Super amazing experience. Carla was even more amazing and went above and beyond and took a picture of us and sent it to me because I was scared of damaging my phone so I did not bring one. That's where guys were amazing and for first timers we felt extremely comfortable and shockingly we did not flip over! We can NOT wait to come back! Reccomend the Historical Tour! read more

I am so happy to have had the opportunity to try this tour with some other Yelpers. Let me just say that I have tried A LOT of food tours (both Chicago Food Planet neighborhood tours and TWO chocolate neighborhood tours) and this one ranks up there in the top! Out of all the tours I've done, I learned the most of Chicago history here. We not only stopped off at food locations but also at historic landmarks (i.e. The Drake hotel). It was a rainy AND windy Chicago Sunday, but despite the weather I had an awesome time! Lynn did a really great job with our tour and handled the weather situation without difficulty. What a great easy going guy! We visited: --Pizano's Pizza (I may have found my new favorite pizza spot. The deep dish and thin crust pizza were delicious! I am still trying to figure out how they get that crust so crispy!) --Sarah's (The brownie was definitely good...I've never met a bad brownie, but it was not the best I've had) --Downtown Dog's (Good Chicago hot dog--stay away from those peppers!) --Heaven on Seven (The gumbo was really delicious! I may have to come back to try more food!) --Billy Goat Tavern & Grill (I've lived in Chicago for over 4 years and FINALLY made it to this place! Sadly, the cheeseburger was not good. But I enjoyed learning about the history of the Original Tavern and the Billy Goat. Definitely a Chicago tourist spot to visit, if not eat at) --The Purple Pig (I've been wanting to check this place out too!!! That strawberry ice cream IS DELICIOUS!!!!! It tasted like something from my childhood!!! Very nostalgic for me! The outdoor seating was very nice! I enjoyed visiting ALL the locations on our tour, but my favorite EATERIES were Pizano's, Heaven on Seven, and The Purple Pig. For $44 you definitely get your money's worth if not more. The tour guarantees enough for lunch, but I can tell you that you'll be filled up for dinner too!! LOTS OF FOOD to keep you full. I started cramping towards the end from eating so much!! Just a note for those that decide to come, I recommend NOT driving. Your parking meter will expire. The tour is longer than 2 hours and the tour does not end where it begins. Also, the tour is designed for sit down dining so that you will always have a nice comfortable seat and a nice ICE cold drink (so you're not drinking the warm water you've been carrying around). The tour is NOT rushed at all which I enjoyed A LOT. You can also shop during the tour stops too, which many food tours don't allow. The duration of my tour was from 11am to 2:45pm. I recommend keeping your schedule for the entire day open so that you don't feel rushed to get somewhere else. I would definitely recommend this tour to my friends! read more

Tastebud Food Tours - Heaven on Seven tasting - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I booked a Tastebud Tour for my friend's bachelorette party as a more calm alternative to the usual heavy drinking & partying. All in all, it was a great tour but we definitely did not appreciate the amount of walking beforehand. I recommend not wearing heels for this tour! Tastebud Tours offers a few different options and said they will soon have an all dessert tour, how cool! We did the Flavors of Chicago Tour visits the Gold Coast. The tickets came to $48.31 each with a $2.20 AAA discount. You'll also want to tip your guide after the tour so be sure to have $5-10 cash on the day of the tour, as well. We were a group of 7 and there about 10 others on the tour, so i would expect a group of about 15 in your tour. The food tour went to Pizano's Pizza (amazing), Sarah's Pastries (really good), Downtown Dogs (okay, but not amazing), Heaven on Seven (long walk, I've passed it a million times at AMC, okay food, very spicy), Billy Goat Tavern (great stop for the history behind it, but food is meh), and the Allerton Hotel (cool hotel and history, but the dessert here was meh). The tour normally is about 3 hours but ours ended up being about 4 hours. It was a very fun time, but also be advised the food places are fun and I loved trying new places in the city...But I wouldn't say they were the best food spots I've been to. All in all, take this tour to for all of the interesting information you learn on it and not necessarily for fantastic food. Our tour guide was so informative and a wealth of knowledge! read more

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One of the best decisions I've ever made traveling & traveling to Chicago is the Tastebud Food Tour!!! We booked our tour a few days before we left LA to go to Chicago. You can only book online & it costs about $50/person. This gets you a tour guide from Tastebud who is fully equipped to tell you about each food location, the food, history & culture. But this tour is not just food! There are so many historical facts built in. Our tour guide was Johnson, yes, that's his first name & not his last. He was AWESOME! The tour is 3hrs long & you get a taste of each food location (for us that includes: Deep dish pizza from Pizano's Pizza, a double fudge brownie from Palmer's Hotel, Italian Beef sandwich from AL's Italian Beef, Red velvet cupcakes from Sugar Bliss, Pixies from Fannie May & Brauts from Berghoff's) & tons of cultural & art references. We went to Millenium Park to see the sculptures & installations & the Chicago Public Library, which we found out is lovingly nicknamed, the People's Palace. There is plenty of time to take in sounds & smells from each site, take pics, ask questions & have an enjoyable time. Be sure to wear layers to add or peel off, depending on the weather. Wear comfortable shoes, because you do walk the whole time. Take cash to buy extras at locations you like (we bought a dozen mini cupcakes at Sugar Bliss & tons of chocolates at Fanny May to take home) & to tip your tour guide. $5-10 is recommended, but my bf tipped him a generous $40 because he was excellent & deserved it!!! If you go to Chicago, you need to do the Tastebud Tours! These tours are also available in New Orleans & San Francisco, I can't wait to do those tours as well! read more

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What a wonderful afternoon I had on Tastebud Tour's 1893 World's Fair Tour! We met at the private Cliff Dwellers Club, which offers a spectacular view of The Art Center and surrounding park. I was greeted by the owner of the company, Lynn, who introduced our group of seven to "Bertha Honore Palmer." Well, Bertha has actually been dead for about a hundred years, so the part was played--magnificently--by Tiffany, an actress and 1893 World's Fair expert. For the next three hours she remained completely in character as she shared stories about Bertha's life and accomplishments, and brought the fair to life through the innovations it introduced. These innovations included a lot of food! You definitely need to begin this tour hungry. We started with a relaxing hour long lunch (that newfangled food, the hamburger, was featured) as we learned about the organization of the fair. We finished off four delicious pies and then made our way to many more stops on an approximately 1.5 mile walk that included hot dogs, popcorn, brownies and more. We even visited Bertha's house, which is now the Palmer Hilton. The tour ended at the famous Bergdorf, where we admired the murals of the exposition, sampled their chili con carne and root beer, and said our goodbyes. What a great tour! read more

Tastebud Food Tours - Tiffany as Bertha - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Like Megan G, I was also one of the "guinea pigs" who was on one of the free Tastebud Tours for Yelpers on August 1. I had to kill time because I followed the (erroneous) note to show up an hour early instead of only fifteen minutes early, but it was nice to chat with Yelpers old and new with the down time. Our tour guide was Lynn, who is also the owner of TTC. The goal is for participants to enjoy a walking buffet of "Chicago" foods while also getting a taste of not only the foods but the history and behind-the-scenes anecdotes supporting the dishes. While we stopped mostly at dining establishments, we also walked by and through significant historical places and landmarks (Drake Hotel, Water Tower Pumping Station, John Hancock Center). Yes - this is a WALKING tour so be ready to do a healthy amount of walking, rain or shine. Besides, you can walk off the calories that you will consume on the tour. The first stop of the Magnificent Mile tour is at Pizano's Pizza on State (there is also another parallel tour that covers the Loop and Millennium Park areas). While Pizano's may not be as famous as some of the other Chicago-style pizza establishments, it has a rich family history that gives it "cred" in the deep-dish game. We all tried some thin-crust and deep-dish pizza, and its crackling crust does the trick for me. We spent some quality time at Pizano's, also in part because this is the first stop so there was time needed to set the ground rules and expectations (water provided at most stops! bathroom breaks along the way! pay attention when walking outside!). Next was Sarah's, a chic pastry shop on Oak Street. This was the shortest stop, barely longer than the time needed to inhale the fudgy brownie sample bite provided to us. Next was Downtown Dogs, where most of us ate the "typical" Chicago-style dog with all the standard trimmings. This was a regulation-size hot dog, so it certainly brought my stomach to the point of satisfaction at halftime. This ain't Hot Doug's, but it certainly does well as your typical Chicago dog. Next we went to Heaven on Seven, which in this case is on the second floor (unlike the original location on Wabash, which is actually on the seventh floor). They still have the wall of hot sauce bottles here at this location, along with a see-through kitchen. We enjoyed our beans and rice and jambalaya samples (yes you get shrimp here even in the little samples, no skimping here). A couple of our braver participants tried Da Bomb hot sauce (supposedly the hottest topper amongst their zillions of bottles), and therefore provided a bit of comic relief after a teeny bit of the sauce was consumed. The tour then goes underground to the Billy Goat, a tourist dive if there ever was one. While the half-burger and "gruff service" sideshow may actually put off some people, I actually liked my burger sample. The final stop is at the Purple Pig, a surprising entry when compared with the more typical and touristy places on the list. The Pig may be more trendy than touristy, but it is a hit with our group thanks to the pleasing interiors and the tasty samples of soft gelato (cappuccino) and assorted cookies. If we had not eaten so much already, this would be a great place to linger and eat more food! It was interesting to run into other "rival" tours along the way (pizza, chocolates etc), so one can see Tastebud Tours becoming a long-run success. It's not just an eating tour but also a spirited 3+ hour walking tour featuring history and architecture, so once can justify the $44 cost of the tour when you factor everything into the mix (there are currently online discounts available). Funny thing - after all the food and ice water I consumed I was still not "full", but that's probably due to all of the walking (my exercise for the day!) and the fact that I can seemingly eat food continuously. read more

Tastebud Food Tours - Yelpers enjoy a Tastebud Tour - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

(Sung to the Gilligan's Island theme song) Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a tasty trip, That started from Pizano's port, aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty painted paddle, the Skipper brave and sure. Nine Yelpers set sail that day for a three hour tour. A three hour tour. The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed, If not for the courage of the fearless Lynn The Yelpers would be lost, the Yelpers would be lost. Ok, so there was no ship and Lynn (our guide and owner of Tastebud) isn't a sailor - at least that I'm aware of - but the weather did start out rough. However, in true Chicago form it was beautiful by tour's end. Here are two key pieces of advice to getting the most out of this tour: 1) If you have dietary restrictions (vegetarian, allergies, etc.) let Tastebud know at least a day in advance so accommodations can be made and you can have the best experience possible. 2) Skip breakfast. I was running a bit behind schedule and didn't have a chance to eat anything before the tour, that ended up being the best oversight possible as you could've rolled me home! The tour is great, a fun way to learn about the history of some Chicago favorites and the city itself. As Lynn states, he makes no guarantees that you'll try the best (fill in the blank), but you will visit a business unique to Chicago; typically one with a very interesting story. That's not to say the stuff you try isn't good, it's damn good. So good, I was glad to be wearing something with a stretchy waistline. Lynn explained early on that the tour takes a somewhat leisurely pace; you won't rush in and out of places, which I really enjoyed. We had plenty of time to enjoy our food, chat a little and stock up on souvenirs. Tours are $44 (I was lucky and got to attend gratis), which I found a fair price for a 3+ hour tour, a chance to taste food at 5 different establishments, and a nice little history lesson. The smaller group size makes it relatively easy for the group to get in and out of restaurants with little disruption to the business. A walking food tour is also a great combo, it gives you a chance to burn off a few of calories along the way. Bottom line: I think this tour is a fun way for tourists and locals to spend an afternoon in the city. read more

Highly Recommended to tourists or native Chicagoans! We went on the Gold Coast Tour with Lynn, the owner of Tastebud Tours. It was a fantastic palate experience. Tips: - skip breakfast - wear comfortable shoes (its a walking tour) - you might want to share with someone you're with come the 3rd tasting because the portions given are well more than other tasting tours. we got 1 slice of pizza, 1 whole hotdog sandwich, a brownie slice, a small cup of gumbo, a small plate of jambalaya and a burger (which i asked to be split) we didn't even get to eat at the last restaurant because we had a matinee to catch but we were already sooo stuffed. but it was good food none the less. Next time we visit, we'll definitely try the Millenium Loop Tour. :) read more

Tastebud Food Tours - at Heaven on Seven with Tastebud Tours Founder Lynn - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Loved it! Was hesitant to spend the money, but was so happy I did. Daughter and I walked around Chicago with Anna Lynn for 3 hours. All food stops were delicious. Tried places and food we never thought to before even though we visit fairly often! Anna Lynn shared history and fun facts throughout the day and was super friendly and helpful, but not in our "space" all the time. The tour was a good pace. Plenty of time to eat without feeling rushed but didn't spend too much time in any one spot. I want to take my husband back. He would appreciate the food and learn a lot about Chicago. We will be repeat customers for sure. Highly recommend. read more

It was one of the best ways to tour Chicago. If you have plenty of time to kill. DO this! LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED - LIKED Our guide Johnson was so knowledgeable about the history of the city, restaurants, and foods. Tasty traditional food A lot of walking Not just restaurants but interesting landmarks DISLIKED - DISLIKED - DISLIKED - DISLIKED - DISLIKED- DISLIKED- DISLIKED The tour doesn't end in the same space it begins. read more

Taste of Chicago food tour was great! Brittany was a fun guide! Had plenty of sights and plenty of food. The variety was perfect and I definitely recommend this if you enjoy doing tours. read more

For my mom's 60th birthday, I wanted to find something to do that didn't require planning, catering, or cleaning our house to host a bunch of guests. When I learned about the TasteBud Tours and had read several of the online reviews, I knew that this was the perfect choice. My family lives in Arlington Heights and rarely ventures into the city for anything. We chose to do the Chicago Loop tour since it had a little less walking than the Magnificent Mile tour. Our tour guide, Lynn, was absolutely fantastic! He was knowledgeable about all food-related facts from all the places we passed on our Loop tour. The pizza at Pizano's was definitely the best pizza I have tried in years...something about that tomato sauce was so unique and tasty, but none of us could figure out what made it so different. We managed to stuff ourselves over a 3-4 hour period trying pizza, popcorn, hot dogs, gourmet cupcakes, killer gumbo, and bratwurst. Everyone loved the tour! Most of all, my mom was thrilled with spending her birthday with family doing something so different and unique. She has said that her friends still mention what a great time they had on the tour periodically and we went back in early June. So, it was a total success. For $44 per person, the price cannot be beat -- food from 5 or 6 places, entertainment, and a tour wrapped up in one. As a side note, the gumbo at Heaven on Seven was so unbelievably good (and I will say that I am NOT a gumbo fan) that both myself and my sister-in-law went home and bought the cookbook from the restaurant online so that we could make it at home. We have both tried the recipe and loved it a second time!! If you are considering doing this tour for a special occasion, like a birthday, anniversary, or just wanting to get a Taste of Chicago, TasteBud Tours was the PERFECT solution. And, I was able to drag my mom into downtown and get her out of the burbs!! read more

Tastebud Food Tours - Great way to celebrate a milestone birthday with the family. Book a private tour! - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tastebud Tour was awesome! I was very glad that the company operates all year round, especially since this was my boyfriend and my first time in Chicago. Food Tours are "our thing" to do whenever we visit a new city. We had the privilege of having Tiffany as well as the company owner, Lynn, host our group for the tour. It was the middle of December so temperatures were pretty cold but we stuck it out very enthusiastically. They were very knowledgable, personable and patient with our group. Both answered any questions we had, let us take tons of photos, and really showed us some of Chicago's great foods. My favorites were definitely the cupcakes from Sugar Bliss. The walk wasn't too bad and they allow plenty of time for rest, bathroom breaks, and shopping in some of the food stores. It was really great getting to know the city's finest cuisine and great things about Chicago from people who seem to be truly proud to be locals. I will definitely check out their New Orleans and San Francisco tours in the near future! read more

AnnaLynn was our guide and she was awesome. I enjoyed learning about the city, which I didn't really expect as much as the sharing of excellent food. That easily exceeded my expectations. She very efficiently and effectively maneuvered is around the Lollapalooza fans on the streets and just took great care of us. Note to newbies: we started at Pizzanos pizza. I have had deep dish pizza before and have been underwhelmed. Pizzanos is amazing. And we got to try thin crust too which was awesome. This will be my new pizza place when visiting Chicago. I personally was trying to manage my hunger since we had so many stops. But of all the options, go for seconds at Pizzanos. AnnaLynn offered but I just didn't want to over indulge at our first place. At good strategy would be to OVER INDULGE at Pizzanos. The following places are good but Pizzanos is great! read more

One of our clients is in town and suggested they really wanted to experience a food tour. I'm not a Chicago native but I've been here 4+ years so I'm in that phase now where I think I know anything and everything about this city (yeah right). I've done all of the typical tours, architecture boat, crime history, etc and I was the least excited about this one. Not because I hate food, because that's weird, but because I hate quintessential Chicago food. You heard me right! Chicago has so much more to offer than Portillos. But whatever, this is what the client wanted and I was the one showing off the city so I booked the Taste Bud Tour since it got great reviews. I didn't eat the morning we went knowing all of the stops that were coming. At the end of the day, this may have been one of my favorite tours in Chicago! I learned a ton. Like, did you know the Brownie was invented in Chicago? Crazy! Annalynn was so knowledgeable, had a great sense of humor and easily interacted with all of the guests. The tour had 12 total and it was a fun crowd so we were all talking to one another. We started at Pizzanos, and as mentioned before, I don't like Chicago classics. Deep dish is weird to me, I'm New York in that sense. But shockingly, the pizza was good! The crust was crisp and they didn't go crazy with red sauce. We also got some history on the restaurant. Next stop was Goddess and the Baker with a delicious brownie, followed by cupcakes, chocolate, Italian beef and authentic German food. I also got to order tap Diet Rootbeer and I felt like a 5 year old again. I also love that we did a few non food stops like the Art Institute and the Cultural Center. Annalynn obviously knows some of the cool and free spots that not all tourists would think of. Afterward, we were so inspired by the Palmer House story that we went for a cocktail afterward. Honestly, even if you're a local, you will learn something! read more

Our tour guide was Anna Lynn!!! She was amazing. So down to earth and fun! She really knew her history. I highly recommend the tour with Her. You won't be disappointed. The food and sweets were good too. read more

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This tour was awesome! The food was fantastic, and our tour guide was very informative. I'm so glad I started my trip with this tour, as it prepped me for the rest of my days there. I felt immediately informed. I must say that the highlight of my tour was the guide, Annalynn. She knows the food and the place well, and has all the information you need. I asked many questions as I was only there for a couple of days and wanted to get the most out of my trip. She was very helpful. I highly recommend this tour, and plan on taking it in my home town of SF very soon. read more

Looking for a fun way to explore Chicago, and experience some of its unique cuisines and history? Try Tastebud Tours. On our tour, I sampled Oprah's favorite pizza while sitting at Vince Vaughn's favorite table. I saw remnants of the great fire and learned how Mrs. O'Leary's cow had gotten a bum wrap. I met one of the Chicago's hottest new chefs and tasted one of his unique dessert creations. What I didn't get to do was use one of America's top ranked restrooms; that treat was reserved for only the female members of our tour group. All the restaurants on the tour are unique to Chicago. Some boast a wealth of history while others are the latest trend in the Chicago culinary scene. We tasted a variety of quite diverse foods. You will definitely get enough to eat. In hindsight I wish I had passed on the second helping of pizza and the burger. Rain or shine, the tour goes on. Ominous skies at the beginning of our tour had me worried. However, even when Chicago started demonstrating why it's called the Windy City, with umbrellas flying and rain slanting down at angles, the tour didn't stop. Our guide Lynn picked out some strategic locations to shelter us from the weather while he regaled us with interesting facts about Chicago. Throughout the tour he also shared some useful money saving tips such as where to get a cheap boat ride on the Chicago River and where to find inexpensive but quality coffee. Out-of-towners, you might want to consider taking this tour at the beginning of your visit so that you can fully utilize some of Lynn's tips. I was the lucky recipient of a complimentary tour through Yelp but I believe it is well worth $44. Check their website for special offers. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Tastebud Tours to all visitors and Chicago residents. read more

Full disclosure: I was able to attend this tour for free as part of a Yelp promotion. That being said, I really do think the tour is worth the full $44 ticket price, especially if you're visiting from out of town. Our tour started off a little inauspiciously as we had all been sent an email telling us to meet at 10 am for an 11 am tour (in reality the email should have said 10:45 am). Fortunately, I'd decided to aim for 10:30 and was running late, so this worked out pretty perfectly for me. To his credit, Lynn, the owner of Tastebud Tours and our tour guide on this day, quickly recovered from the gaffe with his great personality and enthusiasm. The tour started at Pizano's pizza (which is owned by a member of the Malnati family, I did not know that). We were served sausage and cheese deep dish and thin crust pizza. There was plenty of food - everyone was able to take seconds (or thirds!) of anything they wanted. At this stop, as with most others, we got a brief history of the establishment and some insight into how they make their food. The pizza was fantastic, and I'm not even a deep dish fan, typically. The second stop was Sarah's Pastries where we sampled a brownie. Honestly, this stop could be dropped from the tour unless they step it up. Unlike every other location, the staff here seemed irritated by us and the brownie sample was tiny (and not great). Lynn did tell us about the Chicago based history of the brownie, which was really interesting. Third stop was Downtown Dogs for a sample of a Chicago style hotdog. This wasn't too exciting for our group, as we were all from the area and hotdog stands can be found on pretty much every corner here, but for an out of towner this would be a Chicago food staple not to be missed. I will say that Lynn straight up tells you that neither Downtown Dogs nor Billy Goat are being included because of the quality of their food, but rather as a representative of a Chicago cuisine staple (hotdog) and for the ambiance/history (Billy Goat). We were then onto Heaven on Seven, which I'd actually dined at years ago and had such a bad experience I vowed never to return. I was honestly shocked at a. how good our jambalaya and beans and rice were and b. how nice the service was. They even accommodated a foolhardy member of our group who asked for the "hottest hot sauce they had." (Hint: you can't touch the bottle with your skin and are instructed NOT to touch your face or eyes if some of it gets on your hands. You're also instructed to only sample it with the tip of a toothpick.) Based on this visit, I'd actually consider dining there, and given my previous opinion that's really saying something. Next up was the aforementioned Billy Goat, which I've never been to before. I was glad to see this included on the tour because now that I've seen it, I never need to go back. The rude service shtick and mediocre food didn't really do much for me. We ended at Purple Pig, which is incredibly impressive considering how "hot" this place is right now, I'm surprised they even accommodate tour groups. Disclaimer: Lynn did tell us that they can't always get into Purple Pig. When the restaurant is too crowded, which happens about half the time, they go elsewhere. Here we had cappuccino ice cream, which was absolutely amazing. Again, this restaurant hadn't really been on my radar, but having visited once (they have a stunning patio) I now really want to go back. Lynn peppers his tours with tons of Chicago facts and stories, so even while walking from restaurant to restaurant, you won't be bored. We were provided water at almost each location, which was thoughtful as I know other Chicago food tours instruct you to bring your own. The tour is absolutely perfect for out of towners or for entertaining out of town guests as you get to hit all the Chicago food "highlights" in one afternoon or evening without having to commit to a full meal at each place. I think this could also be a really cute date or shower/bachelor/bachelorette party idea (Lynn mentioned that they'll do special tours and parties). One caveat about food restrictions: if you have a ton of allergies or food restrictions (vegetarian, lactose intolerant, gluten free, etc.) Tastebud Tours will try to accommodate you if you let them know in advance, but realize you may have to skip out on the sampling at some places. The menu items at each location are essentially set, and some place (like Gold Coast and Billy Goat) have fairly small menus and won't offer much by way of substitutions. read more

I too went on this tour as a free promo to Yelpers with Bill, Brenda, and Megan. Ok, now that's out of the way. Lemme tell you we had a good time. For serious. I'm a Chicagoan that spends a lot of time downtown and eats a lot of Chicago food. With that said, this is a great tour for visitors to our wonderful city that literally want to get a taste of Chicago greatness in one day. It's also great for locals that want to show out-of-town visitors a sample of what Chicago is made of instead of being bored out of their minds with the usual tourist traps that we as locals are all too familiar with. What really makes this tour is that sprinkled in-between the food samplings are fun Chicago facts about landmarks and the food stops along the tour that Lynn shares with you. I consider myself a big Chicago history buff, but I even learned some new interesting trinkets of history and current not widely known info. He fed my belly and my appetite for Chicago knowledge!! Speaking of belly feeding. . . I won't re-hash all the places we went to as my three other tourmates have pretty much taken care of that. However, I will chime in on how surprisingly satisfied I was at the end. At one spot, I even had to only take a sip of water to leave room for more tasting. I had been to three of the food stops before and will be returning soon to one of them, Heaven on Seven. The manager there was so welcoming and accommodating of us and I think the taste they prepared for us was stellar. I had no idea their gumbo was that good. I'm going back in a couple of weeks!! Two of the places I had never been to, Pizano's and The Purple Pig, really impressed me. The presentation we got a Pizano's made me feel like VIP for real. Totally opened up the door to a new pizza place for me. The cheese is excellent and I just gotta taste Phil's pan cookie dessert. At the The Purple Pig, the servers who greeted us were genuinely friendly and jubilant. I decided to order a glass of cava to go with the sample we would be getting and the guy who took my order took to praising my choice and describing the cava. You know, this is something we are all used to servers doing when we order something and I've come to just let it go in one ear and out the other. BUT, he was spot on! The cava completely embodied all the qualities he described. That alone confirmed my future frequent returns. Forget meat, I just wanna sit at the bar with a glass of cava and some dessert. Sometimes us locals need to do activities like these to remind us that some of the places that may seem to be too well trodden are great treasures that deserve revisiting. And, that there are also new places to discover that we may continually overlook. Why can't we play tourists in our own town from time to time?? This tour is well worth it's price and more. I would definitely recommend it to others as a fantastic and fun way to get a taste of Chicago in more ways than one. read more

The tour was probably one of the best ideas for eating in Chicago. It was a two part tour as described by others - part city tour, part food tour. The city tour was pretty good - the tour guide was great in describing what was going on in the Chicago and then showing us different items. The bean, some fountains and the awesome Tiffany ceiling. The food was great too. Deep dish pizza, Italian beef, and some bratwurst. So good! Pro tip: do it, especially if you're on vacation. read more

This is the one thing that happened that was very important to me: Sarah's pastries and Candies. Yum. Because usually I breeze right through oak street going directly to my favorite stores - a woman on a mission, not really stopping and looking around. So I'm glad we were introduced to each other, Sarah's pastries and candies. Anyway.. I love Love being a local tourist. It's one of my guilty pleasures and I do it often. This tour was fun and informative and I would recommend it to any visiting friends and relatives as something to do and if they're curious about Chicago style pizza and hotdogs as well as some of the city's history and interesting facts like: did you know the mcdonald's in the area sells gelato???? What?! --- yeah that's what a couple of us said. I'll have to check that out. I could do without Heaven on Seven though because Louisiana style cooking isn't really special to Chicago.. I think something like Italian beef somewhere would be more fitting. My favorite part of the tour was going to The Drake. I've stayed there before (on the 4th floor... Awww memories) and enjoyed some facts on the hotel. Ladies check out the powder room, it's pretty cool. You definently will not be left hungry at the end of this tour. Get ready for a nap afterwards.. read more

First, my friends and I were only supposed to go to the 1 and a 1/2 hour tour, but when the guide came down with the flu, they upgraded us for free to the 3 hour tour for the same price! What a great way to experience traditional Chicago food and learn about the history of the city! Be sure to have your walking shoes on, as you will be walking for almost the entire 3 hours! Our tour guide was an expert in all things food and Chicago history. She was so friendly and down to earth. She really made the trip worthwhile. We started with a deep dish and traditional pizza at Pizzanos then went to The Drake hotel - Cape cod restaurant. Marilyn Monroe and joe dimaggio carved their initials into the bar... just some interesting things we learned while visiting the Christmas hotel. These celebrities also stayed there: Vince Vaughn, princess Diana, Diane Keaton. Off to La appetito for a chocolate fudge brownie, invented in Chicago. Pippins and downtown dogs for a Chicago style dog- 314 light beer. Billy goat tavern- lucky goat that fell off the truck- lucky goat. Tried to get into the Cubs stadium. They haven't won the  since 1945 curse of the Billy goat. The burger was similar to McDonald's... flat and brown. But the draw was the SNL skit filmed there. The owner was so friendly! He came out and gave a tee shirt to my friend's little boy who joined us on the tour. Last we went to a chocolate shop. Over all, a great tour I'd recommend to any tourist or local! read more

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I love playing tourist in Chicago! With the daily routine of: bus, el, walk, work, fight with the wind, fight with the rain, battle the heat, glare at slow walking picture takers, sigh, roll eyes, iPod on, sunglasses on, head down,I don't have any change, I don't want to buy anything. It's kind of hard sometimes to stop and just enjoy the city. Tastebud tours is a great way to spend some time walking around, exploring the city, learning more about the history,visiting famous locations and of course sampling great food. Lynn is an excellent guide who knows a lot about the culture and the history of the city and the dining destinations. He seemed very open to suggestions and I think he is gearing up to make an already fabulous tour even bettter.So whether you're visiting Chicago for the first time or you've lived here for 50 years do yourself a favor and take your taste buds on a tour of Chicago...see what I did there? :) Enjoy! read more

The first thing I will say is that I thought the people that ran this tour were great! I wish I could remember the name of our tour guide and the owner of Tastebud Tours, because they were both fantastic... really kind and friendly. However, I was a little disappointed with the places we stopped at. I had taken the Savor Seattle food tour around Pike Place years ago and that is what I was comparing Tastebud Tours to. Unfortunately, Tastebud Tours did not even come close as far as food tasting goes. I realize that the appeal of some of the tour stops was because of the history behind each establishment, but the food really was not all that good. The pizza at Pizano's was just ok. Perhaps it would have tasted better had we eaten there as regular customers, but the deep dish pizza they served us was cold and the crust was really hard. Sarah's was ok. Heaven on Seven was gross... I had two bites and didn't eat the rest. The cheezeborger at Billy Goat Tavern Grill was beyond awful. Patty was paper thin and tasteless. The only sampling I enjoyed was the Chicago dog at Downtown Dogs. It's nice to learn about the history behind these establishments, but what good is a food tour if the food isn't going to be good, or at least decent? This is a really hard review for me to write because the tour itself is great and obviously Tastebud Tours can't control what is served at the establishments it visits, but I really don't know how else to rate it otherwise. I was looking more forward to the food than anything else, and in that regard it was disappointing. read more

I too, was able to attend this tour as a promotional Yelp event. However, I would, without hesitation, spend the $44. for a normal ticket. The tour along the Michigan Ave corridor covered eateries that I was not familiar with. Places that I have past numerous times over the past years but had yet to explore. The "Chicago" food was plentiful; the guide (Lynn the owner) was friendly, knowledgeable and had a great rapport with the restaurants. Make sure to wear your comfortable shoes because the tour lasts 2.5 hours. I wouldn't recommend this for "granny or grandpa", unless they can keep the pace. Leave the calorie counter at home, we did sample the real "Chicago foods". ( How do you think our city got our #1 rating on the obesity chart?) I see this as being perfect for the "out of towners" in our lives(friends and relatives) that want a real sampling of foods of Chicago. It's not bad for the locals, as well. (Helps to identify the out of the way places that serve great food stuffs.) I give Tastebud Tours a large "THUMBS UP" and will encourage others to experience this fun afternoon. It would make an excellent gift. read more

Went on different food tours and never ever have I found one so poorly run. Sadly, our guide was sweet enough,obviously the company is lacking a plan. For example,we simply walked between food places with no commentary on the areas we were walking through or the restaurants we were in. At the restaurants we sampled foods again with no discussion at all. read more

Boy was it HOT, HOT, HOT in Chicago today but what made it even more SIZZLING was walking the Tastebud Gold Coast Tour today. This is a foodie's dream--exploring the famous sights of Chicago AND tasting some of the BEST dishes this city has to offer. I've lived in Chicago my entire life and thank god I went on this tour otherwise I would've never discovered the best pizza I've ever had in my life...Pizano's Pizza. I knew I should've tried it the second Oprah recommended it, but somehow I just thought Lou Malnati's was the best out there. Even hours after the tour was over, my brain was constantly flashbacking to the beginning of the tour and that warm, gooey, savory deep dish pizza at Pizanos. I am addicted! And then after that we just kept on EATING and EATING and EATING some more until I was about to scream "ENOUGH! It's bikini season and I don't want to grow an extra roll!" But my tastebuds couldn't resist sampling all these yummies (I don't want to give away all the details because sometimes it's better to give your tastebuds a surprise so you must try it yourself). So to all you newbies visiting this wonderful city of Chicago as well as to you seasoned veterans who've lived here your entire lives, take this tour and you'll be surprised to learn something new, meet someone new, and taste something new. Till then, I'll be making my way back to Pizanos later this week. read more

I think I've become a food tour addict! I live in the Chicago suburbs, but I had previously gone on two other food tours in the city, and I was a little weary about going on one with a company I was not familiar with. My cousin and her family were in town from California, so I thought this would be a really fun activity for her family, me and my husband. We started our tour at Pizzanos with AnnaLyn and Lynn (the owner), and from the beginning they made the tour awesome! I was a little skeptical when Lynn made a point saying that they treated all their tours "like family"....we could take bathroom breaks when we wanted, we could shop when we wanted....all these things were restricted in the other food tours I've taken. Well....AnnaLyn and Lynn really stuck to their word! They both got to know all of us on the tour, and really did treat us like family! I think the reason they were able to do this is because they were still starting out as a company and had a great relationship with all the owners of the establishments we went to. I was also very hesitant about the amount of food that we got to eat....there were some HEAVY things and I thought we'd be rolling around the city by the time we were done, but the pace and the distance between the locations helped a LOT! We definitely didn't walk away hungry! I'm SO happy that we decided to take a tour with Tasebud Tours! They were great hosts and showed my family a great time in the city! We can't wait to go on their upcoming Sweets tour!!! read more

What an awesome tour! As a foodie from the bay area (CA) and as a Yelper, I thought this kind of tour would be perfect during our short stay in Chicago to sample all the local cuisines while listening to some history. My husband and our 9.5 month old went on the 12 PM Goldcoast tour. We used the online coupon to save $4 off of the $44 ticket. Our baby was free (and very good during the tour). I was a little apprehensive that we may get rained out, but we had a perfect day in October. Our tour guide John led us on a wonderful historical walking tour that included plenty of food for lunch that pretty much allowed me to skip dinner (should've skimped out on my hotel breakfast). Pizano's - Who knew that Uno's Pizza is truly from Chicago with such history? I took it for granted in CA. I LOVED the Pizano's deep dish crust. I wasn't a fan of the amount of cheese on there, but there's something in the crust that's very unique compared to the Chicago deep dish pizzas in CA. The crust is drier with more of a crunch. They gave us a slice of cheese and one of sausage. I should've skipped out on the cheese pizza to pace myself as I've ran out of space in my stomach later. Sarah's Pastries - Very cute bakery. I thought the brownie wasn't that small as some Yelpers complained. Do we really need a huge piece when we have how many more food stops? The sample wedding cakes look beautiful. The French macaroons looked delicious, but I didn't buy anything as I know of so many great bakeries back home. Downtown Dogs - one Chicago hotdog, which we ate at the Pipian's Tavern next door. Since I didn't stop by any of the hotdog stands, I appreciated the hotdog. I didn't get to eat much of my hotdog, which was fine since I had a nice snack later on. I loved how the hotdog was a bit sweet and spicy. I know it's not the healthiest food, but what a treat! Heaven on Seven - gumbo and jambalaya. I love the presentation of the gumbo in demi-tasse and jambalya on a small plate. They even gave us free dessert coupon. The hot sauce bottles along the walls were amazing! We tried different hot sauces on the table, which was very nice touch. Billy Goat Tavern - very interesting burger joint with a "basement feeling." It was very well hidden with a great history. This tavern made Chicago pretty famous. The cheeseburger was alright as John warned us. I'm glad we only ate 1/2 since we had so much food already at this point. Purple Pig - beautiful, modern wine bar/charcuterie. They gave us a soft serve ice cream with olive oil drizzled on top. Who knew such combination would taste SO good? The soft serve brought the nuttiness of the olive oil out. Absolutely delicious and what a way to end the tour! Few keynotes: Along the way, John showed us different historical sites such as buildings that survived the big fire and historical hotels (Drake Hotel) and neighborhoods (Streeterville). John used humor to keep us entertained and interested in learning about the Chicago history. And I'm thankful that the tour was small and person at only 6 adults since we had our baby in the stroller. Our baby did great on the tour, but I was very thankful to everyone for being patient with us and accomodating to our needs. We had a nice surprise towards the end of the tour. Lynn, the founder, joined us at the Billy Goat Tavern. At the end of the tour, we had an opportunity to give him some feedbacks. He actually took my feedback about his website and I noticed that he's already changed it today! (We toured yesterday.) He's efficient! And he was genuinely nice and down to earth. I'm glad Tastebud tour is doing really well on TripAdvisor. Congrats! I'm going to recommend this tour to anyone visiting Chicago. They're expanding to other cities, so we'll see I can repeat such experience in another city. read more

The tour was awesome with an amazing tour guide. One of the samples we had was just incredible but they all were it's just that I am not a soup fan of any kind but the gumbo we tried was extremely delicious! read more

Tastebud Food Tours - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Lunch for many of us who work downtown is usually a sprint. Not only do many of us literally have to run to lunch to make it within our hour (or, gosh forbid, a half-hour) but many also don't stop to slow down figuratively enjoy the food. The sandwich stop next door could very well be a landmark and many local downtown diners wouldn't even know it. Thankfully, Tastebud Tours - so named because a Chicago-style hot dog utilizes every tastebud in the mouth - takes the sprint out of lunch and adds the context of the eateries. At each stop on the tour (six or seven in total), a portion larger than a tasting portion but smaller than a full meal is served to sample the restaurant's wares. An example was, right off the bat at Pizano's, we were greeted with a slice of thin slice and a slice of deep dish. And this was at 11:00 a.m. Pizza for breakfast may seem sort of excessive but, trust me, the carbs are needed for the rest of the walk. This may not be a food sprint, but it's for certain a food marathon! Even skipping breakfast, I ended up with a food baby. I also ended up re-discovering old favorites (I never knew the cream of broccoli soup at Heaven On Seven was so amazing) and finally hitting up places I'd only heard of and never wanted to brave the waits for, like the Purple Pig - definitely a special treat for local foodies. Each stop is also highlighted with in-depth information about why the restaurant is special or about the cuisine it serves. Lynn, our guide (and owner of the company), let us in on insider knowledge (i.e. Pizano's is owned by Lou Malnati's brother and only it uses 100% of the Malnati family recipe) that not only provided background on the restaurant but on Chicago life in general. Very useful and interesting stuff, even if it does get in the way of chowing down. Just a closing warning though. This tour is not built for vegetarians or others with dietary restriction. Every stop except for one can be made herbivore friendly, but the tour company has to be made aware of it in advance via their web site. I also found Lynn to be a little brusque and short-tempered at times (and since we were a market research study group - a.k.a. guinea pigs - who got the tour free through Yelp, he laid on the hard sell about his tour, which was off-putting). Still, I would gladly take another tour with the company. The food and information were that good. It takes a lot of both to tire me out like that! read more

My husband & I, plus 3 of my girlfriends, had a great time sampling a taste of Chicago's food and culture. Wish we had done this earlier in our trip, so we could have returned to a few of our favorites -- Pizano's pizza was truly delicious (thin crust sausage and deep dish cheese), Heaven on Seven gumbo, Sticky Fingers popcorn, Berghoff's bratwurst/sauerkraut/root beer. We also sampled Sarah's Pastries and Candies' brownies (yum!) from the Macy's/State St. shop which we saw, but did not enter. Mimi was our OUTSTANDING tour guide who was patient and informative. She aimed to please! Not easy walking the city on a hot & humid day with 12 adults and 4 children in tow. We lost a few minutes with 1 adult who apparently did not follow the instructions to stick with her partner! To the Yelper who took the tour the day after we did and criticized stopping at landmarks: do your homework - this is a food AND cultural tour! The stops at the Cultural Center, Palmer House, and Marquette Building were a definite plus. I'd hate to imagine if we only ventured to places that fed us. read more

Come to this tour hungry. You will leave full! Anna Lynn was a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable not just about the food, but Chicago culture and history. Would highly recommend! read more

Tastebud Food Tours - Food Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I LOVE Food, so when I found information on Tastebud Tours I had to give it a try. I also LOVE Chicago, so it was a win win right off the bat. Lynn, the owner, was our tour guide. A real, genuinely, nice guy. You can tell he loves what he does, and loves the City. He gave us many unique facts about Chicago, and some amazing history of some of the restaurants we ate at. We went on the tour on a fridgidly cold, windy day in February, and still enjoyed it. The walking was worth it to get to the next stop of great food. I would suggest eating a very light breakfast before the tour. You don't eat a ton at any one stop, but you are full by the end. We evenended up buying some cupcakes, brownies and already have plans to go back to two of the restaurants on the tour. I would recommend the tour, and we are actually hosting a meeting in Chicago and plan to take some of our attendees on the tour this summer. read more

My girlfriends and I went on the Tastebud Tour during our first visit to Chicago and were pretty impressed with the mix of city and food attractions. Our tour guide had an extensive knowledge of Chicago's history and took us to a variety of food places to sample different items (deep dish pizza, chicago style hot dog, mini cupcakes, bratwurst and homemade root beer). We were supposed to stop by another food venue that was packed with the lunchtime rush so the Tastebud Tour owner credited us $5; very nice of him. I'd definitely recommend Tastebud Tour to anyone visiting Chicago for the first time. Make sure you wear comfy shoes because you will do a decent amount of walking. read more

I purchased tickets for Tastebud Tours (Flavors) as an anniversary present for my boyfriend. I was so excited with the idea of a food tour that I invited another couple to join us. I can't say enough- we had the greatest time! Our group was a decent size, about 14 people, and our tour guides were fantastic (Anna Lynn and the owner) They were very knowledgeable about the restaurants, food, Chicago history, etc. Also, each stop on the tour was prepared for our group, we had preferred seating, and no wait. Price: VERY reasonable. Huge portions for the price, plus water at each stop. Favorite Stop: Pizanos (delicious! My new favorite Chicago pizza place! .. we were served two pieces of pizza and even sat in the "celebrity room". Service was stellar, and very accommodating) I'll admit it, there is a lot of walking so make sure to wear comfortable shoes. In all actuality, the walking is really nice so you don't get that Thanksgiving-Food-Coma-Feeling. I definitely recommend taking the tour- especially when the weather is nice. Make sure to book early so you can choose the day/time you'd like. read more

Johnson was a great tour guide providing us with valuable information on Chicago and its rich history. Stops along the Taste of Chicago tour were well thought out and staff was fully prepared for our visit. read more

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So fun!!! Local Chicagoan, Keith, did a great job entertaining us with personal stories, historical information and awesome food. As this was our first visit to the city, we were most anxious to try some regional cuisine and we were not disappointed. The tour began with deep dish pizza at Pizanos and included a Chicago style hot dog, gumbo from Heaven on Seven, a cheeseburger from The BillyGoat Tavern and more. Even a surprise torrential downpour was taken in stride. Keith procured 2 cabs, bought some umbrellas "just in case", and we arrived at our next stop dry. (I so appreciated this thoughtfulness--hope he's reimbursed!!) Definitely a fun way to explore a new place!! read more

My friends and I were in town for a girls weekend and did the taste of Chicago tour. It was one of our highlights of our trip!! Amazing food tried at all locations! We learned a lot of Chicago history too! Our guide was Johnson and he did a great job!! He was very attentive to the group, entertaining, and made the tour fun! read more

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