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San Francisco North Beach and Chinatown Tasting Tour with Secret Food Tours

San Francisco North Beach and Chinatown Tasting Tour with Secret Food Tours

Overview

On our Secret Food Tour: San Francisco - North Beach and Chinatown, you’ll experience the most iconic parts of “The City by the Bay.” Our experienced guides will take you on a delicious journey through the Gold Rush days of the Barbary Coast. While most tour companies only focus on one neighborhood over the other, we dive deep into both to offer you a taste of the best of both worlds. On your journey, you’ll bite into pizza with a surprise topping straight from the Pacific bay! You will explore West Coast coffee culture, savor dim sum like you’ve never tasted, and find yourself wanting more of our secret bite! You’ll also discover the inner workings of our world famous cable cars, investigate the naughty red light district, uncover where the “The Godfather” was written and conceived, and wander through the alleys where the original miner 49’ers cashed in their sacks of new found gold. All in one afternoon!

City: San Francisco

Tue 20 May

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $89.00

Make a reservation

Tue 20 May

Starting at $89.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Gelato or Sorbet

Authentic Italian pizza

Our delicious Secret Dish

Coffee tasting

Stuffed dumplings

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

What To Expect

Cable Car Museum

The Cable Car Museum is a free museum in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 1201 Mason Street, it contains historical and explanatory exhibits on the San Francisco cable car system, which can itself be regarded as a working museum.

North Beach

North Beach, a buzzy neighborhood steeped in Italian heritage, draws locals and tourists to its checked-tablecloth trattorias, coffee shops and retro-flavored bars. The spirit of the Beat Generation can be felt at the storied City Lights bookstore and the memorabilia-filled Vesuvio Cafe bar. In Telegraph Hill the Filbert Steps offer a scenic hike to the iconic Coit Tower, with WPA-era murals and panoramic views.

Coit Tower

Coit Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built between 1932 and 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco.

Chinatown

This is one of the oldest and most established Chinatowns in the U.S. Beyond iconic Dragon’s Gate, a bustling maze of streets and alleys brims with dim sum joints and other traditional eateries. Also found are herbalists, bakeries, souvenir shops, and dark cocktail lounges and karaoke bars. There are ornate temples, including the landmark Tien How, as well as the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum.

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Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (97)

Trip769301

Dec 2024

Had a great walking food tour with Dara of Secret Food Tours. Did the China Town/North Beach tour where Dara’s depth of knowledge and love of the city shone through the fog and rain. She’s delightful and a wonderful guide. She answered all of my nerdy questions and even got smiles from my typically moody teenager.

kaceyh606

Nov 2024

I went on this tour with a handful of other friends for a girl's weekend and unfortunately we did not have a good time. We all love trying new foods and all live in San Francisco, but thought that this experience would be a fun new way to see the city and try spots we haven't been to previously. We had high expectations based on what was described on the website, but felt the overall experience fell very short. To start with the basics, the tour advertised that there would be water provided, which was not the case; none of us brought our water bottles with us, which we then had to purchase additionally on our own. Given how much the ticket cost us and how the website shows these tours, we did make the assumption that there would be some type of organized or exclusive type of experience. While our guide went inside to each stop to grab our food, the group was instructed to awkwardly stand out on the sidewalk which is certainly not ideal during a busy weekend day. It just felt like we were in the way. We understand that each place may not accommodate large groups, such as the gelato shop, but for the pizza and dim sum places, it felt extremely lazy to have guests loiter, to keep themselves entertained, and to eat standing or sitting in below standard or crowded areas without utensils or plates -- we all sat on the grass at the park while our guide walked over to the pizza shop and ordered pizza's to go, which we ate without plates. This was most difficult when we were in Chinatown, again on a busy Saturday, in the way of people trying to get past us. As an SF resident, I know which spots have great dumplings, and the location we got dumplings from were super cold, dry, and simply not good. I understand that taste is subjective, but a tour that specializes in highlighting superb food should be picking shops that do the best or at least, good quality food. For this, we were led to the crowded Portsmouth Square where it was definitely not ideal to sit or stand to have these below par dumplings. My friends and I all felt pretty confused after the tour and discussed how the spots included on the tour were not necessary "must tries" in SF, but were included because they were cheap. We calculated how much the food in total cost, and it was clear that it came out to about $20 per person, which is very far off of the $80 ticket cost. We feel that the near $80 ticket should've gone much further than a small beverage, a cup of gelato, one slice of pizza, and 2 dumplings. As the tour went on and we came to understand the value of what we were receiving, we became less enthused and frankly wanted to leave. We left dissatisfied and frustrated that we spent our money and time doing this tour. I don't blame our tour guide for this experience, but I do think the team behind designing this tour should reassess! There are so many great food spots in North Beach and Chinatown, and there was a missed opportunity to truly highlight them.

Response from Host

Jan 2025

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts about your tour experience with us in San Francisco, Kacey. We noticed your public review and want to make sure nothing was overlooked in our direct communication regarding your thoughts last June 2024. Since receiving your initial feedback, we’ve taken steps to refine the tour experience for our guests. These updates include adjustments based on similar suggestions, as we continuously strive to improve and better meet expectations. We also wanted to acknowledge how we fell short for you by processing a partial refund back then as a gesture to compensate for your experience. It’s important to us that every guest feels their voice has contributed to a better culinary journey. If there’s anything additional you think we could improve, we’d be grateful to hear your suggestions. Feedback like yours is a key part of our process, and your perspective helps us focus on the areas that matter most to our guests.

Margaret_S

Nov 2024

Dara was great. We had fun walking around town and hearing her stories and trying all the different foods? Also fun meeting another couple from Germany.