Savor the Flavors of Charleston Walking Food Tour

Overview

Walk, talk and taste your way through historic Charleston South Carolina. This small-group 2.5-hour tour will immerse you in the history and culture of the Lowcountry and allow you to experience a remarkable culinary scene in downtown Charleston. Stops along the way will include many of the city’s leading restaurants through out the city. Typical tastings include: stone ground grits, Southern pralines, sweet tea, collard greens, Lowcountry barbeque, and fried green tomatoes.

***PLEASE NOTE: If there are any food allergies in your party, we must know at least 48 hours in advance or some restaurants may not be able to accommodate. We also can't guarantee there will be a substitution at every location due to some allergies.

City: Charleston

Sat 05 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $95.00

Make a reservation

Sat 05 Oct

Starting at $95.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Food Tastings

Local Professional guide

Bottled water

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Minimum age is 12 years
Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the tour.
The pace of our walking tour is leisurely
Operates in all weather conditions, dress appropriately
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
By purchasing this tour, you are stating that you and your party are healthy and have not exhibited any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days. If that changes, please notify Bulldog Tours immediately.

What To Expect

Bulldog Tours

Headquarter's for Charleston's best tour company, Bulldog Tours, which offers a variety of history, food, pub, and ghost tours on a daily/nightly schedule.

Charleston City Market

Built in the early 1800's, this four block historical landmark was originally the city's grocery store. Today, the City Market is home to a variety of local vendors that sell their art, crafts, and local wares.

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (693)

babardagobar

Mar 2022

We did 2 tours with Bulldog, the walking tour and the savor the flavors culinary tour. The walking tour was probably 3 stars. The guide lacked enthusiasm but did have a deep knowledge base. Nothing in the tour brought Charleston to life or helped us connect with the city on a deeper level. It was informative but nothing more. The culinary tour was one of the worst we have experienced. The food was pretty tasty but they really missed the mark with the guide and the overall experience. The crux of the issue is that we didn't taste any of the foods that were quintessential to Charleston's history. We learned of the early days of Charleston, as Native Americans taught the settlers to grow corn, squash and beans. Yet we never tasted any of those ingredients, much less the iconic dish that combines them, succotash. Instead we ate a Florentine biscuit from a chef from North Carolina. Next we learned of the core crop that caused an early boom in Charleston's economy, rice. Yet we didn't taste any Carolina gold rice, a bowl of shrimp and grits, or anything related to rice. Instead we ate spinach dip and brussels sprouts in a sports bar. Later we learned about the Gullah Geechee culture and how the influence of west African spices and cooking techniques have integrated with and molded the cuisine in Charleston... As we sat and ate a fried chicken slider with a bowl of banana pudding. We have done dozens of walking tours and Bulldog doesn't seem to get the concept. I want to eat the things that make Charleston unique and special. I don't want to eat random food while learning about those foods that make Charleston special. On top of that, the guide had a very scripted approach. She often forgot where she was and repeated entire paragraphs. When we asked questions there was very little back and forth communication. This was the case with both tours. I would recommend you try a different company for either experience. I honestly don't know why this tour company has good reviews on trip advisor. Presumably, other guests have never been on a more holistic culinary tour?

Response from Host

Mar 2022

Hello! We are very sorry to hear that neither tour met your expectations. We honestly were surprised to hear of this based on looking into who your guides were for the tours. As to the experience on the culinary tour, you are absolutely right that there are a number of foods that make Charleston unique and special. All of the food offerings on the tour has something to do with our history, even if it is not what is expected. For example, you brussell sprouts were grown around the rice fields to help draw salt from the soil because salt will destroy rice plants during cultivation. Storms and hurricanes would dump salt water on the fields so growing brussell sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, etc. were very common on many Low Country menus for that reason. Ultimately, the experience of any tour is not based on the content, but on the guide. Expectations differ greatly from guest to guest, and it is the responsibility of the guide to do everything in his or her ability to meet all of the those expectations. At times, the guide will miss meeting those expectations. It can be due to personality conflict, depth of knowledge, differing interests, etc. Clearly, the guides you had did not meet your expectations. We stand by our guides, but always want to do better. Perhaps by taking another tour with a different guide, you might have a different opinion. We believe in complete satisfaction or your money back, so we are more than happy to offer a refund. We also are willing to prove our reputation as the best in town with another tour when you return. Feel free to reach out to our Tour Guide Manager, Andrew Kuhn, at [email protected] to discuss further. Thanks for the feedback and for visiting with us in Charleston!

584sheilad

Mar 2022

Fun tour to experience local foods and learn some history. Great variety of foods and was more food than we expected based on past similar tours. Don’t eat beforehand! Faith Rose was excellent!

nannyryder

Mar 2022

Saw some interesting places I might not have ventured to on my own. Got some historical context for some of the spots we visited and foods we tried.