Taste of Tucson Downtown

Had a wonderful time with my husband and another couple. It was amazing meeting chefs of all these fabulous restaurants & eating food. We learned a lot of history around downtown & visited some historic theatres & hotels. We even lost our pass to Tucson streetcar and they gave us another one, for free! The tour guides were lovely! I would highly recommend this tour. Keep in mind, this is a non-​alcoholic tour, which is the only downside but it makes sense since you will be doing some walking out in the heat and they want to make sure you stay hydrated.

The first thing I do when I’m visiting a new city is find out if there is a food tour available. I booked this tour online with no problems. The food tours are offered on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1 to 4:30pm, rain or shine. There are two guides for a group of 20. The meet up spot is great with restrooms and is right across the street from where you get on Tucson’s modern street car. The price of the tour includes the 24 hr street car pass. You get to visit 5 restaurants and a couple historical theaters along the way. The guides are full of historical facts and information. I had a hard time hearing them some of the time and would recommend some kind of speaker/​microphone system. In each restaurant stop the chef came out and told us all about the food they serve and their personal philosophy. They were all very passionate about their food which I loved and answered all the questions in great depth. I would have liked to get a print out of all the food we tasted in each restaurant because it’s hard to remember it all. The tour ends with coffee and dessert. I found out that the tour actually accommodated one guest who had a food allergy. She was given a different dish from our in the restaurants we stopped at. I thought it was amazing that they did that. The guides ride back with you on the street car to where you started. Excellent food tour highly recommend it. :)

Lysa was great. Really knows Tucson history and restaurants. Great hostess. the restaurant choices were outstanding. A good sampling of foods at each place and each was unique. A chance to use the light rail system as well, good experience and your pass is good for 24 hours so you can go back and visit some more.
The theatre tour was an added bonus, we did not expect that.
overall, we would do this tour again.

I went with my family recently and overall, we agreed it was a good time and a great way to spend the afternoon. Lots of great information about Tucson and it’s history. During the tour we visited a couple great historic places and sampled a variety of food (which was all very tasty) at 5 different restaurants. At each restaurant, the chef or manager came out and told us about the food, history, and/​or their philosophy. Our favorite restaurant was the very first where the tour began — a modern, seasonal eatery that prided itself on it’s sustainable philosophy, but which also flew in huckleberries from Delaware and trout from Scotland (which isn’t terribly sustainable). From there we were given a 24 hour streetcar pass and took the streetcar into downtown Tucson. Clean, quite, convenient, the streetcar was my favorite part.
The guide was also soft spoken and could be hard to hear, especially for the elderly in our pack. A simple megaphone might help. While everything she said was true (to my knowledge), the way she presented the information didn’t make me confident she knew what she was talking about. That’s a nit picky critique, but on a 3.5 hour tour it was noticeable.
Again, overall we enjoyed our time and got a nice tour of downtown Tucson. We would recommend if you’re looking for something to do for an afternoon.

An excellent experience! The tour is well organized and interesting, and we learned a lot about downtown Tucson that we didn’t know about, and didn’t expect to learn. The food tastings are well orchestrated, starting with appetizers and ending with desert and (needed) coffee. Our guides (Lysa and Sherry) were knowledgeable, pleasant, and considerate.

We were on this tour yesterday as a birthday gift for our 24 year old daughter. The food and those who prepared it were great.
While we have lived in Tucson for years, Sherry shared such great information about Tucson that even we didn’t know. The behind the scenes tour of Hotel Congress and the Fox theater were bonuses we were not expecting. Sherry’s love of Tucson is heartwarming. Put this one on your «to do» list.

My wife and I have been wanting to take a foodie tour at some point and we were happy to see one was offered in Tucson. We met up with the group in downtown Tucson; a total of 16 people plus two guides. We were fortunate to have Elysa and Sherry as our guides. They are the owners/​proprietors of the business and are celebrating their first year in business. Never having taken this type tour in the past it is hard to compare but we were highly satisfied with all aspects of event. The walk combined a two mile walk, good food, historical backgrounds, and humor for a satisfying 3 hours. We visited five local restaurants and one local historic hotel. Elysa and Sherry were great and very knowledgeable. The food and interaction with the restaurant contacts was excellent. If it is your first time in Tucson, take this tour on your first day. You won’t regret it.

We have visited Tucson many times– this is a great way to spend an afternoon! Our tour guides Lysa ands Sherry were very knowledgable offering a perfect mix of local history and lore. The restaurants we visited offered lovely tastes of their menus with a brief talk from the chefs. We went with a couple of locals and they enjoyed as much as we did! Highly recommended.

This is a great way to spend an afternoon in Tucson. Strolling downtown and learning about the history of Tucson is a bonus. The variety of food that you get to sample is incredible and well worth the trip. You will not go hungry on this tour. Lysa is highly knowledgeable and personable. I plan to go again for my third time after the new year. Both tours that I went on featured different restaurants. Your best bet for a great Tucson tour.

I set up a tour for my boyfriend’s birthday and it was a wonderful experience. I would highly suggest this for anyone! Lysa was so accommodating and went out her her way to make this a SPECIAL occasion. We had amazing food and learned so much about Tucson! If you are from out of town or have lived in Tucson for many years, this is an experience for everyone.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this historic walking/​food tour. We often do these kinds of tours when we’re in new cities and Taste of Tucson was particularly good. There is a real passion in the people of Tucson to make their city a great one and Taste of Tucson does a great job showcasing these wonderful people, the charming historic sites and the modern new additions. I highly recommend it as a fun and educational way to spend an afternoon!

What a wonderful time! Yummy time! We walked, we ate, we laughed. And then we rode the tram. We ate again! Visited several historical sites, & ate some more all at some of tucson’s best! Misty was a great guide! This is a must do!

This was a GREAT way to spend a Sat afternoon! We walked. We learned. We took pictures. And we ate! Delicious food from some super restaurants! We even got a tour and learned some of the history of Hotel Congress!!!
Misty, our guide, was AWESOME!

BUENO!!! Spent a gorgeous afternoon ambling and eating around Downtown Tucson with tour guide Misty and a small group of mostly locals. The tour was well-​organized, professional, and delicious! I’m a regular downtown and still learned a lot about Tucson and got to try some restaurants that were high on my wish list. Whether you live here or not, I highly recommend checking out this tour! I’m looking into booking a group tour for my alumni club!

We loved the Taste of Tucson tour. Misty was our guide. Started at Augustin restaurant, fun trolley ride to the revitalized downtown area. The tour ended at Maynard Market with stops at three other great restaurants. Good mix of history, walking and eating. I think this is a «must do» for Tucsonians and tourists.

We had an amazing afternoon. The guide was very knowledgeable and her presentation was personal yet very educational. The restaurants were fabulous… the food in each one could have been a meal. In each restaurant, the owner or chef made us feel so welcome and provided insights we never would have known otherwise. We went back to one of the restaurants the next day. Taking the trolley for part of the trip was fun too! From beginning to end, just terrific!!!

Traveling thru Tucson for the first time i was using Unilocal and Around Me to figure out where to eat and something to do and Found a Taste of Tucson Downtown Tours. It was a perfect fit for our group. We were able to find a food group everybody liked and learn about the history of Tucson. The owner Elyssa was very knowledgeable and Great to work with. She knew just where to go and what our group wanted after just asking a few questions. We had a Ball. I would recommend it to small and medium size groups that want to learn more about the restaurants and history around the Tucson Area.

While visiting my daughter last week in Tucson, we stumbled upon this new tasting tour. We had so much fun that I had to Unilocal my first review ever! What a great idea! The tour included a nice selection of restaurants. I don’t know that I would’ve tried any of them on my own, but I would’ve totally missed out! The food was that good. The tour guides were great. They were personable, funny, and really knowledgeable on Tucson and the downtown area. The guides were of all different ages with different backgrounds. The history part of our tour was equally as awesome as the food! It was interesting, informative and entertaining. Thank God it was a walking tour! I was so stuffed when I left. I feel like now I know just enough about toucson that I want to come back. Hey, maybe that was their plan all along?! Great tour, family fun, and experience!

This is a new tour. I had family from out of town visit and decided to take them out. Everyone had a great time and felt like they had a chance to explore the city. Great idea for visitors/​family! Also, a lot cheaper than other walking/​food tours I’ve been on.

This was a great opportunity to do something new! The owner Elysa was delightful. The others on the tour were all different ages. It had just enough fun facts mixed with good food. The Italian place, Café Milan Dulcimer, was amazing. They make new sauces everyday. Definitely worth checking out.