The host of this tour was a very nice and knowledgeable person, but it went downhill quickly from there. This was billed as a "historic food tour" but it was just only a tour. There were 4 food stops (5 if you count cuban coffee at the cigar store). First stop was in a cuban restaurant with a very good dish of cuban style rice, beans, and ground beef, The second stop was at a German restaurant with a fried chicken wing (we ordered a round of beers to the consternation of the tour guide). Third stop was a pizza joint claiming "NY Style Pizza". I worked in NYC for 8 years and this was not even close to NY pizza. We received one slice each from a surly waitress. Fourth stop was for a cuban sandwich which was really good. I thought the food would be representative of different styles and examples of cuban food but a fried chicken wing and slice of pizza - really ?
I've been on food tours in other cities (Tucson comes to mind) where the restaurant staff explained and showcased their specialties. No explanation at any of the Ybor city stops, they just shoved the meager portions of food at the group and left.
The information provided by the tour guide was displayed on historical plaques at each stop. Save your money, walk the streets, and read the plaques. Skip the chicken wings and pizza and spend your money on some of the authentic cuban restaurants we passed.