*from a non-vegan eater... My friend is vegan, likes to walk and we thought a mini tour of NOLA would be cool. Let's just say... Mark was GREAT, the food was DELICIOUS, the walk was less than 3000 steps (easy, spaced out and flat), there was cool history bits throughout, and the food. Wow. So. Good. We had so many different flavors, everything was Do yourself a favor and try something that you might not have experienced before, this one is an easy win!!! *would do any of Mark's tours, he's just that good! read more

Date of tour: December 21, 2024 After a wonderful food tour in Prague last year, we wanted to replicate the magic stateside while visiting New Orleans, a city with a rich food history and scene. As requested, I will keep the individual location names secret as to not spoil your potential food tour but also because the stops can change and I don't want to have you disappointed if you don't get the same places on your tour. Ty was a great guide, providing us with local history and culture as we ate our way down Magazine Street. The only complaint I have is that they didn't really interact with us during the food portions, standing or sitting off to the side, or running to the next location to make sure we were all set. To me, the guide should be not only the bridge between the locations and food with us, but also a bridge between the different groups on the tour. Ty told us before the tour started that the other folks joining us were from Michigan, but we found out from them later that they were actually from New York. Had these connections been made earlier, it would have enhanced the tour. On to the food, wonderful that it all was! Please note that I may make some errors in the actual names of the food, while I took pictures, I did not write down the names and there wasn't a post-tour recap to assist me! Stop #1: A local sandwich and a seafood side. Both quite good, especially since I don't like olives! Stop #2: An unusual meat that was shockingly good! Stop #3: Seafood options. I've had a different version of one of these items in Asheville, NC. This wasn't quite as good but still tasty. Stop #4: Southern favorites that were so good! I didn't think I would like these but I did. Stop #5: A peppermint fudge cupcake. Sadly, the weakest stop on the tour. Other that tried the gelato came away disappointed and my cupcake was neither overly fudgey or pepperminty. It looked pretty, though! read more

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We booked the new small group paranormal experience tour. It was absolutely one of the most unique ghost/ paranormal tours I've done. This is a small group experience, which is why I wanted to do this one. We met at the Tableau Restaurant and were offered the choice of an aperol spritz or a French 75. We chose the spritz. We were told some history and ghost lore before going up to the wine room for some more stories. Very cool. They showed us video of a ghostly incident that had occurred there before. Next we walked down the street where we were told about the haunting at Muriel's Restaurant, where they also set a ghost table. Our last stop was at a psychic shop where we did a tarot card reading and we're given a Pan Am cocktail. I highly recommend this tour. It's unique and you get a little bit of all the good things you come to New Orleans for. read more

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Our tour guide Ty was informative, friendly, experienced, and knowledgeable. We received additional, greatly appreciated, help with parking advice from Mark. You really get your money's worth with New Orleans Secrets Tours! Every stop had delicious food with a side of NOLO history. The pace was relaxed, allowing us to savor, cool down in the air conditioning, really enjoy the offerings from each restaurant, and get to know the food and culture of the city. A terrific experience in all aspects! read more

My wife and I have done a handful of food tours. This was easily the best food tour we have done! Tylyn was an amazing guide for us. He knew so much history and knowledge of all of the places we went, on all kinds of food, and history of just New Orleans in general. He was very attentive, he gave us great recommendations, and really made this tour experience a memorable one. This is also not your average food tour. Most food tours will give you very little samples at all of your stops. This food tour made sure to actually feed us and gave us excellent portion sizes at every place we went. We started this food tour very hungry, and ended it feeling full. This was an amazing food tour that I cannot recommend enough! read more

I chose the Beyond the French Quarter food tour to get a little off the beaten path. Mark was our tour guide and he provided a first-rate experience. Mark was on time and easily accommodated one of our party that was a little late. As with all the food tours I have been on the historical information that Mark shared was just as meaningful as the food. I highly suggest anyone to listen to his telling of New Orleans history as well as the meanings of "Creole", "Cajun", and "laissez les bon temps rouler". I will not spoil any of the food experiences but I will say that all of them were delicious and very memorable. Any tips I would give is that it does get warm in the afternoon but the walking is not too strenuous. This food tour made me want to come back to New Orleans and try their other tours. Thank you Mark for giving us a memorable time! read more

I did the Beyond the French Quarter Food Tour with New Orleans Secrets for a date night and had a fantastic time! This was my third tour with them, and every one has been excellent. Our guide, Mark, was knowledgeable and engaging, and the small group size made the experience feel really personal. Even as someone who lives in New Orleans, I loved getting to try new restaurants and learn more about the neighborhoods I thought I knew. These tours are a great way to experience the city in a fresh, authentic way. Highly recommend! read more

We did the Magazine Street Foodie Tour with Mark, and it was the BEST! I'm a food tour junkie, I take at least one on every vacation, and I can honestly say this was one of the best. Mark exudes a passion for NOLA and it is palpable. Teaching us how to fold an 8-page pamphlet from a single piece of paper, sharing abundant NOLA history, and learning the local lingo were added attractions to the AMAZING food! I certainly would not have tried some of the dishes we shared at the Mom & Pop restaurants he chose. The best part was, they didn't text me endlessly asking for a review! This review is from my heart and was NOT solicited. For a truly unique experience, I highly recommend the Magazine Street Foodie Tour...and ask for Mark! read more

There are a lot of haunted tour in NOLA to choose from but do yourself a favor and only book with Secret Tours! There were a few things that drew us towards booking with secret tours. One was that the group size is capped at nine people maximum. I can't tell you how many other tour groups we walked by with 25 or more people and many of them struggling to either stay close to the tour guide, or even hear the information when the tourist stopped at some of their destinations. With our small group, it felt like we had our own private tour guide, and could easily ask lots of questions, and engage directly with each other. The second is that there is no gimmicks. The tour guides aren't gonna dress up like pirates or vampires, or try to scare you with spooky tales of what may or may not have happened. The secret tours are going to give you the facts around some of the most notorious haunted places in NOLA and that is scary and interesting enough! Our tour guide, Ty, was awesome! She greeted us, made a connection with each of the tour members and was informative and engaging with us throughout the two hours. It felt like we got a ton of information and lots of opportunity to ask all sorts of additional questions. The best thing was that you could absolutely tell that Ty loves being a tour guide. Some of the questions got her excited about giving us additional background behind the stories and folklore. She loved sharing with us and we loved learning from her. They offer a wide range of tour types as well and I would expect each of them to be amazing. Absolutely book your tour with New Orleans Secret tours! read more

New Orleans Secrets Tours - The infamous LaLaurie home - Food Tours Near Me

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I'm so glad I did my research and selected New Orleans Secret Tours for my food tour. We had a small group of three; a couple and myself as a solo traveler, and were lucky to have BJ as our guide. I loved trying foods I normally would never think of as well as learning about the history about the city and unique foods. BJ was definitely a wealth of information. The Alligator Sausage and Eggplant Napoleon were my favorites, and ironically nothing I would've attempted if I hadn't been on this tour. read more

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Great time learning City history. Mark is a great tour guide! Nice time, highly recommend. read more

New Orleans Secrets Tours - Food Tours Near Me

My wife and I went on the Voodoo Tour with Evian, and it was really incredible. Specific, complex, decolonized history that opened up the city for us. Evian was a fantastic tour guide. We enjoyed every moment, highly recommend. read more

As much as it pains me to write a subpar review from a seemingly-beloved-tour company on yelp, I had a very disappointing voodoo tour. While the tour guide was nice and friendly, I felt that the content provided was limited and did not expand upon my knowledge of voodoo. My favorite part was a visit to the local voodoo shop, which seemed to be the most authentic component of the tour. Very few parts of the tour included elements listed on the Secrets Tours website. Marie Laveau was not mentioned, nor any specifics about voodoo dolls, potions, summoning and possession by spirits, etc. Granted, my husband and I left the tour ten minutes early so it's possible that something was mentioned. By the time we left, though, I was already displeased with the lack of information provided. I do not think this tour was worth the price. The tour group is small and participation is expected. read more

if there were 10 stars, i would give the 3 hour garden district food tour that. Rodger was hilarious, a local, incredibly knowledgeable about everything. he knew the ins and outs about every dish, street, and all things NOLA. i can not reccomend this food tour enough. the price is steep, but you will leave with some new facts, 10 lbs heavier, and youll feel accomplished. you must book&pay for your tour ahead of time. we paid about $80 pp. the only type of meat i eat is chicken and seafood. please email the business and make sure this tour is for you. it worked out perfectly for me. there were adjustments and options made easily for me at every place i went to. i left so full, and with a doggy bag. wear comfy shoes, go to the bathroom when you can, make sure you have an extra hour in case your tour runs late. ours was long because we were having so much fun. after the first few spots, Rodger knew the itis was around the corner, so he took us to an art gallery for about 20 mins. we learned about a local artist, took a break from eating, and was capable of learning more about this amazing city. they give you a little booklet that you can take notes on, has the locations of where youre going, and you even get a little hot sauce to take home. talk about little touches from this company! great brand and marketing also! you start out in the garden district on magazine street, and hit up 5 food spots. 1 of these spots gives you an alcoholic beverage. 1 of these spots is a dessert spot. and then you will see an art gallery. you stick to magazine street but do walk about half a mile. tour starts at 11 am. we went to: Mahoneys (poboys and fries with a choice of a drink - veggie option available) dat dog (i had the chicken dog instead of a meat dog) Basin (char grilled oysters and blue crab beignets) Terrance osborne gallery Joey Ks (red rice and beans -meat based & eggplant napolean) Haydels Bakery ( 2 types of cake). read more

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We took the Magazine Street Foodie tour and were blown away! It was our first foodie tour and we'll be doing them first thing when we travel to new cities! Not only was Mark a WEALTH of information on the overall history of New Orleans we got a wonderful education on the transitions of different foods in New Orleans throughout the years and how different cultures affected and changed them. It was fascinating! The food was MORE than I ever expected on a foodie tour... I expected small bites and samples of food. Mark warned us not to eat breakfast beforehand and we were still extremely full by the end of the tour! :) The food was not only amazingly delicious, it wasn't the stereotypical NoLa food you can get anywhere... this is what the locals eat and local favorites but elevated. I love that this isn't just a tour where the guide has memorized facts... Mark knows his food and it's clear the company is constantly doing research to ensure they're giving the best tour possible. They are also an AMAZING resource for recommendations for meals/cocktails/restaurants for your trip so definitely pick their brain! Can't recommend it enough! read more

New Orleans Secrets Tours - Food Tours Near Me

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Our food tour was PHENOMENAL all thanks to our guide BJ! He was super funny and engaging and you could tell that he had a genuine love and interest for food, history, and sharing New Orlean's culture. I went in a group of 8-9 people (i only knew 3 other people before going) and it was the perfect size. All of the food that BJ got us was delicious, there were no long waits anywhere we went, and he was even kind enough to let restaurants know in advance of my shellfish allergy and got feedback on alternatives that I liked to put creative spins on my replacement dishes. I mean it when I say that if I ever come back to New Orleans BJ will be the first person I call! read more

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Our tour was great and our guide Adelaide was fabulous. I highly recommend this tour company.

Great tour of NOLA led by a very passionate guide. Recommended! Great time. Little bit spooky, but fun. read more

We did the voodoo tour (with Anderson) and ghost tour (with Barrett). Both were phenomenal! Anderson's general knowledge of New Orleans coupled with his clear passion for the history and evolution of Voodoo was amazing. We learned so much! Of note was that he also had a personal connection with many people we passed, whether they were buskers, practitioners or just folks walking down the street, which really helped us feel part of the story we were learning about. Barrett was fabulous as well. His humor combined with his encyclopedic knowledge of ghost stories and terrible tales of the Quarter made for an amazing evening experience. Can't recommend New Orleans Secrets Tours enough. We rarely do tours, but when we do, I only hope they're as good as both of these were. It felt more like a walk through town with incredibly knowledgeable friends than taking a tour. Thx! read more

We had a wonderful experience with this tour company! While on vacation we wanted to take a few tours to learn the history of NOLA. We were not disappointed. For our first tour we selected the ghost tour and it was fantastic! Ty our tour guide was amazing. She was super informative and captured our attention throughout the tour. For our second tour we selected the garden district tour and it was just as great as our first tour! Angela our tour guide was a real treat. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of NOLA. She even gave us a few tips from the foodie tour that they have and we truly appreciated it. We were so happy that we took the time out to complete these tours! We loved every minute of it and learned so much. I would definitely recommend this tour company to anyone. If you have the opportunity to check them out do yourself a favor and go for it. read more

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Fantastic tour - incredibly informative and got us away from the Bourbon Street corridor while having some *FANTASTIC* cocktails. Barrett was an excellent and engaging host, and really gave a one of a kind experience. HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more

Food tour of Garden District! Nice experience to see both the garden district on Magazine Street. We tried alligator sausage, po`boys, eggplant neopolian, shrimp and pork tacos and dessert. Ty did a good job of telling us about modern renditions of southern food. Don't expect jambalaya, gumbo or the like. The small group totals nine people. Lots of cute shops to look at after the tour. read more

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We took the food tour on Magazine St with Mark and it was phenomenal! Group size was small, food portions were generous at every stop, and it was a very fun, immersive learning experience about New Orleans cuisine and culture. Several people in our group had done other food tours in other cities and felt this was definitely one of the best! They do a great job of reading the group and making the experience feel like a custom experience which was extra special. Definitely recommend read more

We took the Magazine Street Food Tour which consisted of tastings at 5 different restaurants. We were treated to the most delicious food which were all a slightly different take on traditional NOLA dishes. There was so much food, we couldn't finish our main dish and took our dessert to go. Our guide, Tylyn, was excellent! Tylyn shared so much insight and knowledge about the history and culture of the city. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon. We highly recommend taking this tour. One piece of advice: Do not eat anything prior to taking this tour!!! Gayle read more

The food tour was fantastic! Our guide Ty was the best guide we've ever had and we've done dozens of tours in NOLA. We were on the fence about doing a food tour, but so glad we did it. It was great to learn a bit of history and insider knowledge about the city- Ty's passion for this definitely kept us interested and asking questions. We learned a lot about cajun and creole cuisine and got to try a few things we wouldn't normally have ordered for ourselves. It also was a LOT of food. We couldn't even finish our last meal, and saved our desserts for later lol. Excited to try the rest of the tours from this company! read more

I made a great decision while visiting NOLA and booked the Magazine Street Foodie Tour. Mark provided a tour of Magazine Street in the Garden District that included amazing food and interesting historical and cultural facts about the area. Unlike my previous NOLA food tour, this tour included only a few other participants. I say fortunately because walking around narrow NOLA streets with a large group is a pain. Our guide, Mark, has written a book regarding NOLA secrets, so he was well qualified to present the information. He also loves food and the city, so he was more than qualified to select the best restaurants in the area and to select the best dishes on their menus. We visited 5 restaurants, four restaurants serving savory dishes, and a baker serving dessert. Please beware...its a LOT of food. So come hungry. My very favorite was Joey K's. The eggplant Napoleon was to die four. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough. On my next trip to NOLA...I will sign up for New Orleans Secrets Cocktail Tours! This tour is slightly more expensive than the one I booked last time, however, the portion size and the group size were well worth the investment. I do want to note that this tour is not in the French Quarter...probably about a 10-12 minute drive from my hotel on Bourbon St./Canal St. It was an inexpensive UBER ride over to Magazine St. I found this to be a plus, as it gave me an opportunity to sample the restaurants that the locals prefer. read more

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DO NOT MISS JAMES on the Cemetery Tour! After looking up various tour offerings, we wanted a smaller tour. Unlike other tours where you are loaded and unloaded from a bus, or have massive crowds to deal with, we picked New Orleans Secret due to their small size. We did three tours on this recent trip with them, including two food tour and the amazing Cemetery Tour with James. The food tours were great with both tour guides providing great insides on the foods, culture and origination of many of the dishes we had. They definitely take you to top notch places where you'll get plenty of food for your $. Great value for sure. Now, the highlight for us was James and the Cemetery tour. James is a walking encyclopedia, professor, comedian, and friendly guide who happens to be one of the owners. Nothing like a person who both owns a business and puts in the time working it too. We learned so much from James who truly enjoys what he does and if there is a question you ask, he probably knows the answer. He also gave us some great tips of food, based on our likes, not based on some connection with a restaurant. This was a real personal recommendation based on our similar likes. The tour was amazing and while other people were on tour in huge groups (like 20+ walking in a line where you would never hear the tour guide if you were in the back), there are only 8 max on our tours (we had 4 the day we were with James). You felt as if you were on a personal private tour that was focused on you. James also dispelled a lot of myths about something you'll have to go on tour with him to hear about it (I don't want to ruin the surprise) but his knowledge in New Orleans history is wide and deep. We'll be back to tour with them again as we didn't have enough time to do them all. 5 stars all the way! read more

We had a great tour with Ty. He is a walking encyclopedia, friendly, and generally fun to be with. And the food was terrific. They say to arrive hungry and they are NOT kidding! Highly recommended. read more

Barrett was a great storyteller! I appreciated that New Orleans Secrets puts on other tours, not just ghost tours, so we got a ton of history on our tour that went alongside the spooky stories. The tours are kept small so you can hear your Tour Guide and not block the streets with giant groups. We saw a lot of other tours running the same time, and I would not have wanted to be in a group of 30+ as it would've been so hard to hear. We got to ask all our questions and then some. Thanks Barrett for showing us your city! read more

Wow...just wow. BJ was an amazing guide. I tried food I would never order on my own. This is a must in New Orleans and is so fun for families or couples. Our group was small, but it was intimate and memorable. Thanks again, BJ! read more

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Tour#1 We've been to New Orleans 3-4 times prior to this visit. Being the self proclaimed foodies we decided to go on the Food Tour. We had such a great experience trying new foods and learning about the history behind the flavors. Mark was so knowledgeable and full of great recommendations for us to try on our own. Off we went trying all the recommendations bumping into some of the best part of New Orleans the people. Tour #2 We had such a great time we decided to go on their Ghost Tour. Ty was so passionate and knowledgeable about the history of New Orleans like a walking encyclopedia of information. As we walked along on this tour we bumped into the larger size groups (like 20) we both looked at each other and were grateful for being able to hear our guide and each other as their tours are limited to 9. Tour #3 I mean we were on a roll and when in NOLA. The Voodoo tour was so informational and fun Anderson had just the right amount of mojo to keep us laughing and amused throughout the whole tour. Some parts of the tour were dark, but the last stop made it all come together. We were Grateful for the experience and gaining a better understanding of New Orleans Voodoo. Tour #4 We just had to do the cocktail tour as our grand finale. Mark again one of New Orleans natives who just wants to make sure that everyone is having a great time and enjoying the best spirits of New Orleans took us on a great tour of good drinks and conversation along the way. As I speak for my partner in crime and I We can honestly say we got the best of New Orleans Secrets from this awesome tour company. Quick tip: Bring Cash it is a great way to tip and some stops may only take cash. read more

We did not find the tour interesting or compelling. While it was the holiday tour, we really didn't need any primer on how the calendar year worked. I believe we only heard 4 ghost stories in a two hour period. read more

There are so many things that go into being a stellar tour guide: topical knowledge, of course, but reading the group to know WHICH knowledge to share, awareness of surroundings, mobility and speed of the group, storytelling (versus lecturing) is huge, verbal skills, being personable and vulnerable enough to show personality...our guide, Ty, checked EVERY box! So glad we trusted New Orleans Secrets with our precious vacation time --- I'm now obsessed with learning about Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba!! read more

We took the Magazine St food tour, and it was one of our favorite tours! This is not a tasting tour... come hungry! We had full plates at 5-6 different places! We also took full advantage of the house cocktail specialty's! Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeableaboutbyhe area, the history and the restaurants! If you like to see what else there is in Nee Orleans besides Bourbon St and enjoy history and discovering the locals favs .. highly recommended! read more

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Adela is the ABSOLUTE best!!! I would give her SIX stars if I could. We took the cocktail tour with her the day before for my bachelorette. She has the best combination of humor, knowledge, and performance. So much so, in fact, that we told her we had a tour next day. Lo and behold - she arranged to be our tour guide again. And we had just as much fun! I cannot recommend her more. And the group size is PERFECT! read more

We always want to get off the beaten tourist path and really sink into the city. Thank you Mark for giving us the chance to do exactly that. We are cuisine tour junkies and this tour was AMAZING. Great insights, insider info and INCREDIBLE FOOD! This is no tasting teaser...this is a MEAL. We were nourished in every way. If you're thinking about a food tour...DO NOT MISS THIS ONE. read more

New Orleans Secrets Tours - Food Tours Near Me

We went on a food tour with Mark and had an amazing experience! All of the food we had was delicious and some of the best we had in New Orleans during our visit. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn about the history of New Orlean's food scene. We got to enjoy foods we would not normally get and Mark also made plenty of other suggestions for us to visit during the rest of our trip! read more

We booked a garden district 2 hour tour with another couple and Dennis was an amazing guide! I loved the smaller tour group so we could get to know him better and ask a lot of questions, and it was clear that Dennis not only knew a ton of awesome information about New Orleans, but he also was super passionate about the history, the culture, and sharing it with others. He had awesome recommendations for food in the area and experiences we couldn't miss during our weekend in New Orleans. The price point was great for the experience offered and we will definitely recommend for friends and visitors in the future! Thanks so much for everything Dennis!! Was such a great morning! read more

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We had a great time (and full bellies) on our foodie tour with Mark! He planned a scrumptious selection of 4 savory stops and 1 sweet stop. We got to eat food that is important to the history and cultures that make New Orleans so special. Mark was extremely personable and taught us so much of the history that went along with the food. I highly recommend this tour! read more

Our food tour was an amazing way to experience the food of New Orleans. Thank you Roger. read more

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