website
Book Your TourIf you’re planning on travelling north of the border… check out our company’s food tours!
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