Best Food Tours In LA & OC
With over 25,000 restaurants in LA county alone, it can be difficult choosing where to eat. Luckily for you, Los Angeles and Orange County offer a wide variety of unique foods and flavors on food-focused tours which have recently become a trend. In other words, why choose one single restaurant when you can sample the lot? The following are our picks for the best food tours in LA and Orange County for an evening of culinary exploration, fun, and great tasting food.
Six Taste Food Tours
(213) 798-4749
www.sixtaste.com
The largest and highest rated food tour company in Los Angeles, Six Taste Food Tours focuses exclusively on food, fun and exploration, offering you an exceptional tasting experience. Chow savvy guides work with more than 100 LA restaurants, offering a variety of location-themed tours including Hollywood; Little Tokyo, featuring red bean imagawayaki and artisanal teas; New Chinatown, where you can try dim sum, fresh baked goods, and Taiwanese beef roll; Thai Town, with highlights including duck noodle soup and stuffed chicken wings in curry sauce; Santa Monica; Downtown LA; and a Delicious Dumplings tour in Arcadia.
Old Towne Orange Walking Food Tours
960 N. Tustin St.
Orange, CA 92867
(800) 979-3370
www.oldtownorangewalkingfoodtours.com
Experience the charm and history of historic Old Towne Orange, voted the "Best Downtown" in Orange County, with a culinary walking tour catering to locals and travelers alike. Personable guides take diners through a variety of restaurants from fine dining to ethnic eateries, to classic Americana. Tours include the Vintage Orange Food tour, including a visit to the restored 1930's Orange Depot; the Orange Sampler Tour, with a diverse variety of cuisines; and the Orange TasteLAB, taking you to some of the area's most innovative and creative restaurants in Old Towne Orange.
Tourific Escapes, Hollywood Sites and Bites Tour
(424) 248-TOUR
www.tourificescapes.com
For a tour that will leave you full and inform you about Hollywood, join tour company owner and guide Trish Procetta and Tourific Escapes. In just under 4 hours, you will be shown Hollywood and surrounding areas the way L.A. locals know it. Stop at hidden dining gems as well as some of the more popular eateries and get to sample the cuisine at restaurants you've read about as well as secret places you've never heard of. The tour consists of six tastings with three sweet and three savory, each with information that will make you feel like it was money well spent. The tour beings along Hollywood's Walk of Fame and then goes to the Melrose area where you'll enjoy the many culinary treats the city has to offer.
LA Craft Beers, South Bay Brewery Tour
(818) 451-7733
www.lacraftbeertours.com
As L.A.'s first craft beer tour operator, LA Craft Beers offers tours throughout LA and OC as well as in San Diego. For their Southbay Public Tour, it will pick you up in El Segundo where you will sample top brews for 5 hours. Talk to experts and learn from master brewers while you taste the delicious beers they offer. Stops include El Segundo Brewery, Monkfish Breweries, Smog City Brewery, The Strand Brewery in Torrance, Absolution Brewery and King Harbor Brewery in Redondo Beach.
Urban Adventures, Ethnic Neighborhood Food & Culture Tour
1896 El Cerrito Pl
Hollywood, CA 90028
www.losangelesurbanadventures.com
If you want to experience Los Angeles the way locals do, Urban Adventures is a great option. Sample local food and drink, explore ethnic cuisine, visit bustling markets and discover those hidden spots you didn't know exist. Home to Koreans, Armenians and other ethnicities, L.A. is the center of foodie neighborhoods. Climb aboard Urban Adventure's "Ethnic Neighborhoods Food & Culture" tour where you'll get to taste savory and sweet foods from Koreatown, Little Armenia and Thai Town in addition to learning about each culture. Sample delicacies from Armenian bakeries, share Pad Thai at top Thai Restaurants and sample a Bibimbop in Koreatown.
The Beverly Hills Chocolate Walking Tour
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
www.beverlyhillschocolatetours.com
Recently celebrating its 100th tour, The Beverly Hills Chocolate Walking Tour is an easy and fun way to indulge in your love of luxurious, decadent chocolate. The walking tour visits 90210 flagships including Voges Haut Chocolate, Teuscher's, Edelweiss, Sprinkles, and newcomer, Sugarfina, with occasional star sightings to boot. Perfect for a romantic date activity and groups alike, the 2 1/2 hour tours are available on some Thursdays and most Saturdays.
Flavors of Laguna
PO Box 9486
South Laguna Beach, CA 92652
(949) 464-8830
www.flavorsoflaguna.com
For a terrific food tour that will have you satisfied, head to beautiful Laguna Beach for one of the prettiest tours in the area. Representing the full "true Laguna" experience, guests will enjoy a historic, cultural, and food tour journey as they walk the four-hour tour and visit secret gems in a casual, relaxed beach setting. Add a celebratory wine and beer tasting to your tour for just a few dollars more! Flavors of nearby Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano also available.
Curated Gnomes
www.curatedgnomes.com
With an adamant focus on educational culinary tours, Curated Gnomes offers much more than just a couple bites of food. Their Chinese and Vietnamese food tours teach the history of each dish coupled with the background of the country of origin and cultural facets that have made the dish what it is today. Upcoming tours include the Spicy on Spicy Walking Tour, stopping by four regional restaurants serving up spicy flavors from Sichuan, Hunan, Wuhan, Yunnan, and Wuxi. A Vietnamese Food Crawl, Dumpling Crawl, and region-specific tours are offered regularly.
Another Side of Los Angeles Tours
1102 South La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 289-8687
www.anothersideoflosangelestours.com
Another Side of Los Angeles Tours features a wide variety of tours, both culinary and culturally based. The Los Angeles Burger Tour takes a look at LA's staple: the burger. You'll sample some of the finest gourmet burgers in the modern LA foodie scene during this tour. The Taste of Beverly Hills Tour visits some of Rodeo Drive's most famous institutions as well. Classes on food preparation and technique are regularly featured with various tours.
Melting Pot Food Tours
8484 Wilshire Blvd., Ste.515
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(424) 247-9666
www.meltingpottours.com
The original food tour of its kind in SoCal, Melting Pot Food Tours features a variety of tours to tempt the gastronomic appetite of anyone. Tour locations include The Original Farmer's Market Food & History Tour, including ethnic eateries, produce, donuts, and candy; Old Pasadena Walking Food Tour, where you'll stroll through the beautiful streets while sampling gelato, chocolate, and more; East L.A. Latin Flavors Tour, boasting an unbeatable tres leches cake and hand-made tamales; and finally Chef Jet Tila's Flavors of Thai Town Tour, the culinary tour made famous on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations."
Car Free L.A.
www.discoverlosangeles.com/CarFreeLA
Leave your car parked at home while taking advantage of L.A. Tourism's signature eco-tourism program, Car Free L.A. Two self-guided foodie tours are currently on the itinerary: Discover Downtown Dining and Discover Koreatown Dining, Culture & Shopping. Tours walk participants through each neighborhood's culinary bests, from small, local treats to award-winning restaurants. The tour itinerariess, available online, are completely free!
