NYC: Lower East Side Guided Food Tour

40 Ratings

New York

Save

View All (12)

Uncover the rich layers of the Lower East Side’s food history on this engaging walking tour. Sample classic dishes, international cuisine, and meet local shop owners along the way.

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Katz’s Delicatessen - Begin your journey at one of the Lower East Side’s iconic establishments, operated by the same family for over a century. Katz’s Delicatessen has been serving classic American breakfast dishes and perfecting enormous sandwiches since 1888. Here, you’ll savor their famous pastrami with mustard sandwich.
El Castillo De Jagua Restaurant - Breakfast in New York is an art form, so your next stop is a Dominican breakfast counter to explore the local offerings. Sample their pastelitos or dos golpes while discovering the intriguing story behind their delectable dishes.
Essex Street Market - Explore a historic local market and visit a renowned cheese shop, acclaimed as the best in the US by Food and Wine magazine. You’ll enjoy a variety of handmade cheeses and cured meats from around the globe.
Orchard Grocer - Experience a unique take on the classic New York bodega at this location. Catering to vegan preferences, you’ll try a traditional bagel with carrots and cashews substituting smoked salmon and cream cheese.
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou - The Lower East Side and Chinatown are culinary havens, and their proximity is no coincidence. Sample Chinatown specialties from a newer neighborhood addition. You might taste thin-skinned pork dumplings or their delightful Fujian peanut butter noodles.
The Pickle Guys - This stop honors another culinary tradition brought by Jewish immigrants who settled in the Lower East Side in the late 19th century. Taste a family recipe that has been handed down through generations.
Doughnut Plant - For the final stop, indulge in some of the Lower East Side’s finest baked goods at a cherished artisanal doughnut shop. Get ready for a doughnut experience like no other with their creative flavors.

What's Included

Local guide
Small group of 12 people max
Expertly guided walking tour
7+ tastes at 7 family-run businesses (enough for breakfast and lunch)

What's Not Included

Pick up
Gratitues

Additional Information

Take a morning to uncover the rich layers underpinning the vibrant Lower East Side. You’ll sample everything from classic dishes to the international food that continues to be introduced to the neighborhood and keeps its food scene thriving. Start New York’s oldest deli, Katz’s for a mouthwatering pastrami sandwich. Pop by a Dominican breakfast counter for traditional breakfast bites, sample cheese and cured meats in the city’s top cheese shop, then head to a modest Chinese restaurant for peanut noodles and pork skin dumplings. Make a few more stops to try classic dishes like bagels, pickles, and authentic Jewish deli meats, before finishing on a sweet note at a local bakery for an artisanal doughnut. Along the way, meet with the local shop owners and learn more about the family traditions passed down through generations which make this one of the most in-demand food destinations today.

The tour is in English.
This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
Guests with serious food allergies will need to sign an allergy waiver at the start of the tour.
This tour is not recommended for vegans, and, due to the risk of gluten cross-contamination, this tour is not recommended for those with celiac disease.
This tour is adaptable for: Vegetarian, Gluten free (not celiac), Dairy free, Pescatarian, and Pregnant women, however, please note that you may not have a replacement food option at every stop.
Those with dietary restrictions need to contact us before joining the tour so we can arrange your food, or we may not be able to accommodate you.
This tour is not wheelchair accessible and strollers are not recommended.
We can acommodate gluten free but cannot guarantee that were will be no risk of cross contamination in the case of celiacs. All guests with serious allergies must sign an allergy waiver at the start of their tour.
Walks / Devour complies with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up-to-date information.

Location

1st Avenue & East Houston Street

This tour meets at Peretz Square, on the corner of East Houston Street and 1st Avenue (across the road from the One and One restaurant located at 71 East 1st Street). Your guide will be holding a red Devour Tours sign.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(40 Ratings)

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Connerw694

Jul 29, 2024

Amzing food tour - The food tour was amazing!! Brian was a fantastic tour guide and really knowledgeable on all things NYC. Highly recommended!!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Maps11293981049

Jul 26, 2024

Great NYC Food Tour - Brian was a super knowledgeable host. More tastings than expected and sent us on our way with great suggestions. Highly recommend

Review provided by Tripadvisor

H3533ktjoshual

Jul 26, 2024

BRIAN ROCKS! - Lur tour guide Brian was AMAZING! So friendly and down to earth. You can tell he's truly passionate about the city and appreciates the different food cultures around him. Enjoyed the tastings and would absolutely recommend!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

U5534xabrianb

Jul 5, 2024

Neighborhood through food! - Brian was a great guide. Loved seeing the area and its history through the food stops. Everything was delicious! Fun adventure to start the day! Totally enjoyed ourselves!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Tucsonmomof2

Jul 2, 2024

Great way to get a taste of the city - Emmeline was amazing! She incorporated great history and fun facts into the tour, and the variety and taste of the various foods was wonderful! Mangum was new to us and it was the highlight! Highly recommend this tour!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

B7368hverikw

Jul 2, 2024

Good food and info - Had an amazing food tour from Emmaline with a good variety of delicious food. It was informative and I didn't leave hungry.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sarah_r

Jun 22, 2024

A delicious and fun tour! - I am very happy I booked this tour. My tour guide Sara was friendly, very knowledgable and really has a passion for her job and the city of New York. We stopped at some great spots on the tour and I was stuffed by the end of it! I learned lots of interesting things about the area, about the buildings, the history and of course the food! I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone and I would book their other foodie walking tour (Greenwich Village) next time I visit the city!

Review provided by Viator

Jun 9, 2024

Delicious and educational - Jerry led us through a delicious tour of the Lower East Side with some things expected (pastrami at Katz deli) & few unexpected (the Dominican plantains shocked me with how good they were). It was a great way to sample a variety of cuisines (dumplings, cheeses, salamis) and it captured the historic and contemporary flavor of the neighborhood and covered us for lunch as well.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Guide61735033304

Jul 8, 2024

A food, walking, and history tour in one? EXCELLENT! - We loooooved Emmaline! Probably one of the best guides we’ve had for a food tour — and we do a lot of them! A fun combo of history, food, people, and walking! We felt like we got a bang for our buck and by the time we left we were so satisfied with how many different types of food we tried! If Devour pre-paid for the groups food ahead of time it’d be more efficient than the guide having to pay each time after we eat, but it was pretty darn close to perfect. Also for Katz, heads up that it’s not a fully sandwich! It’s the bread and pastrami and you put together your own little sandwich, but it’s a good portion size of the beef.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Kelly_s