A food tour is a guided experience that takes you through a city or neighborhood to sample a curated selection of dishes from local restaurants, markets, and food vendors. Along the way, a knowledgeable guide shares stories about the area’s culture, history, and culinary traditions, making it a delicious and engaging way to explore a destination.

What makes our food tours special is our focus on exceptional food and the people who create it. We take you to top-rated restaurants loved by locals, where the dishes are full of bold, unforgettable flavor. Each stop highlights the stories of the chefs and owners, many of whom come from LA’s immigrant communities and have built something special here. These aren’t the places you’ll find on typical tourist lists—they’re hidden gems with deep roots and rich histories. Our tours are about meaningful connections, cultural discovery, and the most delicious food in the city.

We partner with acclaimed restaurants that serve exceptional, thoughtfully prepared food. Our tours include seated tastings at celebrated local spots—places known for their flavor, quality, and atmosphere. We pay full price and tip generously because we believe in supporting the chefs, staff, and small businesses that make Los Angeles such a remarkable culinary city. We also compensate our expert guides well, reflecting the professionalism, insight, and warmth they bring to every tour.

Yes! You can absolutely walk in LA—especially in the neighborhoods we explore. While Los Angeles is known for its car culture, many areas are surprisingly walkable, vibrant, and full of character once you’re on foot. Our food tours are designed to showcase these pockets of the city where walking makes the experience more immersive. You’ll stroll through lively streets, historic districts, and culturally rich neighborhoods, discovering local restaurants, hidden gems, and stories you’d miss from a car. Walking allows you to slow down, take it all in, and truly connect with the city’s food and culture.

Be prepared to walk about 1 to 2 miles (1.6 to 3.2 km) on each tour. You will not be walking this distance all at once. On each tour, you will stop for food tastings. At many of these stops you will get a chance to sit for 20-30 minutes, have a drink of water, and use the restroom. At other stops, there will be an opportunity to sit on an outdoor bench while enjoying your tasting. You will never walk more than about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) without stopping.

Yes it is safe to walk in LA, but, as in any major city, you should remain aware of your surroundings. Our guides keep an eye out for any potential hazards and will direct the group away from them if necessary. As always, be sure to pay attention while crossing the street and stay close to your guide.

Nearly all of our tours are 3 to 3.5 hours long. The Thai Town and Mexican Mercado tours are both 2.5 hours long.

The cheapest places to park in LA and Santa Monica are in public parking lots run by the city. You can find these lots using this public parking locator website. Street parking is generally metered and parking is often allowed for only 1-2 hours. This is shorter than the length of any of our tours, so we do not recommend it. You can also find parking using a website/app called Spot Angels or using a website/app called Parkopedia. Just enter in the address of the starting point a list of parking lots, their prices, and the time you’re allowed to park will appear.

Our Favorite Parking Lots/Locations for each tour

Santa Monica

• Parking Structure 6
  • Short walk from the meeting point

Venice

• Venice Beach Parking
  • Short walk from the meeting point
• LADOT Lot 731
  • Short walk from the meeting point
• Parking at 2100 Ocean Front Walk
  • Short walk from the meeting point

Downtown LA

• Blossom Plaza Lot, Chinatown
  • Next to the Chinatown Metro Station, 1 stop on the Metro A line from meeting point at Union Station
• Olvera St Parking Lot
  • Short walk to the meeting point at Union Station
• Aiso Street Parking Garage
  • Short walk to the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, 1 stop on the Metro A or E line from meeting point at Union Station

Hollywood

• Vine & Hollywood Parking Lot (LA DOT 702)
  • A short walk from the meeting point of the tour

Silver Lake

• No parking lots near the meeting point, but it’s not too difficult to park here. Park on the street. The spots are usually not metered.

Fairfax

• Use Spot Angels to find street parking with time limit of 3 hours or more
• Consider taking a rideshare or public transit to the meeting point

Thai Town

• Consider taking LA Metro to the meeting point because we start and end at the Hollywood/Western Metro Station

Parking Lots to Avoid!

Original Farmer’s Market Surface Lot (Fairfax Tour)

• Unless you plan to buy something at one of the shops and get validation, you will pay $50 or more. Even with validation, be prepared to pay $25 if you stay parked there for the length of the tour. Takes 20 minutes to walk to the meeting point but the tour ends here

The Grove Parking Lot (Fairfax Tour)

• Even with validation, be prepared to pay $25 if you stay parked there for the length of the tour. Takes 20 minutes to walk to the meeting point but the tour ends nearby.

Yes! You can take LA Metro light or heavy rail to many of our tour locations. This is by design. Although we love our car centric city, we believe in mass transit and we really want people to use it. There are metro stations near many of our meeting points, and for some of the tours, the metro stations are the meeting points themselves. You can find the LA Metro map here. You can pay to get onto the Metro using a TAP card. Get a TAP card at any of the fare machines outside or inside the stations or get the TAP App and add a virtual Tap Card to your smartphone’s virtual wallet. The physical TAP card costs $2, and the fare per ride is $1.75 per person with free transfers for 2 hours after the first entry into the transit system. Each tap card can only be used for one person, so you will need to get a separate TAP card for each person in your group. Cash can be used to load TAP card at the fare machines. If using cash instead of a TAP card on the Metro bus service, you will need to pay with exact change.

Downtown LA

• Union Station (Metro A, E, B, D Lines)
  • This the meeting point of the Downtown LA Tour
  • Please note that the A and E lines are the light rail trains on the surface level tracks and the B and D lines are the subway trains located underground beneath Union station
• Pershing Square Station (B and D Lines)
  • Closest to the ending point of the Downtown Tour
• Historic Broadway Station (A and E Lines)
  • Near the ending point of the Downtown Tour

Silver Lake

• Vermont/Santa Monica Station (Metro B Line)
  • Walk to Sunset Triangle via Santa Monica Blvd and Sunset Blvd (22 min) OR take the #4 bus and get off at the Sunset/Maltman stop. Sunset Triangle is across the street from this stop

Hollywood

• Hollywood/Vine Station (Metro B Line)
  • This is the meeting point for the Hollywood tour

Santa Monica

• Downtown Santa Monica Station (Metro E Line)
  • This is a short walk to the meeting point for the Santa Monica Tour

Thai Town

• Hollywood/Western Station (Metro B Line)
  • This is the starting and end point of the Thai Town Tour

Only the Silver Lake and Thai Town tours end where they start. All other tours end a 15-20 min walk away from their starting point or the starting point can be easily reached via LA metro. Learn more about LA’s mass transit system here.

You will eat as much food as you would have for a standard meal. We don’t recommend having a large breakfast or lunch before one of our tours because we want you to be able to taste and enjoy all the delicious food you’ll be served.

No! Your tour fee pays for your food. Just enjoy each tasting as it arrives!

In the US, it is customary to tip your guide at the end of a tour. The amount you decide to tip is dependent on how happy you are with your guide. You do not need to tip any of the waitstaff at the restaurants on our tours. We tip for the group at each restaurant.

No! We want you to be surprised and delighted by the tastings as they are served. This is part of the fun of going on a food tour! If you have any allergies, we definitely need to know. We don’t want you to be surprised by something you cannot eat. That doesn’t sound delightful at all!

Give it a try! You may find that you like that food when trying it on the tour. Different preparations of a food can greatly affect its flavor and texture, so you might actually really enjoy eating it. We can’t guarantee that you’ll like it, but you might be pleasantly surprised. Also, trying new and unfamiliar dishes is part of the adventure of a food tour, so we hope that you have come on the tour looking to expand your culinary horizons.

We only have night tours where we believe it is safe to talk at night. Some areas can be less safe at night due to rowdy revelers or increased likelihood of interaction with our unhoused population. We will not take you to any place we believe could be unsafe.

Please wear comfortable walking shoes for all of our tours. We recommend sneakers or comfortable sandals.

It depends on the time and location of your tour. It tends to be cooler on the beach (Venice and Santa Monica) and can be windy, so we’d recommend bringing a light jacket, sweater, or shawl on those tours. If you are on a tour in an inland location during the day, you may not need to bring a jacket. Please keep in mind that anywhere you go in the LA area, the temperature drops precipitously when the sun goes down. We are basically in a desert, so there is very little humidity to keep temperatures from falling at night. If you are going on an evening tour, or are planning to be out all day before going on an evening tour, please bring something warm to wear. Most restaurants have heaters for their outdoor seating and sitting indoors is almost always an option, but we can’t do much to help you if you are cold while walking on the tour.

We have designed our tours so that you can enjoy them in all weather conditions. You can still enjoy all of the food tastings and sightseeing on each tour. All tastings will be served indoors or in an outdoor area protected from the rain. Just bring a rain jacket or an umbrella and be prepared to have a great time!

We only have night tours where we believe it is safe to talk at night. Some areas can be less safe at night due to rowdy revelers or increased likelihood of interaction with our unhoused population. We will not take you to any place we believe could be unsafe.

Yes and it is getting safer. There are transit police assigned to each station and workers who will help you buy and fill your TAP card (fare card) standing by the fare machines outside of many of the stations. You can also get the TAP app and add a tap card to the virtual wallet on your smartphone. The trains are generally clean and ridden by Angelenos of every stripe. As on any large city metro system, pay attention to your surroundings and keep an eye out for disturbances.

You could possibly do a bit of shopping on the tours, but it must be done quickly so as to not hold up the group. If you find something you’d like to buy but think it will take too long, you can always return to buy it after the tour is finished. 

Yes! These tours are all excellent for solo travelers. They are a way for you to get to meet new people while enjoying good food. These tours are also a great way for business travelers to explore the area on the weekends or after work.

Yes! Children are welcome on our tours. These experiences are especially well-suited for families with teenagers and older children. Younger children are welcome too, though they may not be as engaged with the stories of history, culture, and cuisine that our guides share throughout the tour. You know your child best, and we trust you’ll decide whether this experience will be enjoyable for them.

Babies and toddlers are also welcome. Our tours are stroller accessible, though high chairs may not be available at all restaurant stops, so you may need to hold your little one on your lap. Children under the age of 3 may join at no cost. All guests aged 3 and up will need their own paid ticket.

Yes! We are very happy to accommodate your group! We can put together tours and events for groups of different sizes. Please contact us via the form on our corporate page to tell us what your needs are.

We currently offer private tours in English, French, Spanish, and Farsi.

We have laws in the U.S. (and especially California) which require our streets and restaurants to be accessible to people using mobility devices. That said, if you have a particular disability you need to be accommodated, please contact us so we can make sure that all stops will be accessible to you before the date of your tour. Please contact us as soon as you book. The longer the lead time you give us, the better we can make sure your needs are met. If for some reason, we cannot meet your needs, we will give you a full refund.

If you cannot eat a particular ingredient (e.g. pork, shellfish, etc) we will get a dish free of this ingredient for you at each restaurant where those options are available. If there is no option available for you at a particular restaurant or we believe that the option provided is not delicious enough, we will order more food for you at other tasting stops along the tour.

It really depends on what you’re allergic to and how severe your allergies are. If you have a mild allergy, we ask our guides to order more food for you at restaurants with delicious food options for you. There may be restaurants you have to skip because there is not a delicious food option for you. Our guides do not carry Epipens or any other allergy medication and are not authorized to administer medications. If you have a severe allergy, we would suggest, out of an abundance of caution, that you do not participate in one of our tours.

It depends on which tour you have selected to go on. Some tours have a wealth of vegetarian options at different locations. When this is the case, we ask our guides to order more food for you at restaurants with delicious food options for you. There may be restaurants you have to skip because there is not a delicious food option for you. Please check our listings to determine which tours would best fit your needs. If you would like to set up a purely vegetarian tour in any of our tour locations, please consider contacting us to book a private tour.

Probably not. There are many restaurants in LA which have great vegetarian options but excellent vegan options are harder to provide. If you would like to organize a vegan tour, please contact us so we can work to put together a private tour which includes the most delicious options for you.

If you cancel more than 24 hours ahead of your tour’s start time, you will receive a full refund and can reschedule. If you cancel within 24 hours of your tour’s start time, you will not receive a refund. You can decide to reschedule the tour at that time, but you will still not be able to receive a refund.