Lower East Side Food and Neighborhood Tour
Description
The Lower East Side is one of New York City’s most historic immigrant neighborhoods—a place where generations of newcomers began their American story. Since the 1840s, waves of immigrants from Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia have settled here, shaping the neighborhood into one of the most culturally rich areas in the city. On this engaging walking tour, you’ll explore the streets where these communities lived, worked, and built new lives. Discover why immigrants were drawn to the Lower East Side, how the neighborhood transformed over time, and what led many families to eventually move on. Combining food, history, and culture, this tour offers a flavorful journey through the neighborhood that helped shape New York City—and the American immigrant experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
2 hour walking tour of the Lower East Side
Eldridge Steet Synagogue
Pickles
Bialys and bagels
A settlement house that helped shape the neighborhood
The most famous candy shop in Lower Manhattan
A former Synagogue and current art space
New York's most famous deli
A Lower East Side staple
New York's Most Historic Market
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
- Operates rain and shine; please dress accordingly
- Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour's designated start time. The tour departs promptly and no refunds will be given for guests who miss the tour due to being late
- If canceled because of dangerous weather, you will be given the option of an alternative tour date or full refund
- Involves a good amount of walking
- Food vendors are not guaranteed
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough guests to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
- We reserve the right to deviate from the route of the tour in the event of marches, parades, and circumstances beyond our control.
- Once the tour begins, if you make the decision to not follow the guide or their instructions, we cannot guarantee we can reunite you with the group.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age.
- Food is not included. We suggest bringing $20-$30 cash per person.
Reviews(75)
Awesome tour with Joel. He had great side note stories to all the places we visited or walked by. Some were closed, good backups were offered. Lovely stroll around the area and learning the history behind it. Definitely get a Knish and Essex market has the REBEL vegan cheese from shark tank.
We did 4 guided tours with different companies and this one was our favorite. Our guide, Francesca, was really a teacher. We particularly appreciated that she took her time (the other 3 visits were thorough while this one had a very cool pace). In addition, his English is very clear and we understood every explanation (perfect for the two French families in our group). Thank you very much Francesca!
Lovely tour with a good amount of history of the Lower East Side. Brianna was enthusiastic and engaged and gave a good amount of information while leaving time for us to enjoy a variety of foods!
We had a very nice time walking the Lower East Side with Cora, who showed us great food shops and features we would not have noticed on our own. It was a great way to get a feel for this diverse neighborhood.
Very interesting tour by a wonderful guide who made our experience an enjoyable and interesting one. Be hungry as there are lots of delicious food options along the way!
Fabulous tour! Michael was terrific!! Great choices of food and interesting history ! The kids loved the tour!
Love the history you learn in the way while getting to try traditional recipes of random foods. Keep up the great work Liz.
The tour did not include any food although it was a food tour. Nor were we able to go into any buildings. She showed us photos of the places. The guide was lovely but the tour itself wasn’t very interesting.
Liz did a great job showing us around the neighborhood and introducing us to delicious food and restaurants to visit later.
Conner was an incredible guide. He was energetic and funny throughout the tour. The food choices were great, the history shared was excellent and his spirit of carrying the group together was amazing. Would definitely recommend this tour. Bring your appetite and sweet tooth because you will be stuffed 😁
