10 Tasty Food Tours To Book Via Airbnb This Summer
Read original story on Forbes.com
For passionate foodies, visiting a new city means an opportunity to sample the local food scene, which can take the form of trying a regional dish, visiting an iconic restaurant, or stopping by the local coffee shop. When it comes to making that list of foods to eat and places to visit, there is a plethora of information online these days (best lists, culinary awards, city guides and more) and while these are all great resources, do you really want to be eating and ‘gramming foods from the same places as everyone else?
To this end, Airbnb Experiences has an entire subsection devoted to food tours offering an insider’s look into the cuisine and culture of a place. What follows is a list of some of the most booked and highest rated food tours on the site.
Street Food 101 in Local Bangkok
Where: Bang Chak
Length: 1.5 hours
Cost: $60 per person
This tour is run by Courageous Kitchen, a non-profit organization that provides food aid, education and training to refugees, and all Experience costs go to the cause. Dwight, a food blogger that has lived in Bangkok for more than 10 years, is one of the main guides. An introduction to Thai street food, this fast-paced tour takes up to five guests through several streetside carts and a fresh market in a non-touristy neighborhood to sample a variety of small bites, curries and desserts.
Tsukiji (Old) vs Toyosu (New) S.S Tour
Where: Tokyo
Length: 6 hours
Cost: $231 per person
Toshi, the owner of a small restaurant and cycling shop in Asakusa, takes up to 12 guests through Toyosu, the world's largest fish market, and the iconic Tsukiji market to experience the dynamic atmosphere of a wholesale fish market and pick up fish to take back to his restaurant. Back at the restaurant, Toshi prepares a multicourse kaiseki-style lunch highlighting the fresh fish.
Where: Lisbon
Length: 3.5 hours
Cost: $88 per person
Ruthy, a Lisbon local and founder of a food experiences company called Treasures of Lisboa, leads groups of up to 12 guests around the narrow streets of Alfama, Lisbon’s historic city center. Guests will learn about Portuguese cuisine and taste regional wines, charcuterie, sardines, pastries and more at family-owned restaurants in the old district. Ruthy shares insights on Portuguese cuisine and cooking traditions as well as Alfama as a whole, pointing out interesting things along the walk.
Where: New York City
Length: 2 hours
Cost: $76 per person
Ben, a sandwich connoisseur and passionate foodie, delves into the history and evolution of the sandwich. He leads up to 12 guests through stops in the East Village and Alphabet City (ranging from local delicatessens to hidden bodegas) to sample different interpretations of the humble sandwich. Ben talks about how the East Village influenced the city’s iconic sandwich scene, and the tour ends at a local bar with a discussion of how a sandwich is defined.
10+ Bites & My Vietnamese Perspective
Where: Ho Chi Minh City
Length: 4 hours
Cost: $53 per person
Vietnamese couple Spring and Hiếu guide up to four guests around the alleyways of neighborhoods in District 10, stopping by a curated lineup of food stalls to sample local Vietnamese cuisine that goes beyond phở––think bột chiên (fried taro cakes), phồng nướng (Mekong ginger and sesame pancakes) and chè (lotus longan soup). Spring and Hiếu share the stories behind each dish and how they are prepared. In addition to the 6-8 food stalls, the tour also includes stops at a flower market, a Cambodian/Khmer neighborhood and an 81-year-old cafe.
Bike to Taste the World's Best Tacos!
Where: Mexico City
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $73 per person
Hosted by members of El Taco Club, a collective that discovers, shares and curates cultural culinary experiences, this tour takes guests around the hip neighborhoods of Polanco, Condesa and Roma on a curated route highlighting tasty tacos. Stops range from brick-and-mortar establishments (including Enrique Olvera’s Pujol) to street stands, and samples will highlight the diverse geography and culture of Mexico. Tacos will be paired with beer, mezcal or churros and chocolate (during the breakfast tour).
Where: Paris
Length: 2.5 hours
Cost: $104 per person
This tour hosted by Silvia and Daniel takes intimate groups capped at around 7-8 people to Aligre Market, one of the city’s oldest markets and a Parisian staple. The tour features a minimum of seven tastings (pastries, cheeses, meats, sweets, wine) and includes stops at two of Paris's top bakeries. The morning tour explores both the bustling open and covered market, and the afternoon tour includes just the covered market.
Explore the Hidden Food Gems of Athens
Where: Athens
Length: 3.5 hours
Cost: $91 per person
Julia, an Athenian native, leads a group of up to eight people around the food shops in the city center that she has frequented since she was a child. Guests will taste more than 14 traditional Greek bites from spots where Athenians shop to gather ingredients for everyday meals. The tour includes stops at a traditional Greek cafe (kafeneio), a dairy shop that makes Greek yogurt, and a cheese shop. There’s also a sit-down lunch at a traditional Greek restaurant plus sips of top wines and distillates.
Delicious Street Food Adventure
Where: Rome
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $126 per person
Luca, a chef and licensed European tour guide, takes groups of up to eight guests around the lively neighborhood of Trastevere on an Italian street food tour. The tour includes six tastes plus insights from Luca on the origins of each dish. On the itinerary is porchetta d'ariccia (a Roman favorite) paired with a glass of red wine, trapizzino (a new Italian street food that Luca describes as pizza reinvented), artisanal chocolate, suppli (a Roman specialty, prepared fresh) and deep-fried pizza (from Napoli).
Chef Tour of Pike Place Market
Where: Seattle
Length: 2 hours
Cost: $83 per person
Liz, a classically trained chef, and Eric, a self-taught chef, take up to 10 guests for a tour around the famous Pike Place Market. Guests will visit 10 different artisanal vendors and taste the flavors of the Pacific Northwest while learning about how local goods are produced. Liz and Eric share where local chefs buy produce, meat and seafood, where coffee fans get their daily fix, and more.
