Flavors of Philly Food Tour
Description
The Flavors of Philly Tour is great for out-of-towners! Terrific value--Philly history AND full lunch rolled into one great adventure. Features cheesesteaks, tomato pie, soft pretzels, and 2 desserts at the iconic Reading Terminal Market.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover Philly's most popular food favorites while getting a taste of the city's rich history and culture! Eat like a local on this fun, casual, Philadelphia themed tour that all of 'youz' are sure to enjoy! This delicious and entertaining tour takes place in the heart of Philadelphia and includes 5 stops. Make room: this is not only a tasting adventure, but a meal that includes classic Philly eats like cheesesteaks and cheese whiz fries, tomato pie, soft pretzels, and two sweet treats from the world-famous Reading Terminal Market! Get the scoop on Philly’s food history with quirky stories about how some of these iconic foods came to be, and walk away with food in your tummy and some insider tips about the best places to eat like a Philadelphian. This one-of-a-kind tasting experience brings you to where the locals really eat—low-key, no-frills, independently owned gems that share the uniquely unpretentious vibe of the city. In addition to some first class sightseeing, you’ll visit an authentic mom-and-pop pizzeria, a soft pretzel bakery, the historic Reading Terminal Market and much more. This tour is served up with a generous side of humor, Philadelphia history, and a helping of beautiful architecture that includes an up-close look at City Hall—the second-largest government building in the country! We’ll keep you off the tourist beat, introduce you to places locals love, and immerse you in the culinary experiences that have made Philly foods world-famous. Not designed for children under the age of 5. Contact us for private tours for children. Content and Schedule subject to change without notice. **In rare circumstances tours may be cancelled due to low attendance.
The finale of our food tour will end with desserts in the bustling Reading Terminal Market. Stay longer to enjoy some shopping!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Children age 0-2 are free but will not receive food unless a ticket is purchased
- This tour cannot accommodate a gluten-free diet. Contact us before booking with questions.
Reviews(550)
Adam was a terrific guide and made the Flavors of Philly Food Tour so much more than just a food tour. He was charming, knowledgeable, and engaging, and I especially enjoyed all the Philly history and practical local knowledge he shared along the way. He explained the layout of the city, including why there’s no First Street (it’s Front Street), how Broad Street fits into the grid, and the story of the supposed “curse” on Philadelphia sports teams after the city began building skyscrapers taller than William Penn atop City Hall. He also shared interesting history about Independence Hall and its restoration. The food was a fun sampling of Philly favorites, including tomato pie, cheese fries, pretzels, a doughnut, and a chocolate chip cookie. Just as importantly, Adam never made the tour feel rushed. He gave us plenty of time at each stop, kept everyone comfortable, and even provided bottles of water. He struck a great balance between food, history, humor, and useful information about the city. Adam was a wonderful ambassador for Philadelphia, and I would highly recommend taking this tour with him.
Thanks so much! We’re thrilled Adam made Philly come alive and that you loved the food, history, and relaxed pace. Your feedback is so kind and we appreciate it very much. We hope to have you back for more food adventures soon!
Steve was our guide and he did his very best to engage a large group with wide interests. The tour walking path was great. There were areas to sit to eat in 3 of 5 places. The food was okay. The cheesesteak was disappointing.
Thank you for sharing your experience. We're glad you enjoyed our food tour overall and also appreciate your feedback. Our Flavors of Philly tour focuses specifically on the iconic foods Philadelphia is most famous for and we're disappointed the cheesesteak didn't land well. We will be checking in to see if something changed with their service or ingredients and want to make sure all of our future cheesesteaks hit the mark. Until then, thank you again for sharing your feedback with us. We hope to have you back on our other food tours to explore many other types of Philly's divers cuisines and local favorites.
We had an enjoyable rainy Wednesday afternoon. Another review said the food choices were something you could easily find yourself, I agree, but the comradery and shared stories make a good tour. Our guide Stacy was enthusiastic and loves Philly. Tomato pie isn’t something I would have ordered without the tour. We also sampled soft pretzel, cheesesteak, doughnut and cookie. I would absolutely recommend a Philly food tour. There’s a parking deck across from the starting and ending points. The Reading Terminal Market gave us a barcode for discount parking in the deck that didn’t work. $46 to park.
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We're so glad you enjoyed your tour with Stacy considering the rain. And we agree - what makes our tours special is the context and guided experience that we provide. And that's what we take great pride in building on our food toure that make the experience more than just the food. We're sorry the parking validation didn't work and will let the Reading Terminal Market know. Let us know if there's anything else we could have done to help turn your review into a 5-star experience. Otherwise, we truly appreciate your kind words and hope to see you on another tour soon!
Caitlyn was very informative. She shared a lot of history and information about local foods. Highly recommend
Thank you so much! We're thrilled you enjoyed our food tour and had a great time. We'd love to have you back for more soon!
Minimal food variety but large portions. Guide was really good. Wish there was more beyond pizza places and treats.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your guide but wish we amazed you even more. Our Flavors of Philly tour is intentionally designed to highlight the city's most iconic foods that have become Philadelphia traditions including cheesesteaks and tomato pie. We also offer a bunch of other food tours that include diverse, elevated, and richer cuisines in other neighborhoods like our Chinatown, East Passyunk, and Sips of Fishtown tours. We appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you back on another delicious adventure.
Owen was terrific. He loved the city, shared the history and his experiences. He was friendly and helpful. The food was yummy and diverse.
Thank you so much for your great review! We're thrilled you had such a great time with Owen. His passion and stories really help bring Philly to life, and we're glad he made your tour even more memorable. We're also happy you enjoyed the variety of delicious foods along the way! Thank you for choosing City Food Tours, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
We had a pleasant time overall, but I left feeling that the tour didn’t really offer much beyond what you could easily do on your own. Our guide was very friendly, enthusiastic, and clearly enjoyed sharing Philadelphia’s history, which was the highlight of the experience. That said, the food stops were fairly underwhelming. While they featured Philadelphia “classics” like tomato pie and cheesesteaks, these are foods you can easily find by wandering around the city with Google Maps or Yelp. There wasn’t anything particularly unique or memorable about the selections. The historical stories and commentary were fine, but nothing especially engaging or insightful. I was hoping for more hidden gems, local history, or behind-the-scenes stories that would make the tour feel worthwhile. Overall, I don’t regret going, but I also wouldn’t recommend it to friends or do it again. Unless you really want the structure of a guided tour, I think your time and money are better spent exploring Philadelphia’s food scene on your own. You’ll likely eat just as well and have a more memorable experience.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're glad you enjoyed your guide and appreciated the enthusiasm and history shared along the way. The Flavors of Philly tour that you picked is intentionally built around Philly's most iconic foods because it serves as an introduction to the city's culinary identity. While it's certainly possible to visit these restaurants on your own, the purpose of the tour is to provide the stories, neighborhood context, merchant relationships, and historical background that most visitors wouldn't discover independently. Throughout the experience, we share the history behind each specialty, the families and businesses that helped shape Philadelphia's food culture, and the significance of the neighborhoods we explore. We're sorry the experience didn't align with what you were hoping for. Based on your comments, it sounds like one of our neighborhood-focused tours like our East Passyunk, Chinatown, or Fishtown may have been a better fit. Those experiences are specifically designed to showcase lesser-known restaurants and hidden gems beyond Philadelphia's classic staples in Center City. While we recognize that guided tours aren't for everyone, we're proud that the overwhelming majority of our guests consistently describe this experience as informative, memorable, and a highlight of their visit to Philadelphia. We appreciate you giving us the opportunity to share our city with you.
I thought that it was interesting and our guide Stacy gave out good information. It was a nice day and good company.
Thank you so much for your compliments! We're glad you enjoyed the food, tour information, and entire experience overall. We always strive for a 5-star experience and would love to know if there was anything else that could have helped us earn that 5th star. But thank you again for taking the time to share your kind words!
My friend and I were in Philly for a quick trip, Sunday-Tuesday. We only live a few hours away but this is the first time either of us really explored it. We did this food tour on day 2. Directions to the meeting point were easy. We spotted the tour guide, Katelyn. (Sp?) She was pleasant, informative, and patient. I enjoyed learning the facts about the food we were trying and the city. Lots of things I didn’t know. We were out for about 2.5 hours. The food was delicious and filling. The people on the tour were also pleasant and a good group to experience the tour with. It was a hot day outside. There was one time we were in the sun while our guide was giving some history. She was fine but the sun can make you less patient. Overall I would recommend this experience. Good times!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're honored to have been the highlight of your trip and hopefully inspire many more visits back to our city. Keeping safe and comfortable is very important, and we'll make sure to remind our team to consider the outdoor durations in the heat. We always strive for a 5-star experience and would love to know if there was anything else that brought us down from to 4 stars. Thanks again for your great review!
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and easy going which made the guided experience great. The food itself had some great selections like the tomatoe pie which was absolutely delicious. The cheesesteak and fries combo we had was quite disappointing though, maybe that’s just me.
We're so sorry to hear you didn't like the cheesesteak! With so many options, there are quite a lot of varieties and we'll continue taking note of guests' feedback to see if there are opportunities to experiment with something new. But we're so glad to hear that you really enjoyed the experience overall and would love to have you back for more!
