Lower East Side Food Tour: Iconic Eats & NYC History Walking Tour
Description
Join this 3-hour New York City walking tour to sample the best ethnic foods in the Lower East Side. But this experience includes much more than sampling delicious foods, as you’ll learn about the history of the dishes, establishments, sites, and people along the way from your guide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour begins in front of Little Canal Café, located at 26 Canal Street in the Lower East Side. This modern corner café with large street-facing windows is easy to spot as you arrive on Canal Street. Your guide will meet you right outside the main entrance, where the vibrant energy of downtown Manhattan sets the perfect scene for the cultural journey ahead.
We talk about the history of the surrounding area that was once a poor Irish community and before that a polluted pond. You get to see the building that is now most famous for being featured on most episodes of Law & Order
We briefly walk through this park on the edge of Chinatown and talk about what used to be here: the notorious neighborhood of the Five Points. We discuss the Irish immigration and show photos of what the neighborhood used to look like.
We walk through part of the neighborhood, discuss Chinese immigration, and visit a dumpling shop that is a local favorite. We also give tips on where else to visit in the large community.
We head up and around Mulberry Street and discuss Italian immigration. We get to see some amazing modern street art, hear stories about organized crime, and visit an historic local Italian food shop for a delicious tasting.
We cruise through one of the most trendy neighborhoods in New York today and discuss the changing neighborhood. This used to be Little Italy, but today it’s loaded with hip bars and restaurants and we get to see some of the best street art in the city.
As we walk through Nolita, you get a chance to see the original St. Patrick’s and learn about the hardships Catholic immigrants first suffered when coming to this country.
Learn about the history of this park, named for FDR’s mother, and take a quick stroll through the northern end. We’ll also stop at the M’Finda Kalunga Garden inside the park to discuss Latin American immigration and how this neighborhood has changed throughout the decades.
See the transformation of the neighborhood from an area filled with run-down tenements and poverty to one that is currently being gentrified. See lots of great street art and community gardens. Learn about Jewish, German, and Latin American immigration in this neighborhood and sample some traditional food.
We share stories about the founding of the museum and its important part in Lower East Side history. Our tour ends very close to the museum, and our guides can give you tips on how to get tickets and explore their excellent gift shop.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Can dietary requirements be accommodated on this tour? We can accommodate most dietary needs — including vegetarian, vegan, gluten‑free, dairy‑free, nut‑free, and other requirements — as long as we are informed at least 24 hours before the tour. Substitutions can be arranged in most cases but may not be available at every stop. Please note that many foods on this tour are not prepared in nut‑free, dairy‑free, or gluten‑free facilities, and cross‑contamination is possible. Guests with severe allergies should use caution.
- What happens if the weather is bad? This experience runs rain, shine, or snow. In the rare case that weather conditions pose a safety risk, the tour may be postponed or canceled for guest safety.
- Is this tour child-friendly? Yes! This tour is suitable for families. Children under 4 years old can join free of charge. A reduced child price applies for children aged 4 to 11.
- Is this tour suitable for all ages and fitness levels? The tour includes approximately 2.5 miles / 4 km of walking at a relaxed pace.
Reviews(1,058)
Joanne was an incredible guide with a vast amount of knowledge! She tried very hard to keep us in the shade on a very hot day. The bites were yummy too!
Fun way to acquaint ourselves with the lower east side and taste bites of food from the cultures that made the area what is was and is. Joanna was so nice and we especially liked how she threw in more than the “required” information for the tour.
Brian is an exceptional guide: knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about sharing the stories behind the city’s immigrant communities. The tour is so much more than a food tour. Through fascinating stories, historical context and delicious local food, we gained a much deeper understanding of the people and cultures that shaped Lower Manhattan. Every stop had a purpose, and every story brought the neighbourhood to life. Brian made the experience welcoming, interactive and memorable. Thank you, Brian, for such a fantastic morning!
Really enjoyable experience walking around the lower East side of Manhattan, visiting places we'd never have gone on our own and samping the local cuisine, experiencing a glimpse of life as a proper New Yorker. Very educational too - we learned about the history and cultural development of the area, including the impact of the various immigrant populations via their food. Brian, our guide, was fantastic - personable, friendly and knowledgeable, and very attentive to the group's needs. He has an infectious enthusiasm for everything and showed a genuine interest in us. He really enhanced the experience and we're very grateful for his knowledge and experience. Highly recommended.
We had a great experience seeing the Lower East Side and sampling food in each district with Johanne as our tour guide. She was knowledgeable of the area and showed not only showed us things on the itinerary but also places she loves in that area that are interesting and of note. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone who would like a local's perspective on this part of Manhattan.
Greg was a great guide taking us to little know foodie spots. He pointed out other nyc treasures to try. Great tour. We did a 6 person private tour.
Guide and content of tour was first rate. Food portions and number of stops were meager. It was a light tastings cultural and history tour.
Our guide a was EXTREMELY knowledgeable filled with history info that was relevant to our stops to current events hire the neighborhood was shaped around the Indy he was giving us and it wasn’t just here’s a landmark with facts it was impactful info and unique info such as the hook building and the term hookers coming from it with sailors coming to visit needing a lot of services from the ladies not just the obvious. And a tattoo museum and info about the first electric tattoo machine as it being illegal due to Hepatitis until the 1990s!!! Just so cool. The food was the slight let down for me. I had put down I don’t eat meat but still there was a lot of meat products and a lot of sharing portions with everybody. We had pork dumplings like 9 or more in the same container and everyone was eating out of it to get their allotted 3. Knish same thing 2 large ones in a bag for people to pull out and split and share dipping in mustard they were good but seemed rushed for us very hot still very soft not quite set. Our group voted on tamales which were chicken and I seemed dry cut into two pieces on a same plate. Every time myself or someone else didn’t eat something our guide was very eager to finish it, no coaxing needed. Our pizza slices were definitely not New York slices unlike another Viator tore I did on Greenwich village food tour where food was great and very filling and pizza slices huge. All in all fun day. Learned a lot pinned a lot of places to go back to on our own!
Tour guide was a NO SHOW!! We were at the location 10 minutes ahead of time and waited 35 minutes after it was supposed to start (along with 2 other couples who had the tour booked). Tour guide NEVER SHOWED UP. I tried contacting the operator while we waited, and they didn't respond.
Dear Rhonda, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, Rhonda. We're sorry for the frustration and disappointment caused, particularly after you'd arrived early and waited for your tour to begin, and we apologise that you weren't able to contact our team at the time. Unfortunately, due to an operational issue & our guide got health emergency, we were unable to deliver your tour as planned. Our team have since processed a full refund for the cost of your booking, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.
Great tour! Brian did an excellent job of educating us, feeding us, and entertaining us. I thought it was a cultural walking tour with some food…there was a lot of food…all so good. We also stop at Ferrara Bakery for a bathroom stop…if you do, buy some pastries…they were delicious! My only complaint was that two people on our tour were smoking…I think smoking should not be allowed on the tour.
