When foodies hit the road, they take their passion for culinary tours and tastings with them. In Philadelphia, visitors can tour breweries, distilleries and wineries, follow guides to favorite haunts of foodies, partake in cooking classes and more—all the while getting a great sense of the city, its neighborhoods and countryside.
Here’s a look at some of the region’s top culinary experiences:
Food Tours:
- Chew Philly Food Tours – These mom-and-pop-operation-focused tours show off foodie highlights of the city’s Manayunk and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods. The 2.5-hour excursions treat guests to six or more tastings of savory and sweet foods and include bits of history and culture along the way. A portion of ticket sales goes to Philadelphia non-profit The Food Trust. (800) 656-0713, phillyfoodtours.com
- City Food Tours – Visitors can eat like locals on culinary crawls with specific themes: Flavors of Philly, Decadent Gourmet, Ethnic Eats of South Philly, Hot & Spicy Philly and Highlights of East Passyunk. (800) 656-0713, cityfoodtours.com
- Philadelphia Urban Adventures – Among the food- and drink-based options on these tours are Philly On Tap, a small group tour of some of the city’s great watering holes during happy hour; Beyond the Cheesesteak, combining street food and hallowed buildings of University City; Cheesesteak Segway Tour, a two-hour jaunt that samples five versions of Philly’s famed sandwich; and Italian Market Immersion, inviting visitors to wander around the famous food-forward corridor. Private tours are also available and offer tasting options. (215) 280-3746, philadelphiaurbanadventures.com
- Philly Food Adventures – Food writer and blogger Jamie Shanker welcomes groups of four to 20 for her 2.5-hour jaunts around Chinatown. The tour begins under the neighborhood’s iconic Friendship Gate and offers insights on the city’s diverse Asian population before moving eaters to five spots (plus markets) for dumplings, noodles and under-the-radar street fare. (267) 587-6225, phillyfoodadventures.com
- Philly’s Chinatown Tour and Dim Sum Tasting – A Chinatown and dumpling expert (who also leads dumpling-making workshops) takes visitors to lesser-known neighborhood spots, such as an herbal medicine shop, fried ice cream shop, and a Chinese bakery and bubble teahouse. The three-hour experience includes lunch at a traditional dim sum restaurant. Groups meet at the Friendship Gate. 10th & Arch Streets, (215) 352-4324, dumplingacademy.com
- Taste 4 Travel Food Tours – Chef Jacquie serves as a personable culinary guide to her own South Philadelphia neighborhood and beyond. Daily behind-the-scenes trips through the 9th Street Italian Market, East Passyunk Avenue and Chestnut Hill include samples from local favorites and neighborhood culture. (610) 506-6120, taste4travel.net
- 3rd Saturday Tours – Monthly guided walks through New Hope and Lambertville feature local history and tastings. A typical tour includes stops at five restaurants and shops for food and conversation with chefs. Advance tickets required. (908) 268-1720, sistercitiestours.com
- Wok ’n Walk Tours – Chef Joseph Poon’s Chinatown tours make for unforgettable vacation stories. The private group outings include visits to a fortune cookie factory, an Asian grocery, a Chinese bakery and a Chinese place of worship, among other stops, and end with a meal at one of Poon’s favorite Chinatown restaurants. (215) 928-9333, josephpoon.com
Winery, Brewery & Distillery Tours:
- Brewery Tours – Philly and its countryside proudly brew some of the nation’s best beers. People can get an up-close look at the process during tours of area breweries, including Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia Brewing Company (PBC), Manayunk Brewing Company and Sly Fox Brewing Company. Yards, 500 Spring Garden Street, (215) 525-0175, yardsbrewing.com; PBC, 2440 Frankford Avenue, (215) 427-2739, philadelphiabrewing.com; Manayunk, 4120 Main Street, (215) 482-8220, manayunkbrewery.com; Sly Fox, 331 Circle of Progress Drive, Pottstown, (484) 300-4644, slyfoxbeer.com
- Wine Trails – Throughout the Philadelphia region, the winery scene has grown into three distinct trails. Each offers the delicious opportunity for self-guided tours through vineyards and vintners of the Brandywine Valley, Bucks County and Montgomery County. Brandywine Artisan Wine Trail, brandywineartisanwinetrail.com; Bucks County Wine Trail, buckscountywinetrail.com; Montgomery County Wine Trail, (215) 801-2227, montgomerycountywinetrail.com
- City Brew Tours – Local beer enthusiasts guide guests to their favorite breweries during three- to five-hour tours that include up to 15 tastings and an overview of the region’s brewing scene. Snacks and meals soak up the suds, and van transportation makes the tour safe. Tours depart from the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. 1227 Filbert Street, (215) 866-2337, citybrewtours.com
- Liberty Brew Tours – Craft breweries in Philly and Bucks County are the destinations for three tours (one focuses on Central Bucks exclusively) from a company founded in 2015 by three local craft beer insiders. Participants take vans between destinations, where they sample rare brews, and enjoy lunch or dinner — and snack on Philly soft pretzels for in-between. (267) 606-7403, libertybrewtours.com
- Tastings & Tours’ Winery, Brewery & Distillery Tours – Those who appreciate a good drink can enjoy a carefree day during guided, all-inclusive, private tours that cover some of the area’s finest wineries, breweries, brewpubs and distilleries, along with some beautiful scenery in Bucks County. (484) 695-6465, tastingsandtours.com
- Tippler’s Tour – Participants sing along to 18th-century drinking songs, hear stories of tavern traditions of Colonial times and sample beverages and snacks while rambling through Philadelphia’s Historic District. Led by an energetic Colonial tippler, the happy-hour tour takes place on Thursdays from mid-November through January and departs from the Betsy Ross House. 239 Arch Street, (215) 629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org
Get Schooled:
- Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction – A rustic, stylish Old City cocktail shop from the creators of artisan whiskey, gin, cordials, bourbon, rum and more made with tamarind, cacao, quince, fig and such hosts popular cocktails classes among their wares (bar accessories, recipe books). Recent sold-out workshops and classes have featured cocktail-making with CBD oil and flower extracts. 116 N. 3rd Street, (215) 922-2600, artintheage.com
- Cocktail Culture Co. – Guests shake, stir, mix and muddle with cocktail experts during two-hour workshops in Old City. Perfect for individuals or groups, the events include Prohibition Era Cocktails, Fresh Fruit Cocktails and Herbs & Spices in Mixology. 16 S. 2nd Street, (267) 702-3404, cocktailculture.co
- COOK – In Audrey Taichman’s Rittenhouse kitchen, renowned chefs share their secrets during culinary class/dinner events. Guests sit around an Instagram-worthy island to watch as their meals go from recipe to masterpiece. The onsite boutique sells a wonderful selection of cookbooks, kitchen tools and pantry goods. 253 S. 20th Street, (215) 735-2665, audreyclairecook.com
- La Cucina at the Market – Anna Maria Florio helms this demonstration kitchen near the historic Reading Terminal Market. La Cucina offers hands-on cooking classes for all skill levels and spotlights varied cuisines and food categories. 1206 Arch Street, (215) 922-1170, lacucinaatthemarket.com
- Kensington Quarters – A bi-level, meat-forward restaurant in Fishtown is known for incredible dishes, a wine-centric bar, sustainable processes and knowledgeable staff—many who lead classes and demonstrations on pasta making, whole-hog butchering, vegetable fermentation, cocktail mixing and more. 1310 Frankford Avenue, (267) 314-5086, kensingtonquarters.com
- Pinot Boutique – This “Best of Philly” winner offers great wine, tastings, classes and private parties. Some wine classes are uniquely Philadelphian, letting drinkers pair vino with cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, Tastykakes and Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews or offering casual lessons on wines of the American Revolution. Locals stop here for a nice selection of wines from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, plus accessories galore. 227 Market Street, (215) 627-WINE, pinotboutique.com
- Primal Supply Meats – Heather Marold Thomason’s modern East Passyunk butcher shop quite literally shows students how the sausage is made, and also schools them in the rugged art of whole-animal (pig, lamb) butchery. Classes often sell out in advance. 1538 E. Passyunk Avenue, (215) 595-2255, primalsupplymeats.com
- Reading Terminal Market – The motherland for the buy-local movement in Philadelphia offers free, vendor-centric local cooking demonstrations every other Saturday in its educational cooking space. Every Wednesday and Saturday, a local food writer shares stories of the market and its iconic foods during 75-minute market tours. 11th & Arch Streets, (215) 922-1170, readingterminalmarket.org
VISIT PHILADELPHIA® is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy.
On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets.
