A Taste of Two Cities: St. Louis Food + History Walking Tour
Description
Join a neighborhood local in the Central West End and enjoy "A Taste of Two Cities", a curated sampling of hidden gems and only-in-STL eats like toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, and the perennially controversial Provel cheese. Most guests skip dinner. In between, you'll enjoy an easy 2-mile walk accompanied by sights and tales of two distinct eras of St. Louis' (and American) history. The first, one of opulent Gilded-Age wealth culminating in a globally-attended showcase of human achievement in 1904 - a World's Fair we still won't shut up about. And the second - a less-spoken-of chapter of self-inflicted wounds that would create the Delmar Divide and come to a head when the Black Lives Matter movement is born in nearby Ferguson in 2014. "A balanced view of history. No punches pulled. Every part is human, beautiful and ugly." — ahunkins, Minneapolis MN "I always book a walking history/food tour in every city I visit, and this was hands down the best." — Kelly E.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We'll meet up near Writer's Corner at a brewpub that has been a favorite haunt of Central West End locals since 1980 and sample a one-of-a-kind sandwich Guy Fieri once took two bites of before telling the executive chef to "Tear up the rest of the menu - you don't need it!". While you partake in your first nibbles, your guide will give you a background of St. Louis' early history, leading up to the time that the Central West End becomes the epicenter of concentrated wealth in the fourth largest city in America during her illustrious Gilded Age - culminating in a global event that would celebrate all of human achievement right next door in Forest Park - the 1904 World's Fair.
Within a literal stone's throw of the Delmar Divide sits some of the most impressive architecture from the World's Fair era that still remains, and it's completely outside of Forest Park. Hear hidden history and see artifacts from the early days of this "Valley of the Giants" listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We'll discuss the dichotomy of living in St. Louis, including the long term effects of the 32 of our 79 neighborhoods collectively referred to as the "Northside" that sit north of Delmar Boulevard and have borne witness to many generations of disinvestment and abandonment.
We'll walk past mansions where future presidents once slept, brewing heirs enjoyed their fortunes, and where the "Spirit of St. Louis" was born. After enjoying a couple of local snack staples, we'll discuss the star-studded history of the iconic Chase Park Plaza hotel and enjoy one of St. Louis' most delicious mistakes.
St. Louis' European chapter began with the settlement of French Catholics, bolstered by the arrival of thousands of Irish Catholics throughout the 19th century. One can barely speak of any element of the history of St. Louis where the presence of the Catholic community was not felt, and the enormity of St. Louis' importance to the church was eventually made manifest in one of the great churches of North America.
See the most important venue in American chess, see where the "cocktail party" was invented, and taste some of our most storied cuisine including a cheese you'll only find in St. Louis. We'll wrap up the tour with a final nibble in homage to our sister city, where the founders of St. Louis had previously called home, while hearing of St. Louis earliest days at a locally famous bistro and music venue known for great food and great jazz.
We'll return to St. Louis' roots with a final culinary tribute to our fabulous, much more French sister city downstream. But not before seeing a historical landmark that dates its roots in the city to 1860, and would become the launchpad for one of the most famous dance troupes in the world.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour runs about 3 hours, covers roughly 2 miles of walking on city sidewalks, and happens mostly outdoors. On hot days we bring cooling towels and build in shaded breaks. History and food get roughly equal weight — if you're looking for strictly food-focused stops with short narration between, this isn't that tour.
Reviews(48)
Loved it. A good mix of food and history. Mike was very knowledgeable and presented history of the area in perfect bites.
It was a long walk, but worth it. Fortunately we had a light rain off and on so it cool. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The food was excellent.
Great historical background with many little known facts. The food stops were all great examples of local favs and linked to the history. Definitely worth the price of admission- especially since the temps were soaring and the leadership did everything they could think of to make us comfortable. Thanks Mike and crew!! You were very appreciated ❤️
I had a great time on the tour! Mike is a great guide and told us lots of interesting history about the city. I loved getting to have a try the various foods that are iconic here. They went out of their way to make sure we were as comfortable as possible on this. Ridiculously hot day. I highly recommend this experience!
It was a terrific experience with a very knowledgeable guide. Even though we were St. Louisans, we learned a lot of new facts. The walk was fun along with our stops for very appropriate tastes of St. Louis.
So glad you enjoyed, and it was wonderful to hear of all your experiences growing up in St. Louis - you've added depth to the tour and on behalf of future guests, thank you!
The tour is extremely heavy on the history, specifically architectural history, and lighter on the food than other food tours we have taken. Most food tours have you sit down at local places, enjoy the establishment, have the opportunity to order a drink, this only happened once during this tour. The rest was take out options, eaten outside places, in a park, etc. We felt the cost was not worth the amount of food we received, typically you leave stuffed, we had dinner afterwards with this tour. The guide was very knowledgeable but the tour was long! I could not imagine doing this on a mid-summer day. We were thankful for temps only in the 80s and cloudy skies.
Thank you for such an honest, detailed write-up — and for braving two miles on foot! You've described it well: it leans into history, with the food woven through as tastings rather than a meal meant to fill you up — and those bites are part of the story, not a break from it. It's really the story of St. Louis itself, told through the streets of the Central West End. On the heat — the route ducks into air-conditioned stops several times along the way, and on the hottest days we bring out cooling towels, so summer is more manageable than two miles in the sun might sound. Glad the clouds cooperated for you, and thanks for the kind words about your guide.
Such a great tour! Mike was engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about the area. He made the tour feel personal rather than scripted and each delicious food stop highlighted something distinctly St. Louis.
Thank you — "personal rather than scripted" is always the goal!
An interesting, well researched history of St. Louis that includes the origins of the city as well as more current events. And the food portion is good too!
So glad you enjoyed! Come have a picnic when the Dodgers come back to town!
This is a great way to learn about not only the fabulous CWE, but St. Louis as a whole
Thanks so much for the high praise and for letting me show you around!
The tour was a lot of fun. Very well organized. There were lots of interesting stories and very good food!
So glad you enjoyed!
