Best Chicago Food Tours: 6 Fabulous Foodie Adventures
Are you looking for the best Chicago food tours in the Windy City? Are you eager to take a deep dive into the vibrant culinary scene of one of America’s finest foodie destinations and sink your teeth into the best food it has to offer? If yes, then you’re in luck! You’re just a click away from making it happen!
We’ve done the research and have assembled a list of 6 of Chicago’s most fabulous foodie experiences! But if you don’t have time to read, click below for our #1 best Chicago food tour!
If you do have time to read: There’s everything from a lip-smacking underground donut tour to a culinary journey exploring the best Chinese cuisine in the city’s historic Chinatown. There’s a walking tour that highlights some of the city’s most famous local landmarks while introducing you to the city’s trademark taste sensations.
There’s a bike tour that rolls through the city’s diverse neighborhoods and leaves your head spinning from the breadth of bites and brews from which to choose. There’s even a progressive pizza party and craft brewery tour that gets you from point to point on a custom-built beer-barrel-bus.
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Deep-dish pizza is so iconic, you'll find it on a few of our best Chicago food tours.
Best Chicago Food Tours
I love exploring every city I visit through its iconic foods—getting the dish on its most famous dishes, savoring its superlative street food, and dining at its best restaurants. In fact, that’s my job.
But if it’s your first time to Chicago, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort tracking these items down on your own by taking an incredibly fun culinary tour through Chicago’s food scene with an expert guide.
All the tours we’re recommending here are fantastic! In fact, each rates 5 out of 5 stars!
On each, you’ll have a top-notch local guide that knows the best things to eat and the best spots to get them. You’ll be in small groups so that you get the personalized attention and VIP access that make for a wonderfully unique experience—without the prohibitive cost of most private tours.
Nicknamed “The Bean," this landmark sculpture shows up on several Chicago food tours.
You’ll experience downtown Chicago and marvel at its world-famous skyline while enjoying its amazing food and learning about the cultural influences behind it. But you’ll also have the chance to explore different neighborhoods within this historic midwestern city that provide the diversity, dynamism, and distinctive deliciousness that make it a city like no other.
So, let’s dig in to the best food tours Chicago has to offer!
1. Chicago Favorites Ultimate Food & Walking Tour
Sample an Italian Beef Sandwich on the #1 Chicago foodie tour.
Why take this Ultimate Food and Walking Tour?
Welcome to Chicago’s premiere walking tour for exploring the Chicago classics! You’ll enjoy everything from the city’s legendary hot dogs and unique deep-dish pizza to its incomparable Italian beef sandwiches and history-making brownies!
This small group tour is the best way to visit Chicago’s most famous sites while enjoying its tastiest bites. You’ll start on elegant Michigan Avenue at Lou Malnati’s, a landmark deep dish pizzeria, and walk the Magnificent Mile, the choicest commercial district in the very heart of Chicago.
You’ll then stroll the Chicago riverwalk, where the city skyline is studded by stunning skyscrapers. After visiting beautiful Millennium Park, you’ll stop in at Billy Goat Tavern, made famous nationally by “Saturday Night Live” but revered locally for its killer Chicago-style hot dogs!
In warm weather, you’ll enjoy the scenic promenades along the Chicago Loop. If it’s cold, you’ll keep cozy in the Chicago Pedway, designed to give you comfortable access to the attractions within the central business district. Either way, you’ll enjoy an amazing Italian beef sandwich at a beloved hometown restaurant.
Dessert will be served at the magnificent Palmer House Hotel, renowned in the culinary history of Chicago as the birthplace of the Brownie! What a great way to cap off a day of delicious discoveries on the best Chicago walking food tour!
Stop at Billy Goat Tavern on this Chicago walking tour.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars—over 700 reviews! Badge of Excellence!
“This was an amazing way to see Chicago for the first time. We ate all the classics while stopping at some iconic spots in between. If you love food and a good tour, this is the way to go!” Read more reviews.
The Chicago Favorites Ultimate Food & Walking Tour includes:
✔︎ Expert tour guide
✔︎ Exclusive VIP access to all locations you visit
✔︎ Deep-dish pizza
✔︎ Chicago-style hot dog
✔︎ Italian beef sandwich
✔︎ Brownie at the site where it was invented
✔︎ Notable sights: Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago Theatre, Billy Goat Tavern, Michigan Avenue, The Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Parker House Hotel, and more
A maximum of 16 people will be on your tour
Wheelchair and stroller accessible
Tour operates in all weather conditions
An upgrade to include alcoholic drinks is available for additional fee
Tour has won TripAdvisor’s highest-level Traveler’s Choice Award each year since 2002
Tour can accommodate dietary restrictions; provide detailed info. when you book
Approximately 4 hours
One of the Windy City’s must-try signature dishes, the Chicago hot dog
Why take this Bikes, Bites, and Brews Tour?
Combine a bike ride through Chicago’s most popular neighborhoods with stops for the city’s most mouthwatering foods! The local team of foodie guides for this culinary Chicago city tour offers both day and night excursions.
On the day tour, ride through Old Town, Lincoln Park, North Avenue Beach, and Wrigleyville, home to historic Wrigley Field. On the night tour, spin through River North, Chicago’s Riverwalk, and Millennium Park to Buckingham Fountain and Navy Pier.
No matter when you go, you’ll also visit Gold Coast, the city’s wealthiest, mansion-filled neighborhood, and pedal Lakefront Trail, the scenic route that hugs the shore of Lake Michigan.
Along the way, you’ll treat your taste buds to award-winning deep dish pizza, an unforgettable Chicago hot dog, delectable cold brews at two different breweries, and decadent cupcakes. It’s the best Chicago tour for a 5-star, 2-wheeled, pedal-depressing, palate-impressing adventure!
Ride by Wrigley Field on this Chicago bites and brews bike tour.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars—over 450 reviews!
“Absolute most amazing experience!!! Loved the food, loved the bike ride, loved the views and stops, loved the tour guide . . . Just loved the whole experience!!! One thousand percent recommend. Very unique!” Read more reviews.
The Chicago Bikes, Bites, and Brews Tour includes:
✔︎ Bicycle and helmet
✔︎ Expert, knowledgeable guide
✔︎ Chicago-style hot dog
✔︎ Chicago deep-dish pizza
✔︎ Scrumptious cupcakes
✔︎ Local brews and great views
✔︎ Notable daytime sights: Old Town, Lincoln Park, Wrigley Field, Gold Coast, Lakefront Trail, North Avenue Beach, Oak Street Beach, and more
✔︎ Notable nighttime sights: Chicago’s Riverwalk, Gold Coast, Lakefront Trail, River North, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier, and more
A maximum of 16 people will be on your tour
Minimum age is 16 years
Tour operates in all weather conditions
Tour has won TripAdvisor’s highest-level Traveler’s Choice Award each year since 2002
Tour can accommodate dietary restrictions; provide detailed info. when you book
Approximately 4 hours
Chicago deep-dish pizza
Why take this Chicago Pizza Tour?
In this king of Chicago pizza tours, you’ll have the unique opportunity to not only learn about the history, defining characteristics, and cultural significance of Chicago’s most famous food but also visit legendary pizzerias and enjoy the pizzas that put them on the map.
Your starting point will be Pizano’s, opened by the son of the inventor of Chicago-style pizza. Its deep dish has been rated by USA Today as one of the 10 best pizzas of any kind in America.
You’ll also visit Pequod’s, whose caramelized crust innovation in the 1970s added one more reason to love deep dish when no one even knew another reason was possible.
But Chicago also has top-notch thin-crust pizza that rivals that of New York. You’ll discover some firsthand as you enjoy the local tavern-style pizza that’s a longtime Chicago institution and try some coal-fired New Haven–style “apizza” that’s adding a whole new chapter to the story of Chicago’s ever-evolving pizza scene.
If you’re a pizza aficionado, this Chicago foodie lovers tour can’t be beat—just be ready to eat, eat, eat!
Wood-fired pizza oven on Chicago pizza tour
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars—over 325 reviews! Badge of Excellence!
“What a blast! We all had so much fun. And our tour guide was absolutely hilarious! What a great way to get off the beaten path and experience Chicago through its famous pizza. Awesome time!” Read more reviews.
The Chicago Pizza Tour includes:
✔︎ Expert local guide
✔︎ Stops at 2 legendary deep-dish pizzerias w/ multiple tastings at each
✔︎ Stop and tastings at a leading thin-crust, tavern-style pizzeria
✔︎ Stop and tastings at a town-favorite New Haven–style “apizzeria”
✔︎ Transport by air-conditioned mini-coach
A maximum of 20 people will be on your tour
Not wheelchair accessible
Approximately 3.5 hours
Cheers to beer tasting in Chicago
Why take this Chicago Craft Brewery Tour?
Ok, Ok, you caught me: This is not a food tour in Chicago—but I didn’t want you to miss out on the city’s sensational suds. And, trust me, you’ll definitely savor the flavor!
This brews tour is an incredibly fun way to explore the best of the Chicago beer scene. You’ll climb aboard a custom-built Prohibition-Era-styled barrel bus that will comfortably transport you to the most interesting craft breweries in the city!
Enjoy a plethora of styles and flavors as your knowledgeable guide fills you in on the ins and outs of local beer culture. Each of the breweries has its own unique vibe and approach to bringing out the best in its beers, so there will be plenty to drink in at each stop.
At one of the breweries, you’ll tour the production facility and learn the step-by-step procedures of brewing and the science behind the process.
So, hop aboard the best tour in Chicago for beer lovers! Relax, enjoy some great brews and fun facts, and have a wonderful time knocking back the best of Chicago beers while leaving the driving to the pros.
Goose Island, one of the possible stops on this Chicago beer tour
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars—over 150 reviews! Badge of Excellence!
“What a great time! The barrel bus is such a fun concept!!! Lots of breweries, lots of laughs. It was a well-designed tour. Our guide Ted was awesome!” Read more reviews.
The Chicago Craft Brewery Barrel Bus Tour includes:
✔︎ 45–55 ounces of craft beer
✔︎ Professional guide
✔︎ Visits to several craft breweries w/ tastings at each
✔︎ In-depth brewery facility tour
✔︎ Transport by unique climate-controlled barrel bus
A maximum of 36 people will be on your tour
Minimum age is 21
Not wheelchair accessible
Approximately 3.75 hours
Dim sum on a Chinatown food tour in Chicago
Why take this Chinatown Food and Walking Tour?
Enjoy one of the most unique walking tours in Chicago—an intimate exploration of the city’s Chinatown. Home to one of the nation’s largest Chinese communities, this enticing enclave is the epicenter of the city’s Chinese culture and cuisine.
You’ll learn about the many regional differences within Chinese cooking and taste them for yourself. Dim Sum, dumplings, duck, and desserts are just some of the delicious delights you’ll get to try among Chicago’s Chinatown food favorites.
And enjoying authentic dishes that rival the best Beijing street foods is just one part of your journey. Besides restaurants, bakeries, and noodle houses, you’ll also visit the Pui Tak Center and Chinatown Square to learn more about the history of Chicago’s Chinese community and the important role it has played in the history of the city.
Savor the sights and flavors of Chicago’s Chinatown on a wonderful walking tour.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars—over 150 reviews! Badge of Excellence!
“I do not leave reviews, ever, but my family enjoyed the Chicago Chinatown Food and Walking Tour so much I want to share this gem of a tour. Jeff is THE tour guide and I promise he won't disappoint. He was engaging, dynamic, a great orator and we learned about Chinese immigration to the US as well as the different Chinese food cuisines. Come hungry as you will have two meals worth of food to sample.” Read more reviews.
Chicago's Chinatown Food and Walking Tour includes:
✔︎ Expert local guide
✔︎ Exclusive VIP access to all locations you visit
✔︎ Delicious Dim Sum
✔︎ Novel noodle dish
✔︎ Beijing-style duck
✔︎ Szechuan hot pot
✔︎ Delectable dessert
✔︎ Traditional tea
✔︎ Visit to Pui Tak Center
✔︎ Visit to Chinatown Square
A maximum of 15 people will be on your tour
An upgrade to include alcoholic drinks is available for additional fee
Tour has won TripAdvisor’s highest-level Traveler’s Choice Award each year since 2002
Tour can accommodate dietary restrictions; provide detailed info. when you book
Approximately 3 hours
Possible samples on the Chicago donut tour
Why take this Chicago Donut Tour?
If you want to eat like a local in Chicago, you need to try the donuts. An amazing concentration of sugar-filled concoctions are clustered in Chicago’s Loop area. That’s why this Chicago Loop walking tour of the city’s finest donut shops is such a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Glazed, caked, cream-filled, cutting edge—no matter your taste in doughnuts, you’ll find the tastiest offerings on this excursion, the only foodie tour Chicago dedicates to the delightful doughnut!
You’ll hit the famous Do-Rite Donuts, of course, but with the amazing line-up of shops and stops, I’m sure you’ll agree that all the doughnuts will be done right!
One of the possible stops on your Chicago donut tour
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars—over 650 reviews! Badge of Excellence!
“If you’re on the fence about booking the tour, do it! It was fun! Yummy! You learn fun history of each place and you learn some history of Chicago too. Love that you get a sample from each place. We had a food bucket list and all 4 locations we went to were on that list. Max was fun and a great tour guide.” Read more reviews.
Chicago's First Donut Tour includes:
✔︎ Doughnut-loving guide
✔︎ Visits and tastings at the best doughnut shops in town
✔︎ Exploration of the iconic Chicago Loop area
A maximum of 20 people will be on your tour
Wheelchair and stroller accessible
Vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free options are available
100% money-back guarantee
Approximately 2 hours
Chicago Food Tour Tips
Well, now you know 6 of the best food tours Chicago has to offer! Whether you’re a first-time visitor or returning for more of what makes the city so special, any of these Chicago tours will provide you with a lasting memory to savor long after you return home. You just decide what sounds best to you! Here are a few tips to help you make the most of whichever tour, or tours, you choose.
• These are all fantastic outings for small groups, so there aren’t many spots per tour, and they do sell out. Please try to reserve as early as possible.
• Always read all policies and double-check details before booking your activity.
• A gratuity is not included in any of these tours, but they are sincerely appreciated by your guide.
• These are all going to be great experiences. Just show up on time, relax, and have fun!
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