Food tours in Chicago

A food tour in Chicago is a guided walk of about three hours through one part of downtown, with tasting stops along the way. Three operators are compared here: Chicago Food & City Tours, Secret Food Tours and Sidewalk Food Tours. Their entry tours cost 79.99 to 99 dollars per adult and last 3 to 3.5 hours.

The three tours side by side

• Chicago Food & City Tours presents itself as the original Chicago food tours. Its Iconic Foods of Chicago tour and its Pilsen tour both start at 85 dollars. Its other tours cost 99 to 139 dollars. The company used to trade as Chicago Food Planet, and the old web address now leads to the new site.
• Secret Food Tours works in the Loop, the downtown business district, with 6 stops and 12 people at most. Guests meet at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, 805 S State St. Its page gives English as the tour language.
• Sidewalk Food Tours runs its River North tour north of the Chicago River. The “From 79 dollars” on its list pages is the rate for ages 4 to 17: adults pay 99 dollars.

How to choose

The three entry tours are less than 20 dollars apart, so the choice comes down to the neighbourhood, the group size and the age rules.

• Group size. Secret Food Tours publishes a cap of 12 people. The other two pages read for this guide give none.
• Children. Chicago Food & City Tours charges the adult rate from age 11 and lets children of 5 and under join free. Sidewalk charges the 79 dollar rate for ages 4 to 17, which suits families with teenagers.
• Away from downtown. Chicago Food & City Tours also walks Pilsen, a neighbourhood south-west of the Loop with a large Mexican-American community, for the same 85 dollars.
• Budget. For two adults, the entry tours cost about 160 dollars with Secret Food Tours, 170 dollars with Chicago Food & City Tours and 198 dollars with Sidewalk, before transport.

Chicago dishes to know

The city has a handful of foods that carry its name. Deep-dish pizza is baked in a tall, oiled pan, with the cheese under a thick layer of tomato sauce. The Chicago-style hot dog is an all-beef frankfurter in a poppy seed bun, topped with mustard, onion, relish, tomato, a pickle spear and sport peppers. The Italian beef is a sandwich of thin-sliced roast beef soaked in its cooking juices, with sweet peppers or a spicy giardiniera. Ask the operator which stops are on the current menu if one of these matters to you.

Practical tips for food tours in Chicago

• Getting there. The Loop and River North are both served by the CTA “L” trains. O’Hare is on the Blue Line and Midway on the Orange Line.
• Come hungry. Several tastings in three hours: plan the tour in place of a meal.
• Book the right ticket. At Sidewalk, the lowest price shown is the child rate. Select the adult ticket.
• Dress for the season. Lake Michigan winters are cold and windy, and the tours are on foot.
• Prices change. The figures here were read on the operators’ own sites on 29 September 2026. Resellers may charge differently.