Taste of Downtown Sarasota : Guided Walking History & Food Tour
Description
Our most popular tour and it often sells out! Guided by a local expert, you will walk and learn fascinating facts, folklore, culture, famous founders and current residents, the food scene and current events. Sarasota is a unique city, with a vibrant downtown comprised of small, locally-owned restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. Our restaurants are very busy during "season" so are so fortunate that a handful choose to partner with us! This tour includes food but should not be considered a "foodie" tour-it's quick bites of favorite places, among the locals. The emphasis of this tour is on the unique history, culture and lifestyle of Sarasota! Light bites are experienced along the route for quick introductions to some of the popular spots. This is a group activity that requires a minimum of 4 guests to operate! For personal tour groups 10+ and all corporate tours, please inquire-those require advanced planning and more detailed information.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This tour is for you if you are looking for a unique culinary experience, a romantic night out, or to just have fun socializing with friends and family. Our 3.5-hour walking tour of Downtown Sarasota is a combination of food, fun and folklore that intertwines local history, art, and culture, along with a few diverse sampler plates, creating a culinary journey to remember! Some treasures along the way: Miramar, 1st train depot, speakeasys, Orange Blossom Hotel, 1st skyscraper, & surprise stops along the route. Sunset Food Tours won the Silver Award in the 2026 Best of SRQ and was the Regional Winner for Guided Tour Services in the 2025 Best of Florida contests. This tour is an immersive experience into the Sarasota lifestyle-both historically and current. Seated food stops in air-conditioned restaurants loved by locals, is what sets us apart from food tours that provide quick bites while walking.
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
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please consult with your medical advisor-this is a walking tour
- No smoking or vaping is allowed during a tour-some guests may have allergies, asthma, autoimmune conditions
Reviews(220)
I enjoyed every moment of my tour from the history to the fun facts and especially the food. Christine was great! She made everyone feel included and offered personalized recommendations which helped make my solo travel experience even better. I will definitely be recommending Sunset Food Tours.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! I'm SO thankful that you disclosed this was your birthday trip! I truly enjoyed meeting you, too! You have a very positive outlook on life and I wish for you, many years of happy birthdays, adventures, and all the good that life offers!
Our guide was very warm, upbeat, and personal, plus had a wealth of historical and current information about Sarasota. Her choice of stops was delightful and we highly recommend her to others.
Thank you a million for these kinds words. Spending time with your group has left an incredibly positive impression on me as well! I hope our trip created lots of great memories! Please keep in touch!
The guide was very engaging. Great tour and historical information. Got to see a very cool local speak easy. Food was good.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to provide positive feedback! It is so valuable to small businesses. We are thrilled that you had an enjoyable experience. You are welcome back anytime!
Colleen was fabulous and incredibly knowledgeable about the Sarasota area. Honestly, we were full after the first stop! She took us to places we likely would have walked right by on our own, but once we stepped inside, each one was such a pleasant surprise. The food, local insight, and overall experience made for a wonderful tour. Highly recommend!
I will certainly share this with Colleen. I am so happy that we were a part of your wedding anniversary celebration! We would love to have you again!
Christine provided a history and cultural tour WITH the food tour. Never knew Sarasota has such a huge personality today and past! The combo of walking, food and art was a true winner.
Thank you a million! I truly enjoyed sharing Sarasota with you and Gary!
Christine was a fantastic tour guide and very knowledgeable. I went on the tour with my grandma, who had been living in Sarasota for over 30 years. She learned so much about the city’s history during this tour and could not stop talking about how much she loved it afterwards. The food was great, and there was plenty of it. Come hungry!
Lindsay, thank you a million! I'm so happy that you your mom & grandmother shared this experience. Hopefully it provides treasured memories to cherish!
This food tour was amazing! The food was such high quality. The guide was informative and fun. Her knowledge of the city and the businesses was top notch. It was our 45th anniversary and at the last stop she surprised us with a couple of desserts. What an extraordinary treat. I highly recommend this tour.
I am SO thankful that I was able to make your anniversary memorable! Wishing you two decades more of ❤️!
Wonderful way to spend time downtown with couples and friends! Christine, our host, was full of interesting history of the area which included stops at multiple restaurants. She shared info about downtown and the restaurants. Frankly, I’m thinking it’s an opportunity for downtown restaurants to entice people to enjoy whether local or just visiting. We live local and discovered new places! Thank you to the participating establishments and to Christine’s extensive knowledge! 🙌
Thank you... so very very much! I am also hoping to persuade more restaurants to partner! It would be great for guests to be able to enjoy a tour again, with different tastings! It was my pleasure to spend the evening with you guys!
We had a small group, only 4 of us. Our tour guide Christine was fun and gave us tons of info about Sarasota’s history as we walked around downtown. We had 3 food stops (Brick, Classico, and Comida) and they were excellent choices. Food was delicious and we were completely stuffed after the second stop, but still managed to enjoy the third. Christine pointed out several other interesting restaurants that we’d love to try sometime. We learned a lot of things we didn’t know and had fun. Would absolutely recommend this tour!
Sherri, thank you for your positivity and kind words. I feel like we had a great group dynamic and I so grateful for the opportunity to interact with everyone. You are always welcome back! Please keep in touch; I'm happy to be a resource on anything in Sarasota!
Christine gave a fabulous overview of the Sarasota food scene, culture, and history. Time flew by and it was great getting to know Sarasota from a local. Christine is wonderful—very kind, inclusive, and knowledgeable.
Thank you!!! I LOVED our time together last evening-you made it a lot of fun! I have some more ideas that I'll send by text! I hope to see you both again, and heck, maybe even a wedding invitation! All the best!
