San Francisco: Chinatown & Litte Italy Food Tour with 5 Dishes
Description
On our Secret Food Tour: San Francisco - North Beach and Chinatown, you’ll experience the most iconic parts of “The City by the Bay.” Our experienced guides will take you on a delicious journey through the Gold Rush days of the Barbary Coast. While most tour companies only focus on one neighborhood over the other, we dive deep into both to offer you a taste of the best of both worlds. On your journey, you’ll bite into pizza with a surprise topping straight from the Pacific bay! You will explore West Coast coffee culture and find yourself wanting more of our secret bite! You’ll also discover the inner workings of our world famous cable cars, investigate the naughty red light district, uncover where the “The Godfather” was written and conceived, and wander through the alleys where the original miner 49’ers cashed in their sacks of new found gold. All in one afternoon!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Cable Car Museum is a free museum in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 1201 Mason Street, it contains historical and explanatory exhibits on the San Francisco cable car system, which can itself be regarded as a working museum.
North Beach, a buzzy neighborhood steeped in Italian heritage, draws locals and tourists to its checked-tablecloth trattorias, coffee shops and retro-flavored bars. The spirit of the Beat Generation can be felt at the storied City Lights bookstore and the memorabilia-filled Vesuvio Cafe bar. In Telegraph Hill the Filbert Steps offer a scenic hike to the iconic Coit Tower, with WPA-era murals and panoramic views.
San Francisco's Little Italy, is the city’s bohemian heart. Settled by Italian immigrants, it’s the birthplace of Cioppino and a pioneer of U.S. espresso culture. Beyond food, it gained global fame as the 1950s epicenter of the Beat Generation at City Lights Bookstore. Today, it’s a hub of "California-Italian" fusion, where legacy bakeries and sidewalk cafes preserve an Old World charm against a backdrop of literary history and iconic views of Washington Square Park.
Chinatown is North America’s oldest Chinese enclave and the historic heart of San Francisco. Founded in the 1850s, it’s a symbol of resilience that survived the 1906 quake and discriminatory laws. It revolutionized SF's food culture by introducing dim sum, the fortune cookie, and vibrant wet markets to the West. Today, it remains a dense, bustling hub where pagoda architecture, hidden alleyways, and legacy eateries blend immigrant traditions with modern Cantonese fine dining.
Coit Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built between 1932 and 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note: the itinerary and menu is subject to change, based on the locations' availability, weather, and other circumstances.
- Please ensure to contact us in advance of the tour for any dietary requirement, to ensure we can cater for them the best we can.
- This tour involves a fair amount of walking; comfortable shoes are recommended.
Reviews(161)
We had a really great time on this food tour! Our tour guide Jamie was so nice and made the experience even better. The food was really good, and I liked all the places we stopped at. It was not only a fun way to explore San Francisco, but also very educational. We learned a lot about the city’s history and the neighborhoods we visited. We also got to try places we probably wouldn’t have gone to on our own. I definitely recommend this tour!
We're grateful you chose to join us! It's wonderful to know the tour became such an enjoyable part of your time in the city, and we're glad you took a moment to let us know. We'd love to welcome you back to Secret Food Tours.
Amazing guide! Great energy! Amazing facts, knowledge and food! Great solo, great with friends. Do not skip this tour!!
Thank you for sharing your kind words. It’s always rewarding to hear from guests after their tour. We look forward to welcoming you back to Secret Food Tours!
This tour was great! Some hills, but mostly flat! Our guide, "D", was so nice, knowledgeable of the historical spots we walked past/through! The food choices were great! We were all full at the end! Try the Purple Rice smoothie! Tasty...
We always enjoy hearing what guests take away from their experience. It's great to know yours left you with so many positive memories. We hope you'll join Secret Food Tours again soon!
Jamie was a very knowledgeable, friendly, and considerate guide. Nice pace and combination of walking/talking/eating. History was more interesting and food variety for Chinatown made the tour worth it on its own. Couple entrees, couple desserts, and coffee.
We're happy to know your experience was a positive one! It's great to hear that each stop added something unique to your time in the city. We hope to welcome you back to Secret Food Tours soon.
André, out guide, was great. He was familiar with San Francisco history and culture and was very personable. The walk was not too strenuous or long. We appreciated that he did his best to move up the reservations for several locations after I told him I’d double booked myself for another overlapping tour. We made it to all but the last stop!
It was a joy to read your feedback. We're happy that the experience struck the right balance of food, culture, and exploration. We hope to see you again with Secret Food Tours!
Zachary was our tour guide for the Chinatown & Little Italy food tour. He was one of the best guides we have ever had. He was knowledgable, witty and told us so much info about San Fran. He went out of his way to make sure we never waited for food at each stop. A very enjoyable day.
Thank you for joining us and for sharing your experience! We're so pleased to hear that the tour gave you a chance to enjoy the city in a way that felt both fun and memorable. We hope to welcome you back to Secret Food Tours again soon.
Great variety of food and a variety of sites - cable car museum, China town, north neach. The guide had great stories and interesting family history in the city. Great tour!
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We’re glad the tour became a good part of your time in the city and that you enjoyed the day overall. We’d be happy to welcome you back to Secret Food Tours anytime!
Jamie was a great tour guide! Great tour!
We appreciate you taking a moment to leave this review. It’s rewarding to hear that spending part of your day with us became such an enjoyable choice during your time in the city. Secret Food Tours would gladly welcome you back!
Very good and insightful very cool part of the city
Thank you for your 5-star comments! Knowing the experience created such a positive takeaway after your time in the city is deeply appreciated. We appreciate you joining Secret Food Tours.
Our tour guide Zachaywas excellent. He was intelligent, kind and accommodating. We had an enjoyable tourand he took us everywhere! We were lucky to be on tour with the 3 of us and Zachary with added to the experience!
We loved coming across this review. Hearing that your time with us felt worthwhile and became such a positive part of your visit means a great deal to everyone here. Secret Food Tours sends our thanks!
