Chinatown, North Beach, Little Italy: 7 Tastings & History
Description
Spend an afternoon exploring two of San Francisco's vibrant areas for food and nightlife on a walking tour through Chinatown and North Beach. On their own, they will stir your senses. Together, they awaken you to new flavors, ancient cultures, and a diverse lifestyle. On their own, Chinatown and North Beach stir your senses. Together, they awaken you to new flavors, new cultures, and to parts of your heart. We'll start by exploring Chinatown by twilight, including tasting treats from one of the oldest bakeries in Chinatown. We'll search out authentic Chinese and Italian sites. We'll uncover their hidden secrets only intrepid locals know. And you'll be astonished by the new finds in secret alcoves. From wine to Dim Sum, Peking Duck, fortune cookies, in the very places where the Beat Generation started and Barbary Coast history that made San Francisco what it is, you'll feel like you've really experienced Chinatown and North Beach\Little Italy.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour meets next to 400 Grant Avenue, at the corner of Bush Street and Grant Avenue, in front of the Dragon (Chinatown) Gate
Explore the heart of Chinatown with a local San Francisco guide as you sample freshly made dim sum from one of the neighborhood’s oldest bakeries, enjoy a traditional Chinese meal, and take part in an immersive tea tasting. Along the way, discover hidden alleys, rich history, and cultural landmarks that bring this vibrant community to life.
Meet your local guide from a family-owned San Francisco company and begin your exploration of two of the city’s most dynamic neighborhoods — Chinatown and North Beach. Start in Chinatown, where you'll sample freshly made dim sum from one of the neighborhood’s oldest bakeries. As you walk, your guide will share deep local knowledge of Chinese culture, history, and mysticism — pointing out hidden temples, unique sculptures, and striking architecture that most visitors miss. Led by a true local, this tour offers more than just great food — it’s a firsthand look at the stories, traditions, and flavors that define San Francisco.
See how fortune cookies are made by hand in this tiny, historic alleyway shop.
Known as the "Living Room" of Chinatown, where locals gather for card games and Tai Chi
Next, explore North Beach, San Francisco’s historic Italian neighborhood. Your local guide will share stories of its colorful past as you visit hidden gems for authentic pastries, chocolate, and pizza. Along the way, uncover the North Beach only locals know, filled with rich history, traditions, and surprises around every corner.
A vibrant, mural-filled alley connecting North Beach and Chinatown.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- ATTENTION: Each Youth or Child registration requires an Adult registration
- We are not able to accommodate nut allergies
- We cannot accommodate nut allergies
Reviews(1,348)
We had a great time! Our guide, Andre, was knowledgeable and informative. The food was delicious and we enjoyed learning about the city, neighborhoods and shops. Thanks, Andre, for a memorable experience!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you had such a great time with Andre and enjoyed both the food and the history along the way. I’ll make sure Andre sees your kind words. Thank you for spending part of your time in San Francisco with us!
Cynthia was our guide for the china town / little Italy tour. We had a great time. The food was good. We also bought extra things at the restaurants we stopped at like loose leaf tea from the tea tasting and extra fortune cookies. The only small thing to note for us was the initial meet up for the tour at the China Town gate. It was a little bit confusing asking other tour guides if we were with them but Cynthia found us and confirmed our booking. Highly recommend booking!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you had such a good time with Cynthia and enjoyed the food along the way. It’s always fun to hear when someone finds a few favorites and takes some extra tea and fortune cookies home with them. I also appreciate you mentioning the meetup at the Chinatown gate. It can get busy there, especially when several different tours are gathering around the same time, and I’m glad Cynthia found you and got everything sorted out. Thank you for spending part of your time in San Francisco with us and for recommending the tour!
My 16 year old son and I attended this tour. Scott was an amazing tour guide. You could tell he loved this city and is connected to it. This tour was not only educational, it was fun. All of the food we tried was great. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the city.
Thank you so much for joining us, and I’m especially glad you and your son had such a good time with Scott. He really does love San Francisco, and I think that comes through in the way he shares the neighborhoods and their stories. It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the food, but even better to hear that the tour was both fun and educational. Thank you for spending part of your visit with us and for recommending the tour!
Great experience. Loved the history shared by Brian, our guide.
Thank you! I’m so glad you had a great time with Brian. He really enjoys sharing the history of Chinatown and North Beach, and I’ll make sure he sees your kind words. Thanks for joining us!
The guide was energetic, interesting, informative and amusing. The history was great and the food was very tasty. All together a wonderful tour.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour. It’s always great to hear that the history was just as enjoyable as the food—and that your guide kept things interesting and fun along the way. Thank you for spending part of your time in San Francisco exploring Chinatown and North Beach with us!
Great food and lots of variety. Brian was a knowledgeable and engaging tour guide. Would highly recommend.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed all the different foods along the way — and especially the margherita pizza! Brian really does have a wonderful way of sharing the neighborhoods and their stories. I’ll make sure he sees your kind words. Thank you for joining us and for recommending the tour!
even better than I expected. Everything was well organized, enjoyable, and informative. The experience was comfortable and memorable, and the overall service was excellent. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and would definitely recommend it to others.
Thank you so much! I’m really glad the tour was even better than you expected. I especially appreciate you mentioning the organization, the atmosphere, and how comfortable the experience felt. I want people to be able to relax, enjoy the food, and really get to know Chinatown and North Beach along the way. Thank you for joining us and for recommending the tour to others!
Such a fun and informative tour! Well worth the money and really gave a great look into the communities and the lives that have lived and currently live there. Also, the tour ends in such a fun part of the city to walk around and explore even once it’s done. Highly recommend. Andre was a phenomenal guide.
I really appreciate this review. One of my favorite things about this tour is that you get to experience two neighborhoods that have so much history and personality, while also seeing the communities that still make them what they are today. And I agree—the tour ends in a great spot to keep wandering, eating, and enjoying North Beach on your own. I’m especially glad you had such a great time with Andre. He really loves sharing San Francisco with people, and I’ll make sure he sees your kind words. Thank you for joining us and for recommending the tour!
cynthia was a great storyteller! She timed the stops well so we could eat and have bathroom breaks. We didnt think we were walking for 4 hours! It was great. We enjoyed the teahouse and the elderly “Uncle” who made the tooic of Chinese tea very entertaining!
I’m so glad you enjoyed your time with Cynthia! She really does have a gift for telling the stories of Chinatown and North Beach in a way that makes the time fly by. And I had to smile at your mention of “Uncle” at the tea shop. He is definitely a character, and you never quite know where the conversation will go once the tea starts pouring! Thank you for joining us and for taking the time to write about your experience. I really appreciate it, and I’ll make sure Cynthia sees your kind words.
We had an awesome 4 hours spent with Ryan and a handful of absolute strangers that became running buddies during our time in a small corner of San Francisco on a late Saturday afternoon. Our guide was knowledgeable, a heartfelt advocate and cheerleader for the city and the state of California, and took us to some amazing local gems, sampling killer eats along the way. It’s like a field trip with climbing hills included as part of the price of admission. Good times.
What a great review. I especially loved the “running buddies” description — four hours of eating your way through Chinatown and North Beach with a bunch of strangers will do that! Ryan really does love San Francisco, and I’m glad that came through during your afternoon with him. And “Peking duck and unexpected cauliflower” definitely made me laugh. Thanks for coming along with us and for such a fun review.
