New York City Lower East Side Culture and Food Tastings Tour in New York City booking from $80.56

New York City Lower East Side Culture and Food Tastings Tour

Overview

Join this 3-hour New York City walking tour to sample the best ethnic foods in the Lower East Side. But this experience includes much more than sampling delicious foods, as you’ll learn about the history of the dishes, establishments, sites, and people along the way from your guide.

City: New York City

Wed 07 May

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Starting at $80.56

Make a reservation

Wed 07 May

Starting at $80.56

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Learn about the importance of immigration to the city

Friendly Local, English-speaking food lover guide

Stroll in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy on 3 hours food walking tour

Get tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay

Sample 4 historic dishes on 4 Food stops (dish samples such as dumplings, pizza, knish, empanada)

See 100-year old bakery, churches, and historic New York sites

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
This tour was created as well-balanced and thoughtful gastronomy experience (Ethnic dishes samples) and features visits to establishments that are not always able to cater to all dietary requirements. Unfortunately, this tour cannot cater for vegans and gluten allergies, intolerances. For any specific dietary request, we need to know 24 h before the tour start time.
Experience happens rain, shine, or snow unless such weather constitutes a dangerous situation.
This is a child-friendly tour. Children under the age of 6 are permitted to join this tour free of charge. Please inform us at the time of booking if you’ll be bringing a child under the age. Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the adult’s rate. Please inform us at the time of booking if you’ll be bringing a child between 6 and 11 years old. You can do so in the special requirements box on the checkout page
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, but please note that this tour covers 1.6 km (1 mile) of walking.

What To Expect

African Burial Ground National Monument

We discuss the discovery of the burial ground and the building of the memorial and monument, including the significance of some of the design. We also talk a little bit about the early African experience in New York through those that were brought here as slaves and those that were freed.

New York City Supreme Court

We talk about the history of the surrounding area that was once a poor Irish community and before that a polluted pond. You get to see the building that is now most famous for being featured on most episodes of Law & Order.

Columbus Park

We briefly walk through this park on the edge of Chinatown and talk about what used to be here: the notorious neighborhood of the Five Points. We discuss the Irish immigration and show photos of what the neighborhood used to look like.

Chinatown

We walk through part of the neighborhood, discuss Chinese immigration, and visit a dumpling shop that is a local favorite. We also give tips on where else to visit in the large community.

Little Italy

We head up and around Mulberry Street and discuss Italian immigration. We get to see some amazing modern street art, hear stories about organized crime, and visit an historic local Italian food shop for a delicious tasting.

Nolita

We cruise through one of the most trendy neighborhoods in New York today and discuss the changing neighborhood. This used to be Little Italy, but today it’s loaded with hip bars and restaurants and we get to see some of the best street art in the city.

Basilica Of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral

As we walk through Nolita, you get a chance to see the original St. Patrick’s and learn about the hardships Catholic immigrants first suffered when coming to this country.

Sara D Roosevelt Park

Learn about the history of this park, named for FDR’s mother, and take a quick stroll through the northern end. We’ll also stop at the M’Finda Kalunga Garden inside the park to discuss Latin American immigration and how this neighborhood has changed throughout the decades.

Lower East Side

See the transformation of the neighborhood from an area filled with run-down tenements and poverty to one that is currently being gentrified. See lots of great street art and community gardens. Learn about Jewish, German, and Latin American immigration in this neighborhood and sample some traditional food.

Tenement Museum

We share stories about the founding of the museum and its important part in Lower East Side history. Our tour ends very close to the museum and our guides can give you tips on how to get tickets and explore their excellent gift shop.

Show 7 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (964)

Esal45

Nov 2024

Super tour! We walked through parts of Soho, Tribeca, Bowery, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side. We covered so much in 3 hours. Our family of mixed ages all really enjoyed it. Tour Guide Bruce was fantastic - very knowledgeable and interesting. Food stops were wonderful - a multitude of different tastes! You don’t need to eat lunch after! Would highly recommend.

gordonsP9526XL

Nov 2024

We have done a bunch of food tours over the years, but I think this one will be the most memorable. We met up with Brian, the best food tour guide ever, at the African Burial Ground National Monument. Since we were early, Brian took a moment to talk to us about the monument and what it represents. It's moments like this that set this tour apart from others. It not only about the food, but about New York's history. We set off through Chinatown and Little Italy on our way to the Lower East Side. We talked about all the various groups of immigrants who made their way to these storied neighborhoods, and sampled several of the iconic foods they brought with them. The food was so amazing. So good that it left us feeling as if New York just does it all a little better than everyone else. Being from Los Angeles, with its massive Chinese and Mexican populations, I never imagined that I would taste the best Chinese Dumplings, or Tres Leches Cake in my life. That said, it was Brian and not the food that truly made it great. He was so natural and thoughtful about the whole experience. It felt like we were visiting a favorite cousin in his hometown...he was simply showing us around to all of his favorite places. He shared stories of then and now, gave recommendations of things he thought we might enjoy, and gave us a real native perspective. The entire experience was a great way to get to know the neighborhoods of New York City, experience great people, and walk away with a longing to come back and do it all again someday.

T5770ZTlorig

Nov 2024

We had a great time on our tour with our guide, Erik. One other couple cancelled, so we were the only two on the tour. Erik was very knowledgeable about all things New York and had clearly done his research on the tour. We learned a lot and tasted great food from four different cultures. We'd definitely recommend this tour for people interested in both history and food.

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New York City Lower East Side Culture and Food Tastings Tour

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