I love to travel and explore new destinations through food. I think food tells you a lot about the place you are visiting. This is especially true when you get to meet the locals who run the establishments you get to visit and do it all in an intimate, small-group setting.
Why are tours and dining experiences more worthwhile than simply sitting down to eat at a restaurant? While a standard meal satisfies your hunger, a curated experience satisfies your curiosity. Visiting multiple spots helps you piece together a local story that a single menu just can’t tell. By chatting with owners and guides, you get the insider’s perspectives you’d otherwise miss. Plus, the group setting creates a temporary community where sharing stories and comparisons turns a simple dinner into a shared event.
Walking and dining experiences are important in getting to know a community, a culture, a city. These are some of my highlights from my travels that inspired me to share my city and create my local tour experiences here in Toronto.
Stroll Walking Tours in Kitchener-Waterloo
Stroll Walking Tours is “committed to telling stories and sharing histories that have been untold, dismissed or forgotten” in the history of the Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo and St. Jacob’s areas. They offer historical walking tours and food tours for Teams (corporate), small groups, and education groups.
I loved the St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market Food Tour because it provided the cultural context for the place we were in so that we could understand the foods we tasted better.
Learn more about Stroll here.
Chicago Food Tours
Chicago cuisine isn’t *just* deep dish pizza (though, it’s of a course a staple). Chicago has a variety of cultural foodie hubs that are explored and experienced through the tours with Chicago Food Tours. They offer their “iconic” foods of Chicago tour, but they go deeper to explore areas of Chicago like The West Loop, Chinatown and Pilsen. They even have a tour inspired by HBO’s The Bear!
Their Wicker Park tour was the first food tour I had ever experienced. The fact that it wasn’t the typical tourist location or experience was definitely an inspiration. Unfortunately, they no longer offer it.
Check out Chicago Food Tours.
StrEATS of Philly Food Tours in Philadelphia
South Philadelphia has a vibrant foodie scene, and StrEATS of Philly is an excellent way to experience it. Tours are created and led by Chef Jacquie, who has been featured by National Geographic Travel and the Michelin Green Guide, so you know you’re in good hands as you travel through South Philly’s food offerings.
I went on Chef Jacquie’s tour of the Italian Market when I was cooking (pun intended) up my own food tour plan. She was a super example of a diligent and caring guide who made our visit customized and special by understanding who we were as visitors.
See what South Philly has to offer here.
Avital – San Francisco Food Tour
Avital offers to help you skip the lines and experience a delicious four courses from restaurants in iconic San Francisco neighbourhoods, including Mission City, North Beach and Chinatown. The Avital tours stand out, as they also offer a Michelin Tour, with eats from the top-rated, Michelin-starred restaurants in the city.
This was a great tour as a solo foodie traveller. When you are travelling on your own, you don’t always get the chance to try as many foods as you’d like since you don’t have anyone to share with.
Experience what Avital and San Francisco have to offer here.
Taste of Lisboa Food Tours – Lisbon
Taste of Lisboa goes a step beyond the usual food and walking tour experience and offers a truly authentic local experience – dinner at a local Portuguese home. Hosts welcome guests into their homes and offer “a genuine Portuguese cultural experience” with food, drink and conversation.
Another fun way as a solo traveller to share some wine and food in one of the foodie capitals of the world.
Experience Lisbon like a true local.
Citrus & Salt – a Culinary Journey in Tel Aviv
Citrus & Salt offers three unique tours through Tel Aviv’s historic markets – Lewinsky Market, Carmel Shuk, and the hidden gem of the Central Bus Station market where you can sample different foods from Indian, Chinese, and Filipino cuisines.
This tour took us through the lesser known Lewinsky Market, in an area where tourists seldom visit. The stories from the vendors made it feel extra special.
Learn to make delicious dishes with Citrus & Salt.
Delicious Discoveries in Toronto
Of course, I can’t leave Delicious Discoveries off of my list!
Discover the Toronto locals know. Explore neighbourhoods where people actually live, eat, and gather while your local guide shares insider stories, neighbourhood know-how, and insights you won’t find in a guidebook. With public tours scheduled in St. Clair West & Casa Loma, and Riverside & Leslieville neighbourhoods, you’ll get to eat like a local in Toronto. All the spots on the tours are curated by a local (me!) to give you the tastiest and most immersive experience. Learn more and book your tour HERE.