Flavours of San Francisco: Private Half Day Food Tour
Overview
Explore two of San Francisco’s beloved neighbourhoods with a foodie extravaganza tour. With an eclectic array of food from Chinatown and Little Italy, be sure to arrive hungry for this experience. On your private food tour, you will: Learn about the histories and the food cultures around two of the city's well-known neighbourhoods; Walk under the Dragon's Gate and enter San Francisco's world-famous Chinatown; Visit a fortune cookie-making factory, where you will not only get to try these pastries when fresh but also learn the history of the factory and its' local influence; Stop at a Catholic Cathedral, which has been continuously active since the California Gold Rush; Enjoy a seated tasting in Little Italy, indulging in the best place for calzones and pizzas; Comb Stockton Street and North Beach's wealth of street markets, bakeries, restaurants and pavement cafés; Finish with an Italian dessert - tasting a cannoli or having an espresso to lift the inevitable food coma from the preceding four hours. San Francisco's international influences are so diverse that locals are constantly discovering foodie spots that have existed for decades. Don’t miss the chance to try fresh-baked fortune cookies - before they're wrapped in crinkly plastic and served to you at restaurants. On your private tour, your guide will not only take you to the best places to try new desserts and espresso but also equip you with their insider's knowledge, so you can continue exploring the city's diverse food scene long after your tour has ended. Your tour ends in Washington Square Park, where you can continue with your day, or take time to digest your food extravaganza by lounging in the grass amongst the locals who congregate in the area every day.
Location
Your guide will meet you in front of Frank Lloyd Wright building, 140 Maiden Ln, San Francisco, CA 94108
Duration
4 hours
Start Time
10:00
Address
390 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Inclusions
- A friendly, professional English Speaking tour guide for your own private group
- Plenty of time to take photos of your favourite places
- About 4 tastings
Exclusions
- Hotel pick up/drop off
- Additional Food and drink
- Gratuities
- Tickets to attractions
Venues
- Chinatown
San Francisco’s Chinatown is the second-largest Asian community in North America and is as old as the city itself. But there are really two Chinatowns here, though: one for tourists centred on Grant Avenue and another for locals centred on Stockton Street. Dip in and out of both for wonderful dining options and a unique glimpse of a world within a world. In Chinatown, it pays to wander off the beaten track and down the side alleys. There you will hear the muffled buzz of conversation and the clatter of game tiles, and you can see temples with wafting incense and hanging pieces of laundry flapping like flags overhead. CornucopiaThe SF Chinatown is considered by many to be the birthplace of several Westernised Chinese dishes, such as Chop Suey, and also where delicacies such as Dim Sum were introduced to the United States. Even today its Dim Sum tea houses are still a major tourist attraction. But for the real deal, head to the Stockton Street markets. Here, between pull carts and dozens of stalls, you can find anything: dried mushrooms, sea cucumber, bundles of bok choy — you name it. American HomeopathWaverly Place is home to the district’s acupuncture and Chinese medicine shops. Also tucked away there is the Tin How Temple — the oldest Taoist temple in the city. Dozens of illuminated paper lanterns hover overhead and plates of orange and bread rest on an altar with a shrine of Buddha statues. Photography is not allowed, so you have to see it with your own eyes.
- North Beach
North Beach’s Italian heritage is deep and evident. It’s not large - spreading less than a square mile - but it is dense with jazz clubs, galleries, restaurants, gelato parlours and a shed-load of Italian Americans. It only really developed this character after the 1906 earthquake razed what preceded it to the ground. Since then, several prominent Italian Americans have emerged from this neighbourhood, including none other than baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, who actually returned to live there with his wife Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s. The Beating HeartIt was also during the 1950s that North Beach became the historic centre of the Beat Generation. Many of that generations most famous writers lived in this neighbourhood, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady. Another poet from that time, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founded the famous City Lights Bookstore, which can still be found there today. It’s a cultural landmark that’s well worth visiting. The Beat Generation may have left us, but the nightlife of North Beach remains among the best. For classy drinks in blue velvet booths enveloped in candlelight, head to 15 Romolo. For a real taste of Italian North Beach, you can try Gino & Carlo, where cheap martinis and homemade Italian food, along with pool and pinball, are enjoyed by (very) lively crowds. America’s Dual HeritageNorth Beach’s festivals are also not to be missed. Art in the Alley is an annual outdoor art event where you can catch emerging young talent and live music. It usually takes place at the beginning of May. A little earlier in the year is the Oyster and Beer Festival, whose heritage is in fact Irish. Enjoy an array of Irish musicians along with your pint of Guinness and batch of fresh oysters.
- Old Saint Mary's Cathedral
Built in the heart of Chinatown, the historical landmark has served as a safe and holy place since the beginning of the Gold Rush.
- Eastern Bakery
The Eastern Bakery is the oldest Chinese bakery in the City and is famous for traditional sweets served to go and shipped nationwide.
- Open Air Product Markets
Stroll through the colorful produce and import goods market of Stockton street to experience bustling Chinatown.
- Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
Sample some fresh fortune cookies, learn about their history, and take some home with you, directly from this landmark factory.
- Jack Kerouac Alley
Learn about the literary movement developed in North Beach in the 50's and the legendary City Lights Bookstore.
- Italian Desserts
Treat yourself to an Italian espresso, freshly made cannoli or gelato as a way to sate your sweet tooth.
- Washington Square Park in North Beach
This beloved park with view of Saints Peter and Paul church located in North Beach is one of the city's oldest parks, established in 1847.
Cancellation Policy
No refund is possible if you cancel.
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