We recently took the First Squares Food Tour operated by Savannah Taste Experience and were very impressed, especially as we discovered that "Southern food" isn't always what you might expect. Presented as a "3 hour walking tour," it was less physically demanding than its length might imply. Our guides Josh and Jordan explained we'd be waking about a mile total, so it was very do-able for all of us, most of whom would qualify for a senior discount. We started at the 22 Square Restaurant inside the Andaz Hotel located just off Ellis Square near City Market. There, we sample the chef's take on the Southern staple shrimp and grits. Our guides explained that the chef took a different approach than many, making the grits creamier and imparting more flavor. The chef also added a bit of braised pork belly and melted leeks, which gave the sauce a much fuller flavor profile than other versions we had tried. From there, we walked to The River House for their take on she-crab soup and the option of sampling Chatham Artillery Punch, an alcoholic concoction of uncertain origins that is today one of Savannah's most noted drinks. Do a Google search for the recipe if you're interested. After that, we began exploring the foods brought to the area by the immigrants who arrived over the centuries, thus bringing them under the umbrella of "Southern cuisine." At The Little Crown, we sampled an English sausage roll, served inside a pretty authentic recreation of an English pub. Hot sausage surrounded by flakey crust, it was delicious. At the Prohibition Museum and bar we sampled - what else? - bar food. Nibbles included boiled peanuts, deviled egg, pickled veggies and a wedge of pimento cheese sandwich. For more of the food immigrants brought, we popped into a Scottish pub and grill by the name Molly McPhersons, were we were served samples of Shepherd's Pie. While ground beef-based, the seasonings definitely elevated it above its basic ingredients of beef and potatoes. It's a good thing I didn't realize the extent of the bar's scotch inventory or the tour might have ended right there, at least for my wife and me. Our final stop was the Savannah Bee Company where we compared and contrasted various types of honey, sampled an amuse bouche of thinly sliced Granny Smith apple topped with a fruit compote, cheese and a dollop of honey. We also had the opportunity to order the honey-based alcoholic beverage mead. We came away from our delightful afternoon of nibbling mulling the thought that, in every city of any size, the food scene is as varied as the population of the area, and how catch-all terms like "Southern cuisine" don't do any area the justice it is due. Check out this area -- and this tour -- for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed. read more

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Loved this food tour. We had so much fun sampling food and learning about the restaurants and Savannah history. We highly recommend Joshua as the guide. He was engaging, personable, impromptu, and really knew his stuff. We enjoyed listening and talking with him. He really made this tour over the top. We are looking forward to taking another tour of different restaurants with the Savannah taste experience again. We will, of course request a tour where Joshua is the guide. I'm sure their other guides are equally as excellent but our experience with Joshua was seriously over the top. read more

We spent a long weekend in Savannah and had a few hours to spare in the afternoon so decided to go on a food tour, specifically the Savannah Taste Experience. They keep the tours to a manageable size, 12 participants. The tour is pretty short in terms of distance, about one mile in total, and about 2 hours long. Our guide was really great and super knowledgeable about Savannah and, naturally, food in Savannah. We made the following stops and ate the following foods: - 22 Square (where the tour started): shrimp and grits - Rhett: "she crab" soup - JW Marriott: not an official stop but we had additional time; it was a great addition because the JW Marriott has a "museum" in its lobby with lots of cool geodes and other art - The Little Crown, Pie Society: sausage roll - Rise (though Rise is too small to accommodate a large group so we ate it at at a retail store): biscuit with pimento cheese and fried green tomato - Mint and Mojito: chicken empeñada - Savannah Bee Company - tastes of three types of honey, cheese and honey on a slice of green apple and a cookie to-go (it was like a honey snickerdoodle) read more

Hands down an incredible experience. Cindy did a great job of being our Tour Guide. The tour is incredible because you have the combination of delicious food and embracing the history of Savannah. By far it was difficult to choose which is my favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Fried Pork Chop and I was a huge fan of the Empanadas, Braised Taco and a Honey Tasting. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. Also some of the shops will give you a discount because you are with the Food Tour. A Highlight of the tour was also to see in person a scene where Forrest Gump was filmed. Come Check it out for yourself. 5 stars for a Top Notch Experience! read more

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Wonderful way to TASTE SAVANNAH. Our tour consisted of 6 restaurants to sample food, 3 squares to give interesting history of the city and three stops to view art from local artisans. Our tour guide, ASHTON, could not have been more friendly, more upbeat or more excited to be with us. Food allergies are NOT A PROBLEM, so don't let a gluten, dairy or vegan allergy/diet slow you down. I am a vegetarian and they had no problem giving me wonderful food. But it was more than just food, our guide went to SCAD so she had all sorts of interesting art facts and did I say she was fun? Okay, ASHTON made the tour fun. There is walking, but not so much you have to go to a fitness boot camp for weeks before hand. It is a leisurely walk, lots of time to peruse and enjoy, so don't feel hurried and just taste your way through Savannah. read more

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So here's the deal. I did a food tour with them while on vacation with my family in December. The food was ok. Nothing to write home or rave about, but it was decent and a good way to spend an afternoon in Savannah. Also our guide was great. She made it a better experience. But what I could not get over is the false advertising. As you can see in the screenshot from their website - taken today - they advertise that there will be no more than 8 people per tour. That was a big part of why we picked this tour over others. We are a family of five and like the idea of less people, both for the more "intimate" experience they tout, and also for safety reasons due to COVID. But there were 12 people on our tour. So many in fact, that we had to split families up at restaurants because the tables could not accommodate a full group. I told our guide at the end about the statement on the website. She said she had no idea about that page because they always have 12 in a group. She said she would tell the owners immediately. I don't know if she did or not, but I certainly never heard from anyone, and the false statement is still on their website. So if the reason you are considering going is due to the small group, be aware that you will get more than 8 in your group. I don't know how high they are willing to go. read more

Savannah Taste Experience - Food Tours Near Me - Savannah, Georgia

I visited Savannah with a friend and we did the First Squares tour on our first full day in town. Ann was our tour guide and she did a fabulous job! The tour started in the Savannah Taste Experience store, where we tried a BBQ sauce, a marinade, some jam, and a cheese straw. Our next stop was for a sausage roll, followed by she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, and a pork belly donut slider. We ended the tour at the Savannah Bee Company, a couple doors down from the Savannah Taste Experience store, where we tried a few different honeys and had an apple slice with honeycomb and a piece of cheese. In addition to the food, Ann provided fantastic historical/cultural information about Savannah, including telling us about Savannah's squares. She also pointed out various restaurants along the way, sharing what they are known for or what she likes from each. Most importantly, she told us about Planter's Tavern, the tavern in the lower level of The Olde Pink House that has the same menu. My friend and I had hoped to eat at The Olde Pink House, but were unable to get a reservation. However, equipped with the information Ann shared about Planter's Tavern (which opens at 5pm and has seating available on a first come, first served basis), we were able to get a table at 5pm on Saturday and it was probably one of our favorite meals. Overall, the tour was simply a wonderful experience. Food tours are my favorite thing to do when visiting a new area and this tour did not disappoint. read more

This experience was amazing!!! I was happy to have the weather in our side cause in fact it was supposed to rain and the tour will resume rain or shine as stated. I loved all the cocktails and tasty bites that were offered. You can request mocktails or food alterations in advance if needed. Our host was amazing!! I loved how she went into details when we stopped at locations and gave some history. Her interaction with all her guest that were in the tour. I definitely will be doing this again when I come to Savannah. read more

Cindy was an amazing host and the food was delicious. Perfect start to our trip to Savannah.

The tour was pretty great! The tour guide Gayle was very friendly and knowledgeable. All the stops along the way were air-conditioned and it was great to hear a little bit about Savannah's history. I would highly suggest. read more

Highly recommend this tour. You will learn about the food as well as the history of Savannah. Lisa did an amazing job and we had a great experience. She even directed my son to other places to check out that interested him that were not in the tour, very much appreciated that. The food was fabulous also. read more

I would highly recommend Savannah taste experience for any group. They were so easy to work with. I was most impressed by the fact that I got actual people from the company to talk to when I was booking. No AI or third party booking company. They were so helpful with our larger group and accommodated the one food allergy that we had with such ease. The guide was so personable and so enjoyable and the food was delicious. read more

Amazing experience! Christopher did a great job giving us history on Savannah and the restaurants.

WALKTAILS TOUR: This is our 3rd tour with Savannah Taste and today (5/1/21) we did the Walktails Tour. We got lucky when they had the Groupon deal, so it ended up being buy one get one free. We had a pleasant surprise when Deshawn was our guide (he also works with Savannah for Morons and Front Porch Improv). He has such awesome energy and an absolute joy to be around! We were pleasantly surprised with the food and drinks. Stop #1: one of my personal favorites, the Prohibition Museum Speakeasy! We were served the original recipe for Chatham Artillery Punch. Surprisingly not terrible. Stop #2: The is one I've been really wanting to Try, Mint to be Mojito! This was probably one of my favorite stops of the whole tour! The monitors were amazing (though in excitement accidentally spilled 1/2 of mine). They also served us stuff potatoes here. Delicious!! They were about the size of a baseball. So decent portion. Stop #3: One of my favorite Brunch spots, The Broughton Common, now shortened to The Common. We were served their version of the Chatham Artillery Punch (nothing like the original & way better) and their pub fries. My god those pub fries were the best. Stop #4: Molly McPhersons. For me, nothing to write home about and I hope they swap this out with something better. Here they provided a whiskey flight (which I don't drink) and a meat pie. The meat pie was great. I have my whiskey flight to my husband. Over all I'd give this tour a 4.5 only because of the last stop. But the guide was amazing and so was everything else! M read more

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We took the bar bites tour and could not have been happier! Our guide was incredible and we felt like he was a friend by the end. The four food venues were equally amazing and we highly recommend this. It was the highlight of our trip to Savannah. read more

Even though this is not our first visit to Savannah, we took the First Squares Food Tour with Cindy as our lovely guide, who was welcoming and knowledgeable (and a foodie herself). The tour offers local samples from 6 venues and prepares delicious alternatives if one has any food allergies or restrictions. I have to say everything was wonderfully prepared and we enjoyed every bite. The Little Pie Crown by Pie Society was one of my favorite stops and the pasty's were some of the best on this side of the pond. We also enjoyed the She Crab soup at Rhett's. Our final stop was Savannah Bee Company where were not only tasted some of the most delicious honey but also an apple, cheese, honeycomb appetizer treat. The tour states it is 3 hours but in January when it was much less busy it took less than 1.5 hours. This is an awesome choice if you are visiting for the first time or not. Lots of history to absorb and food to enjoy. read more

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The stops were great and our guide, Andy, was fantastic! Knowledgeable, kind, funny, memorized our whole group's names. Highly recommend! Toasty but worth the walk! read more

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Gail was a total delight to have as our guide and this tour is a fun way to get to know Savannah.

Very engaging and entertaining guide (Country). Disappointing amount of food for the cost of the tour. Very disappointed that the Leopold's was a little cup and not at the Leopold's shop itself. The food also didn't all appear to be a true representation of Savannah - empanadas, gnocchi? Collective rating was 3. read more

Such a fun tour! Tori was our guide and she did an amazing job and was a delight. I recommend booking this tour.

Tour guide was knowledgeable and so friendly. The variety of foods was interesting and everything was delicious.

Bailey was a phenomenal and funny guide! We had a great time. It was relaxing, fabulous food, we never felt rushed, and we saw and experienced things we wouldn't have tried on our own. Great history as well. Loved it!! read more

Cannot say enough good things about Chris and the AWESOME Port City Food Tour that he lead for our group. We learned so much about Savannah's history, not only related to the food but the buildings, squares, monuments and foliage. Don't touch the Spanish moss!! Thank you to Chris and Savannah Taste Experience for kicking off our fun-filled trip to Savannah. Cannot wait to come back! read more

Great tour and delicious food. Cindy was very informative and had a great personality. We had samplings that were just enough to sample. We had a great time. read more

Updated on 3/29 after Owner's Response - Please don't bring Savannah into this. No one said anything about the city other than great things. We already have plans to come back. However, the fact that you can't fathom the thought of Savannah, GA, of all places, not having racist or prejudice people living or working in it is delusional. Almost laughable. Also laughable is your suggestion of my husband being embarrassed by my behavior. My husband actually was the person offended by her from the beginning and APPALLED by the entire collard green comment. I just wrote the review first. Trust me, his probably wouldn't have been as nice as mine. You keep bringing your tour into this. This is not about your tour. Your company hosts a great tour, as I've said quite a few times before. This is about your employee, one employee, who apparently thinks she's done nothing wrong and....unfortunately, now an owner who can't understand that what she did was inappropriate. Frankly, you don't have to "tolerate racism or racist remarks" when you are the one doing it. Racism and prejudice does not have to be blatant for actions to still be racist and prejudice. Not one thing would make me believe that Cindy said or did anything with malice. Not one thing would make me believe she would ever think she did anything wrong. This still does not make our experience right. Gone are the days where white people get to say and do inappropriate things and not be called out about it which was the purpose of my review. It's okay to stand by an employee when they are in the right, but to stand by them when they were clearly wrong is sad and says more about you/your company than my review would ever reflect. It's funny that we've shared our experience with quite a few people, white and black, and they've all concluded the same thing, yet you're sitting in denial about something that is clear as the day is long...and that's okay, I've said my peace. I don't plan to continue to go back and forth with you. Clearly, it's not sinking in so I'm not sure how calling you directly would have helped. I've shared our experience. The question now remains, what are you going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again? Unfortunately, I think I already know the answer. And by the way, my past reviews are also MY experiences. I don't need to try to bash a business just for the hell of it. I couldn't make up the experience we had with your company if I tried. What would I gain from that? The experiences speak for themselves and that is what I share. read more

I noted on the website, when I registered, that I was an ovolacto vegetarian and explained what that was. When I spoke the person when I arrived at the tour that I am an ovolacto vegetarian and again explained what that was. When the group was gathering at the back of the store the tour guide asked if we had any food sensitivities or considerations I said I was an ovolacto vegetarian and explained what that was. They sent a person to talk to me and I again said that I am an ovolacto vegetarian and, once again, explained what that was. The only way that I could have been more disappointed would have been if they tried to feed me meat. I have been on many food tours in many cities around the world and this was the most unaccommodating that I have ever seen. My advice is that if you are a vegetarian, don't do this one. PS I taught college and HS science and have to say that any time the guide discussed anything even bordering on science I thought my head would explode. She was incorrect and ill-informed about many things. read more

This was hands down the best tour I've ever been on. My husband and I always try to do some type of food tour everywhere we visit (the best way to learn about a culture is through the food!!). This was a food tour, though there were opportunities to taste and also buy alcoholic beverages as well - which unfortunately I was unable to enjoy this trip because I'm currently pregnant, but it's only motivated me to come back and do it all over again once our new family member gets here!! Joshua was our tour guide and he was amazing. He was so knowledgeable about the history of the city and food industry and was able to mange the tour time perfectly so we weren't rushing from place to place, or bored waiting to move onto the next spot. The food was amazing, my favorite was the she crab soup but I can honestly say I loved everything we tried! read more

Savannah Taste Experience - Food Tours Near Me - Savannah, Georgia

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We had Shannon take us on the food tour! Megan was so aweShe was great and had so much energy! We learned so much about Savannah history! The tastings were great but the history was amazing I loved it and highly recommend. Leopolds Ice Cream may be the best I've have had read more

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There are so many amazing reviews about the Savannah Taste Experience so I'm going to keep this one short. Josh was our tour guide and he was GREAT! He shared all the historical aspects of each stop along with a few extras as we walked from one restaurant to another. Josh also pointed out some unique places along our walk that we might want to visit later. We really enjoyed our tour and our guide! We opted for the First Squares Food Tour. We liked that we were able to ask questions and really interact with the other guests and tour guide. We also loved the availability of alcoholic beverages for purchase along the way. Each and every stop was interesting and really gave us a taste of Savannah and all it has to offer. We are already planning our next trip to Savannah and it will definitely include one of the the foodie tours that Savannah Taste Experience has to offer. Thanks for the great culinary experience! read more

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Country was a great tour guide with lots of savannah history throw in. Great time. Lots of sitting so don't worry about the 3 hrs.

We had Andy for our guide it was a phenomenal experience. Andy was very fun, energetic and knew the history of Savannah very well. I recommend this tour to anyone visiting Savannah. read more

Sally Kick is awesome! Very knowledgeable, and fun. The tastings were delicious and the store that the tour runs from is wonderful. It was a great day! read more

Our guide Shannon was excellent! She was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The food, on the other hand, was disappointing. The shrimp and grits was bland, the she crab soup was thin and watery, the sausage roll was not great, fried green tomato and pimento cheese biscuit was from a chain restaurant. We were hoping that the food tour would introduce us to new places that we would want to return to. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The only place that we might revisit is to get a Mojito. I've been on plenty of food tours in other cities that are fantastic. This one was disappointing. read more

Savannah is the ideal town for a food tour -- lots of interesting sites and history to explore within a relatively small walking area and a diverse range of culinary tastes to sample. But the best thing about this tour was our guide, Shannon. She is the perfect guide -- fun, funny, energetic, engaging and knowlegeable. She has a love for Savannah that is infectious, and she made sure that everyone had a good time. read more

These tours are not only dependent on the places you visit, the food and the weather. They are also highly either enjoyable or meh based on the your tour guide. Our group of six were blessed with a wonderful combination of all of the above. Our tour guide Anne was a delightful lady. She is a transplant from Boston- brought here when her parents came to retire. She fell in love with Savannah through her visits and one trip decided to stay. She embraces all the history that Savannah richly offers. She gave very good insight into the food we tasted the architectures and sites we passed. She also gave excellent insight into the Dot metro busses that is a free way to walk and ride. The free ferry to see the waving girl as well as enjoy the river street views from the water. Thank you Anne for being excellent !!! The tour started at the 1- 22 Square restaurant in the Andaz hotel. We had a shrimp and grits rendered in pork belly fat. 2- River house seafood where we learned about the Chatham punch. We all got one with a competitive glass. The lobster crab bisque with a perfect amount of sherry was divine. 3- little crown pie society. We might not have visited this on our own and we would have missed a delicious flaky crust sausage. We put honey and hot sauce on ours to enhance the amazing flavor. There were quite a few people having late lunches or snacks around us. All looked very good. 4- American prohibition museum. The mini bites platter here was an excellent sample of Savannah and the south. Pimento cheese mini sandwich, boiled peanuts, deviled egg and pickled - carrot, pumpkin and sun dried tomato or some had asparagus. So yummy !! They also have a taste of the Chatham rum. We purchased other cocktails at the speakeasy bar. The bartenders really show off their mix and shake skills. 5- Molly MacPherson's Scottish pub was next here we had a little ramekin of shepherds pie. It was really good. A few in our party ordered a watermelon and Red Bull margarita. Very refreshing. 6- Savannah bee Co. This was the final stop. We tasted three honeys - Tupelo Acacia and Georgia Honey. This was followed by a slice of apple with cheese and honey comb. Finally a gingerbread type cookie in a bag to try or take. The tour was almost 3 hours. It was a great way to see, learn and taste the history of Savannah. As of our group didn't have enough to drink along the way - we opted to go back to the prohibition museum to see more (and grab another cocktail at the speakeasy ) read more

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Christopher our guide was great, he did a great job informing us not only food history but Savannah history. Had a nice variety of food option, food portion were small with the exception of the breakfast sausage. Price was a little high for portion size, we would still recommend the tour. Had a good time, but left hungry and we are 2 older ladies, most of the guys were saying they needed to find a place for lunch. read more

If you're looking for a food tour, this is the one. We had several stops and only one was not fantastic. Mint to be Mojito was the only stop that just ok. The rest were really interesting and places we wouldn't have thought of. We did the Famous and Secret East side tour starting at Zunzi's, which was fantastic atmosphere, food and drinks. Our guide Shannon was very impressive and lively. Highly recommend! read more

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John was a fabulous host on our Savannah First Squares Tour. I live about a 1/2 hour from Savannah and booked this tour as I had a friend coming into town and wanted to try something different. It was a hot day, and I was a bit worried about being out in the sun. However, the Tour was well paced with stops at a several great spots such as The Little Crown by Pie Society, Rhett, Mint to be Mojito and Savannah Bee Company. We were also treated to a Pork Belly Donut Slide from The Ordinary Pub and a Fried Green Tomato Sandwich from Rise Biscuit. These last two were served at the Savannah Taste Experience at the beginning and mid-way through our tour. I believe those were concessions to the heat. John shared some fun historical facts about Savannah at some of our stops. The one thing I would advise is to book with The Savannah Taste Experience. We booked through Viator and paid about $10 more than they charge if you buy your tour ticket on site. read more

I forgot my tour guides name but she was soooo nice and patient! She really has a knack for this! Every place we visited was delicious ans the history was awesome! This was my fav day in Savannah! read more

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Cathy did a great job and we truly enjoyed the food and historic tour in beautiful Savannah. She was able to answer any questions we had as we walked by the many beautiful mansions during our walk . She also had many suggestions for places to eat for the remainder of our visit here. Good food, lots of fun and history too! Thanks Cathy for a memorable afternoon- you're the best tour guide ever! read more

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