Interested in sampling a variety of cuisines while enjoying America’s Finest City? Take a San Diego food tour to explore all the flavors this city has to offer!

What is a Food Tour?

A food tour is a way for you to experience the neighborhood by walking from restaurant to restaurant trying the best bites and libations each location has to offer. By selecting to take a San Diego food tour, it allows you to sample multiple restaurants, one after the other, much like a pub crawl but for eateries. For this reason, you won’t want to eat right before going on a food tour so that you’re able to fully partake in the smorgasbord of local eats and beverages.

Why Take a Food Tour?

By choosing to take a San Diego food tour, you get the opportunity to try restaurants and specialties that you may have otherwise been unaware of or would have never thought to try. Additionally, you’ll get to learn more about the area and how the restaurants pair their cuisine and beverages to harmonize with a city’s culture. Who doesn’t like trying new dishes and learning about the area at the same time? If you’re more interested in beer tasting, instead consider a San Diego brewery tour during your stay.

What to expect on a Food Tour

Guided food tours tend to involve smaller groups of people that are led, walking through a set part of the city for a few hours. You’ll be escorted through the area, you’ll hear stories of the history of the area, and you’ll be able to try several restaurants every San Diegan loves. Samplings of restaurants tend to be pre-fixed and therefore prepared and ready for you upon arrival in order to keep you on schedule without much down time.

The Best Food Tours in San Diego (yes, ours top the list)

Gaslamp Quarter – Brothels, Bites and Booze: A Culinary Tour of San Diego’s Questionable Past

With such a rich and racy history, a Gaslamp Quarter food tour is a can’t miss when visiting the Downtown San Diego area. Learn about the early happenings of “New Town” as it was once called, from the brothels that once crowded the Gaslamp Quarter to some of our more infamous residents. While you stroll the streets taking in the history of the area, you’ll stop at four local restaurants for small bites and a drink or three. Appropriate for ages thirteen and up, the Brothels, Bites and Booze guided food tour runs $80 per person and can be booked through the So Diego Tours website.

Courtesy of Musement

Old Town San Diego – Tequila, Tacos and Tombstones Culinary Tour of San Diego

Before “New Town” was Old Town San Diego, the birthplace of California. When you take a guided tour through Old Town San Diego Historic Park, you’ll dive into the history behind the birth of the Mission Trail, hear spooky tales of some of the Finest city’s first residents, as well as try authentic flavors from four local restaurants with an opportunity to sample a couple tequila cocktails. From haunted houses and graveyards to mariachi music and period dress, this Old Town tour is a must. The Tequila, Tacos and Tombstones guided food tour is appropriate for those ages thirteen and up, runs $80 per person and can be booked through the So Diego Tours website.

Courtesy of Musement

Little Italy – Pizza, Pasta and Piazzas

Ready to try the best Italian restaurants in San Diego? With Little Italy being an Italian American cultural hub in San Diego, opting to take a culinary tour of America’s biggest Little Italy is a no-brainer. Learn about the history of the area and its transition to the neighborhood’s current vibe. Indulge in traditional Italian fare from four of the best restaurants in the area, visit the Piazza near the center of town all while learning about how Italian immigrants rejuvenated the area to create the cultural center it is today. The Pizza, Pasta and Piazzas San Diego food tour is available for those who are thirteen and up, runs $80 per person and can be booked through the So Diego Tours website.

Courtesy of Musement

Little Italy – Vino! Vino!

This one is for the big kids! Do you want to skip the Little Italy food tour? Take a guided wine tour of Little Italy and learn about wines from California, Italy and all over the world. Of course, you can expect to take in stories of times gone by as you sip and savor the day away in this wine tour. Reservations are available for Vino! Vino! Wine Tasting Tour for those who are age twenty-one and up at $120 per person and can be booked through the So Diego Tours website.

Courtesy of Musement

La Jolla – Sip, Savor and Sea: La Jolla Food and Drink Walking Tour

Known as the Jewel of San Diego, La Jolla is a beautiful beachside community bustling with eateries and boutique shops. Join our San Diego walking tours and take a stroll through La Jolla Cove and Village while stopping to try the area’s top restaurants and being entertained by stories of the women who settled the area. The Sip, Savor and Sea food and drink tour is suitable for those who are aged thirteen and up, will run $120 per person and is available to be booked through the So Diego Tours website.

Courtesy of Eventbrite

Want to head just south of the border to where San Diego gets much of its flavorful influence?

Tijuana – Mexican Street Food, Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego

This full day guided tour offered by Border Tours escorts you from San Diego to Tijuana to taste quick service food packed with flavor. During this delicious food tour, you’ll be guided through the Tijuana street-food scene to sample bites like authentic tacos, elote, and fresh fruit prepared with a kick. After you’ve had your fill, you’ll visit a craft tap room or an authentic Mexican cantina, where you can sample the margaritas. This Mexican Street Food 7-hour excursion runs $129 per person and can be booked through the Border Tours website.

Courtesy of Eater

There are plenty of reasons to take a San Diego tour, and even if you’re a local, you can learn a thing or two about San Diego that you had never heard before. With so many new restaurants and the ever-changing foodie scene, reserving a guided culinary tour of San Diego is definitely one of the best ways to experience the area. Not to mention when you book through So Diego Tours, you’re helping support a women-owned small business that goes above and beyond to provide an experience that will stick with you for years to come.

Written by: Aleeza

Aleezah Davenport is a native San Diegan, and a second generation PLNU alumna. She enjoys exploring the city, and taking her girls out for dinner on the cliffs at Sunset Cliffs. Writing about San Diego provides her the opportunity to learn more about the local scene, and share her newfound knowledge about her hometown – two of the things she loves most. She enjoys sharing her passions with readers, and is excited to be writing for a platform that provides fun information to a large audience.