Food tours offer a taste of Chicago eateries
Chicago has more than 7,000 restaurants, and if you want to sample some of the most popular, there are expert guides who are willing to show you the way.
Whether by bike or on foot, local companies have sprouted up that offer tours of some of the city's most iconic fare. There are also tours that provide a chance to explore ethnic specialties and indulge a sweet tooth.
Whether you're a city resident, suburbanite or out-of-towner, put on those comfortable shoes and come with an appetite.
Bikes, Bites and Brews
(312) 915-0995 or bobbysbikehike.com
Times: 11 a.m. Monday through Friday
Price: $60; $45 for students
Bobby's Bike Hikes' latest offering kicked off in May and has already proven extremely popular. Tour guides on Bobby's other rides through Chicago often got asked where to go for food, so the company decided to offer a tour entirely dedicated to answering those questions. They spent all winter visiting Chicago spots and picking out their favorites. The 13-mile ride includes a slice of Chicago-style pizza from Edwardo's Natural Pizza, a Vienna beef hot dog from Grill in the Park, a Swirlz cupcake and a sampling of Goose Island beers.
“We were a little concerned about how long it was going to be,” said Jeremy Lewno, director of operations. “It's hard to think of a 13-mile ride as being considered easy, but the stops are so perfect that it's never tiring.”
Chicago Cupcake Tours
(312) 929-2939 or chicagochocolatetours.com
Times: 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and 4:45 p.m. Thursdays
Price: $50
Chicago Chocolate Tours founder Valerie Beck said customers often chose between her routes based on which offered the most cupcakes, leading her to add two all-cupcake routes to the 5-year-old company's offerings in March.
“I've been a chocolate and pastry geek all my life,” Beck said. “I've always loved researching culinary history, talking with chefs, and spreading education to others who love the chocolate and pastry world.”
Each stop on the two-hour tour includes a cupcake sample and some also offer cupcakes to take home. You'll learn plenty of facts about cupcakes like where they originated and why they've become so popular recently.
Chinatown Food Tour
(800) 979-3370 or chicagofoodplanet.com
Times: 11 a.m. Mondays April through November
Price: $60; $35 for kids and teens
Chicago Food Planet Food Tours' Chinatown tours have been wildly popular since the company started offering them last year. June is already sold out and so is much of July. The tours have been limited to eight people, but the cap is set to increase soon to 10 to 12 now that business owners are more comfortable with hosting groups.
“It was a challenge explaining what we're doing and that these people can trust us,” said Shane Kost, vice president of operations for Chicago Food Planet Food Tours. “Now that we've been doing this for six, seven months, there's a lot of trust there. They see what we're doing for the neighborhood.”
The tour stops at Mandarin, Szechuan and Cantonese restaurants, a bakery and pastry store, and a tea shop. The price is higher than Food Planets' other offerings because you get so much food and the price of the food would normally be higher with a group sharing dim sum and a full Peking duck.
Kost said he's run into former customers while giving the tour.
“The feedback isn't just the food is wonderful, but that they feel comfortable enough with Chinatown that they'll go back there and bring their friends there,” Kost said.
Tastebud Tours
(219) 929-6648 or tastebudtours.com
Times: 11 a.m. daily
Price: $44
Lynn Jaynes spent eight months unsuccessfully looking for work after he was laid off. Then he declared himself retired and decided to pursue a project he'd wanted to do for a while: starting a Chicago food tour. The result is Tastebud Tours, which has taken off since launching a year ago, employing 10 tour guides and offering two routes with a third set to start Friday, July 1.
“People come from all over the world for the foods of Chicago,” Jaynes said. “You name the country, they've been on a Tastebud Tour.”
Jaynes has done plenty of research and is able to offer a mix of classic Chicago stories and trivia that most longtime Chicagoans will be surprised by, stopping along the walk to chat about the restaurants and historic landmarks. The 3½-hour tour includes an impressive amount of food. On the Gold Coast tour, you'll get slices of deep dish and thin-crust sausage pizza at Pizano's, a Chicago-style hot dog at Downtown Dogs, half a cheeseburger at Billy Goat Tavern, servings of gumbo and jambalaya at Heaven on Seven, plus other sweets along the way. Water is offered at every stop and there's time to shop.
“We don't believe you should have to buy anything on this tour unless you have to,” Jaynes said.