Taste of Catalina Food Tours

This was my first food tour, and it was great! The City of Avalon has a small radius, so it’s very easy to walk from place to place. There were six stops on the tour, mixed in with a lot of Avalon/​Catalina history, and it didn’t feel like we were in a rush.
Here are my highlights:
Steve’s Steakhouse served a great tomato soup with noodles;
Mr. Ning’s had a killer mix of sautéed green beans, rice, and sauce;
The «John Daly» drink Coyote Joe’s was super refreshing on this hot day;
The cookie at Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. was amazing;
Bluewater Avalon’s grilled artichoke was really good;
The tour was topped off by the Ginger Beer Float with Gelato Salted Caramel with Chocolate Chunks at C.C. Gallagher’s!
Advice: If you are in Catalina in your birthday, all adults in your party get 20% off (check the sheet the Catalina Express gives you).

Please let me preface this review by saying that I had a difficult time rating this tour, as I did enjoy myself immensely. My 3 star rating does not reflect the our tour guide Lili directly but more so for the actual tour and participating restaurants. That being said…
My husband and I have recently visited Catalina Island for the first time. We would consider ourselves «foodies» so we were thrilled to do a tasting tour of Avalon. I thank my fellow reviewers for warning is to be ready for the fee. $ 96 is pretty pricey for any tour but we were still excited, ready for the cost and went in with an open mind.
But, alas there were many Hits and misses.
Miss: The online reservation system is a bit of a mess and I was unable to secure or confirm my tour.
Hit: After several tries online, I chose instead to contact customer via telephone and was very satisfied with the representative’s service. she was able to get us booked same day (minutes before the tour)
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Miss: they were supposed to email instructions for the tour, where to meet Etc. I never received any electronic correspondence so again I returned to my trusty phone.
Hit: Though we had no ticket or proof of purchase email, Lili (our tour guide) was already waiting and anticipating us. That took some embarrassing pressure off. We didn’t want to walk into the tour late and without tickets :/​
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Miss: Some of the restaurants were not ready for our tour group. Which resulted in us Being awkwardly corralled in walkways and such while Lili secured our tables. I found this to be strange and inconvenient since the tour takes place almost daily and at the same time, usually with the same 6 stops. Lili would spend several moments in between restaurants for some fun anecdote or Island history. We assumed the history lessons and stories were for our entertainment as well as allowing the restaurants to set up for our tour. So why, I ask, did we have to wait at all?
Hit: Lili’s vast knowledge of the Island and her quick laid back charm. She was very easy to talk to and made our group very comfortable. Often going off script to answer our personal questions about food or Island history. Her skill as a tour guide almost made it forgivable that there were restaurant delays.
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Miss: The actual food. Some great and some not so great. A member of our group had many food allergies and it seemed that the tour wasn’t prepared to deal with that. Seems somewhat unprofessional since this is a «food» tour and all. It did get me to thinking, though. Why weren’t they prepared? Lili didn’t start asking if my fellow foodies could have certain foods until the 3^rd stop. Our companion made it very clear, very early on that she was highly allergic to many foods. She was a stranger to us, yet by the 2^nd tasting we (the group) knew to ask if she could have certain foods.
Hit: I am happy to announce that after all the allergy confusion, our companion was offered other dining options and was provided with what looked like some scrumptious grilled artichokes.
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Miss: we were never given an A or B choice for dining options. It seemed like an already planned menu. Which would be fine, but I am lactose intolerant and a few of the tasting included cheese or milk. My husband is new to seafood and the other half of the food offerings were shellfish or imitation crab. Strange to not have options. Even slight ones.
Hit: Though most of the tastings would not have been my first choice, I did enjoy several of them. I also tried some items I would not have personally ordered. That did make this experience fun.
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So overall: 3 stars. Lili was an amazing and fun tour guide. Our group was really fun to be with. All of us were there to celebrate different events and we all came from different walks of life. Our group consisted of :
an older couple celebrating and anniversary, whom were very well versed about Catalina as they frequented the island often.
A couple of gals from Chicago and Arizona who have been on this actual food tour many times
A mother/​Daughter couple who were there via Carnival Cruises
And my husband and myself: a heavily tattooed couple. Complete newbies to Catalina. Because of this fun tour and our great guide. We all got to pass a few hours in some fun company and learn a lot about Catalina and her history.
As another review stated: this should be classified as a history tour with some food and drink.
I would recommend this tour for anyone looking to walk about the city of Avalon and learn some history. For anyone who’s looking to make a memory and hang out with a group of strangers for an afternoon.
But, I would not recommend this tour on the food alone. The potions were small. I was still very hungry (we grabbed a slice of pizza after) It wasn’t very well organized. We could’ve easily lost one another. There didn’t seem to be an

Had a get time with Jordan guiding us through Catalina’s great food tours! Not only was he a great guide but the history lesson was very intriguing! If you love great food small tastes from 6 different location’s, and introducing yourself to something you might have not tried before then go for it ! It was 3 hours of great fun, a little pricey but you will spend that much just in one location, and this way you have tried 6 great location, after all the local’s would know right? Mel and Connie from Brea Ca

This was a fascinating way to spend an afternoon in Avalon. Our tour guide, Cathy wove interesting stories of Avalon’s history into her tour. She was knowledgeable about how Avalon’s history dating back to Pio Pico through to Banning and to William Wrigley. The food was delicious and the scenery is always outstanding.
Her personalization of the restaurants and architecture of this lovely city, made my trip that much more enjoyable.
It is an afternoon you will never forget.
Michael G., Los Angeles, CA

Honestly, I was teetering between 3 and 4 stars, but what solidified the 4^th star was probably Cathy’s knowledge. It is clear from the start that she is passionate about Catalina, and her family’s involvement in the island. It is very fun hearing all the facts from a local. I do believe this is more of a cultural/​historical tour with some food along the way. She kept asking if we were in food coma, but I truly never was. At my favorite place all we got was a small sliver of chocolate and an iced tea. The food was very tasty, and we had tried 2 beers along the way (though more like ½ beers), but what is sticking with me is the price.
I guess If I compare it to a 3 hour jeep tour it makes sense, but this is walking and you don’t go very far. If I add up what we ate in food I think it would probably come out to 20 – 30 dollars. So I paid an extra 60 – 70 dollars to walk and hear stories.
Will I ever do this again? Definitely not. But, I am glad I did it and now I have more of an idea where to go when I come back and want a meal.

A great tour with amazing food! I will definitely be going again. There is a lot of food for the price and the info on the tour felt like a behind-​the-​scenes look at Catalina.

2 stars = did not meet my expectations.
I really struggled with the rating for this experience. I have given it considerable thought. I feel like I need to explain how I arrived at this score. My expectations are built on three main factors:
1) The price for the service relative to the actual experience
2) My internal thoughts about what I should expect
3) Other people’s ratings which contribute to my expectation (call it hype — for lack of a better description)
Let me explain each of these.
1) I felt like the value for my money was not acceptable. The tickets for this event were $ 95 apiece. That included stops at 6 locations for tasting accompanied by cultural and historical commentary on the area by our guide (Kathy). If you have read other reviews here, you know that the stops are fairly simple. At one of the locations we had iced tea and a sliver of delicious chocolate. At another we had an unusual salted-​caramel with ginger beer float. ¹⁄₃ of the tour was for items that should have cost $ 5 to $ 8 each. At another location we had an unusual mashed potato taco and a small cocktail. At another we had a fairly tasteless chicken quesadilla. The remaining ¹⁄₃ of the tour was actually proportionally worth it from a food-​value perspective.
I would be remiss if I excluded the value of Kathy’s historical presentation. This was the most interesting part of the tour and far outweighed the value of the food. Kathy clearly knows about Catalina’s history and fills in lots of personal stories. She is passionate about the island, and you can tell she very proud of her family and their involvement with the island’s community. I feel like they should consider branding this as a cultural tour with food and drink to enjoy along the way instead of the other way around.
2) Prior to taking this tour and living in big cities for much of my life I really had tempered my expectations of the food. I had thought «how good could the food really be in Catalina?» I had hoped that it would be decent and somewhat interesting. In this regard the tour pretty much matched my expectations.
3) The hype for this tour is what forced me to drop my rating to two stars. There is no way it is worth the massive number of 5 star reviews. I have to believe that none of these people have been on a real food tour (ex. Bön Appetit’s Grub Craw in LA or NY). I refuse to accept that these reviews are from stuck up foodies such as myself.
So, would I ever take this tour again? Not a chance. Should you consider taking it? Possibly. Look, Catalina is an interesting place, and if you can find a way to pretend you spent $ 30 less for your tickets than you actually did, I think you will be satisfied with the outcome.

The tour was intimate with only four and Cathy, the tour guide. The food was great! but the best part was listening to Cathy’s love and passion for Catalina that oozes out when she speaks! Loved hearing the history of this small island!

Went for 1 year anniversary with my wife. As soon as I came across this I knew it was right up her alley and the 5 star rating was enough to give it a try…
and I 100% agree. 5 stars all the way. Desirae was very nice and knowledgeable about the Island. I thought it was just a food tour but it actually included a history lesson as well which my wife absolutely loved.
Of course the most important part is the food, and it was delicious. My favorite was the curry soup at Steve’s Steakhouse.

This was the highlight of our trip. It was wonderful to walk around and learn facts about Catalina while enjoying some of the best food the island has to offer. We tried things that you would not normally order. We had a potato taco at Cayote Joes, the best dark chocolate with salted pistachios, and much more. Cathy, the guide has lived on the island most o her life and had great information to share with everyone.
FYI — if you go on your birthday — take the Catalina express for free and get tons of free and discounted things on the island. It is such a beautiful, clean, relaxing way to spend a few days.

Are you one of those people that don’t exactly want to eat one thing but eat a little bit of everything? Well this tour is for YOU! Not only do you eat but walk around the island and here the story of a local rather than superficially reading a brochure. Cathy was an amazing tour guide and we hope you get her for yours.
Ambiance:
* We were the younger pair in the group, it generally consist of 35+ aged people and the tour took about a good two hours. The walking isn’t that intense either as the locations are all proximal and relevant. Here is where we went:
1. Steve’s Steakhouse
2. Avalon Seafood
3. Mr. Ning’s Chinese Garden
4. Catalina Coffee and Cookie Co.
5. Bluewater Avalon
6. C.C. Gallagher
Overall:
* 5 stars. I love the food, the walk, and the stories. The tastes are completely different and gourmet. For those learning about the history and are hungry. This is definitely a great twofer place to be!
Advice:
* Birthday special deal if you do this on your birthday!
* Cathy rocks!

Excellent experience! Well worth the time. Loved the food and it really helped us plan the rest of the week on where to eat on the island

My bridesmaids surprised me with this tour and we loved it! We stopped at 5 different bars/​restaurants and tried the signature drink or shot at each place. Buffalo’s Milk was a pretty good one and the guava margarita at Maggie’s Blue Rose was excellent! There were snacks along the way, which was helpful. Erin was our tour guide and was wonderful and FUN! I think it is a must try while on Catalina Island! Thank you Erin!

Great tour, usefully for first timer who have no specific plan. We got to try out samplers of 6 different restaurants and history/​stories about the island. If we come back, I would also like to try the Happy hour tour

Had so much fun with Cathy! I found a deal where we got a certificate to her daughter & son-​in-​laws business the Catalina Coffee and Cookie Co. We went on Mother’s Day right after we got off the boat for our one year anniversary. She was pleasant and engaging we were a group of six. The food was great and she accommodated my allergy. I loved the history and she gave us some fun ideas of places to visit and a flyer of coupons for places to eat and see.

Taste of Catalina marked my 12^th food tour and it was right up there with the best of them! Food tours shine when both the food and the tour guide are excellent. Taste of Catalina had both in check!
On a beautiful Sunday, ten of us met our tour guide, Cathy, around noon to get started. We got a brochure that outlined the tour itinerary and that had coupons for a few places on the island. After Cathy offered a little history of the island that she calls home, we set off on a 3-​hour tour to try the six tastes, which was enough for a good-​sized lunch.
1. Steve’s Steakhouse — coconut shrimp, hibachi steak, roasted potato leek soup, pink lemonade
2. Avalon Seafood — mahi mahi with tartar sauce and white rice, beer pairing
3. Mr. Ning’s Chinese Garden — sauteed green beans with white rice and fortune cookie, water
4. Catalina Coffee and Cookie Co. — sweet and spicy: ice tea with cinnamon, dark chocolate pistachio bark
5. Bluewater Avalon — Maryland crab cake with pesto aioli and New England clam chowder, beer pairing
6. C.C. Gallagher — beer float with salted caramel gelato and either ginger beer or purple haze
Probably the best tastings of the day were the coconut shrimp and hibachi steak at Steve’s Steakhouse. But, all of the tastings were delicious and there was enough variety to satisfy most palates. The beer float was a perfect ending to the tour; it was surprisingly light and very refreshing.
Cathy was great! She effortlessly wove in hilarious tales from her childhood, family entrepreneurial stories, and a plethora of historical tidbits about the island. You can really tell the difference between a guide who knows the area and a guide who memorizes all of the tour information. She was very relaxed throughout the tour and her familiarity with the cuisine, as well as the owners/​chefs and even fellow islanders walking down the street was great to see. She also ensured that the food was ready when we got to each stop and the tour began and ended on time!
Although this is the most expensive food tour I’ve been on — including ones in LA, Chicago, NYC — by about $ 20, I still highly recommend it. My one piece of advice is that if you don’t drink alcohol or if you don’t enjoy beer, let the tour guide know at the beginning of the tour as three food pairings came with beer. Thankfully, Cathy was accommodating to those of us who were not beer fans.

This was a great way to experience some of the staple dishes in Avalon. In total, we went to six restaurants. At each restaurant, we got a generous tasting portion of that place’s signature or award-​winning dish. Along the way, our guide Cathy gave us a first hand history of Avalon from her experiences growing up there.
If you’re going to Avalon for the first time, do this first so that you know where to go and you know enough about the city to really appreciate the details.
If you’ve been to Avalon before, you still need to take this tour because you’re missing out on a lot of hidden secrets.

We spent 3 days here and decided to wrap it up with the Taste of Catalina tour to get the places we missed while on our stay. The tour was about 3 hours and we had the privilege to be the only two on the tour which made it our own little private tour of what Catalina is all about our guide has had family on the island since the 40’s and it has extended to her own who now reside here as well with their children. Not only do you get great food but a awesome story of how Catalina has came about through the efforts of selfless people who wanted to share the beauty that resides on the island and that same character trait can be seen today.
The tour consists of six stops and they are all top notch. With the addition of «Happy hour» and deserts tours the Taste of Catalina is a must stop while visiting from the mainland.

Even after looking at some of the suspicious reviews, there are some legit ones. I went the day after Valentine’s day. I must say it was way more than I expected and I had a great time.
If you have 3 hours to burn or want to do something spectacular for 3 hours, this is it. We just got off the Catalina Express and was planning to stay for the day. Mind you, this is a small island and there are lots of fun activities. We wanted to have a mellow tour without doing too much physical work and we found it. To do the complete opposite we decided to do a food tour with an added bonus. Cathy was our tour guide and she is a ball of energy. She has a very personable characteristic about her that just captivates you. Her family’s history is pretty amazing and every restaurant you stop at she’ll tell you a little story behind the building or the family (ies) that owns (ed) them. There are about 6 stops and each one of them offered their own little taster to lure you back.
I must say, I’ve been to lots of tasters and they usually serve bite sized hor d’oeuvres that you find at Costco, okay maybe twice the size of Costco, but not here! The restaurant owners actually come out to serve you their signature dishes at a kid size portion. After the 2^nd stop, I knew if this went on for the rest of the tour I’d have to take a timeout. The tour has a little of everything starting with a hearty meal to a light intermezzo to finishing off with a nice beer gelato float. Oh yeah, some stops offer beer tasters. This is the right tour for just about anyone. As long as you like food you’re in for a treat whether you’re a carnivore, vegetarian, peskatarian, or any other –tarians. Just let them know when you get there and each of the restaurants will cater to your needs. They (Cathy) are super flexible and historically knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend taking this tour for the overall experience of meeting new people, learning the rich history of the island, the food, and just have fun. It’s better to go with the flow and take it all in.

I think that having a food tour of Catalina Island is a great business idea but looking at these Unilocal,I happen to think that most, if not all of them, are suspect. So many people who have never Unilocaled before suddenly open an account and give 5 Stars to this business. Sure, the Unilocal filter picked a few of them out – several of whom live in Avalon, Ca. themselves! But quite a few others deserving flagging as well.
Businesses do themselves no favors by encouraging these fake Unilocal reviews. Just the fact that there is a food tour is good enough for me to want to check it out. I would be most interested in a «Local’s Tour» so visitors can get a look at where the actual Islanders spend their money to eat. Until then, I would view these Unilocal here as highly suspect. 3 Unilocal STARS for sending ringers out to Unilocal what very well is a great business.