San Francisco is a lovable, eclectic oddball of a place. The streets are lined with postcard-perfect houses, filled with art and paved with history. From the hippie movement, to Harvey Milk’s LGBTQ+ legacy, to the wealth of tech entrepreneurs flooding in from Silicon Valley, San Francisco’s past and present speaks volumes about the cultural significance of this humble, foggy city. But its appeal doesn’t just lie in its history; it also lies in its people, art, music, and – what we’re all here for – food! If you’re new to a city, or you just don’t really know where to begin in terms of what your hometown has to offer your belly, food tours are a great way to get fed whilst seeing the sights. Cutting out all the boring parts, food tours curate a route for their guests that hits all the best spots in town with no filler, no dawdling, and no waiting. Just sightseeing, walking, and a lot of great good.

We’ve rounded up our favorite culinary tours of San Francisco below, so whether you’re treating yourself or buying a gift for a loved one, we’re sure you’ll find something that gets the best grub out of the golden city.

1. Gourmet Culinary Tour of San Francisco – $63

There is so much good food to be had in San Francisco, so forget the tedious guesswork of compiling the best places, and embark on a culinary expedition like no other! This culinary walking tour will take you on an adventure filled with food and fun through a San Francisco neighborhood of your choosing. Whether you go for the North Beach/Little Italy or Chinatown tour, you will be led by an experienced and passionate guide to the most delicious spots around. If you choose to explore North Beach and Little Italy, you can expect to enjoy an eclectic roster of culinary delights including fresh roasted coffee, focaccia sandwiches, chocolate truffles, pizza cooked in a 125-year-old brick oven, pastries, deli delights and much more. On the Chinatown tour, you’ll explore the Chinese markets, discover how fortune cookies are made, enjoy plenty of Dim Sum, visit a Buddhist temple, and try out Chinese cookware – among a lot of other fun stuff. If you can’t decide between the two neighborhoods, just select the Night tour to explore both!

2. Ferry Building Market Food Tour – $79

You’ll experience a delightful mix of flavors on this 2-hour guided food tour of the iconic Ferry Building Marketplace, a world-class public food market. Head out to the Embarcadero, where you’ll meet your food guide and the rest of the group. The tour will begin its journey into the heart of this well-loved landmark, home to the city’s best artisans who have made it their life’s work to keep hunger at bay in The Bay Area! Meet the fascinating and nationally-acclaimed vendors who call this marketplace home, and learn the history of the Ferry Building, originally built in 1989. From here, you’ll sample a variety of incredible sweet and savory offerings from handmade chocolate confections, to Vietnamese spring rolls, to award winning cheese. Trust us, no stone is left unturned in this fabulous culinary adventure.

3. Mission District Food Tour – $115

The Mission District is one of San Francisco’s oldest areas. With a colorful history behind it, this ever-evolving neighborhood is spreading its wings out into the culinary present with a huge range of contemporary eateries and bars, its artistic temperament successfully luring in creative chefs from all over the world. Learn about the history of the Mission District as you take part in this fantastic food tour, stopping at some of the most popular spots in town. For an eclectic mix of old and new, choose the 18^th street tour, which will treat you to handmade ice cream, a hidden wine bar, and the king of all sandwiches: the mighty Banh Mi. If you’d prefer a more authentic experience, choose the 24^th Street Tour for a diverse array of dishes from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and far beyond.

4. Pleasanton Culinary Class – $88

Are you looking to expand your skills in the kitchen? (Listen, it’s not that we don’t like instant ramen, we just think you can do better than that.) Luckily for you, this cooking class in Alameda is led by professional chefs who are passionate about helping you to broaden your culinary skills and discover new ways of putting food on the table.

You can choose from a hands-on or demonstration cookery class. Whichever you choose, you’ll be learning from the best, so get your fetching chef hat on and start taking notes! If you choose a hands-on class, you can pick from an ever-changing range of cuisines and cooking styles. These classes are focused on helping you achieve results in the kitchen, with an emphasis on accessible ingredients and time-saving techniques. During the demonstration classes, you’ll learn from executive chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors and more. They’ll share insider tips, tools and techniques, and you can enjoy tasting their delicious creations.

There’s nothing like eating a meal that you made from scratch, and these classes demonstrate the best of San Francisco’s culinary elite, so get to know the city through food!

5. TenderNob Food Tour – $89

The TenderNob District is the heart of San Francisco’s culinary scene, so where better to discover the city’s best food? This incredible guided food tour will take you on a journey through the area’s most interesting and innovative restaurants. You’ll meet your guide in the heart of the TenderNob district, which is bordered by Nob Hill, Union Square, Tenderloin and Van Ness Street. This up-and-coming neighborhood was once an undesirable part of the city, but its recent flood of delicious eateries and hip bars makes it a magnetic spot for locals and tourists to come and relax. With a focus on ethnic eateries, this tour will cover a huge range of Bay Area bites, including dumplings and Pho, mouth-watering barbecue, tacos, and coconut ice cream! Make sure to bring an empty belly, because it won’t stay that way for long…

6. San Francisco Bread Making Workshop – $90

Is there anything better than bread? (There isn’t, so don’t even try to think of it.) The only thing better than eating bread is eating bread that you baked yourself… fresh, doughy and comforting, homemade bread is the staple of any baker’s repertoire. This two-hour bread making workshop will show you how to hone your bread baking skills and carry the homemade doughy goodness into your kitchen at home. You can choose from one of three delicious classes.

Whether you’re a baker at the top of your game or need a little help refining, these bread baking workshops are perfect for all skill levels. They’ll teach you how to get the best out of your ingredients, and even include tips on time, temperature, hydration, and expansion. Taught by friendly and professional bread artisans (yes, that’s a real job, and no, we don’t know how you go about becoming one, sorry) you can enjoy easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction on how to achieve the featured bread technique. All classes end with a tasting so you can sample the results of your work!

7. Sonoma County Wine Tour – $164

You like drinking wine (we assume, because you’re a human being) – now it’s time to discover how it’s made! This incredible full day Sonoma County Wine Tour will take you on a unique seven-hour journey through four boutique wineries, offering the very best in Californian wine.

You’ll meet your expert wine guide at the start of the tour, and after a brief introduction they’ll take you and the other guests to Kunde Winery, where you’ll experience a wine cave tour! Next, you’ll head over to the Sonoma wine region and visit at least three more wineries, where you’ll go behind the scenes to discover how your favourite (we assume) drink is really made. Don’t worry, you won’t just be learning about wine, there’ll be plenty of tastings to take part in as well. While you savor these exceptional samples from the county’s best wineries, you’ll also gain tips on how to properly taste wine, how to make your own, and why it grows so well in Sonoma. Cheers to that!

8. Honey Tasting Beekeeping Workshop – $90

This unique Bay Area beekeeper workshop and tasting will introduce you to the fascinating world of bees, honey and the hive – taught by the best beekeepers in the business! You’ll meet your beekeeping guide at either Livermore or Felton, CA, depending on which of these venues you choose.

Bees are majestic, fruitful little fuzz-balls who do an inordinate amount for our environment, and you’ll learn all about their adorable impact on the planet during this two-hour beekeeping demonstration. Your resident beekeepers will regale you with fascinating insights from four generations of beekeeping spanning 100 years. You’ll observe how honey is produced, learning each step of the process. From the importance of nectar to the pollination of flowers, wild bee colonies and beehives, this thorough introduction to beekeeping will teach you everything you need to know. Once the demonstration is over, you’ll be treated to an hour-long honey and wine tasting – and it’ll taste even sweeter with your newfound knowledge in-hand! An experience as truly unique as the city itself!

9. Sacramento Craft Beer Train – $90

All aboard! This Sacramento River Train experience takes guests on a picture-perfect journey through Old River Road, all while enjoying tasty craft beers and a delicious meal.

You’ll begin your experience by boarding the River Train, where you’ll be presented with your beer sampling glass. Take a seat, get comfortable and gaze out on the scenery while you head down Old River Road. From here, you may walk freely to visit any of the four tasting stations, each offering two different cold beers. A crisp, refreshing beer in the sunshine is hard to beat, so why not take advantage of any of the open air cars available on the train? Absorb the fresh air while you sip your craft brew, or take a seat at your table in the enclosed car. You’ll be served a delicious meal on board the train, and will be able to enjoy the live band performing while you eat. A truly Californian evening out!

10. Japantown Food Tour – $110

In true, trendy San Francisco style, this city is home to one of the only three remaining Japantowns in the United States, so get ahead of the curve and take advantage of the adventurous flavors on offer during this 3-hour guided food tour!

Everyone (well, okay, everyone with functional tastebuds anyway) loves Japanese food – but is what we’re eating authentic? During your Japantown food tour, you’ll discover the real secrets of this sought-after cuisine, and delight in flavors that are unique to Japanese cooking. Meet your enthusiastic guide in the heart of this historic neighborhood, and after a brief introduction, they’ll take you on a journey through culture, history and flavor. Follow them through the ethnic markets, mom and pop shops, and even some hidden gems that the locals themselves don’t know about! (Shh, can you keep a secret?)

While you fill your belly with mouth-watering morsels from six to seven eateries across Japantown, your guide will fill your mind with the colourful past of this historic area. Some of the delights you can expect to sample on this tour include sweet potato lattes, okonomiyaki (Japanese frittata), a sweet and savory mochi from one of Japantown’s first businesses, and authentic Masala dosa with chutney.

11. Oakland Food Tours – $110

“There is no there there” – Gertrude Stein on Oakland

Gertrude Stein famously wrote this about her home city of Oakland after returning to visit as an adult. She found that the farmhouse she had spent her childhood in no longer existed, and had instead been replaced by several more houses as the area urbanised and expanded.

Interpret this quote however you like, but it’s certainly representative of Oakland’s ever-changing, ever-shifting cultural landscape. The city is filled with people from all different walks of life, many of whom bring with them the gift of their country’s cuisine, meaning that Oakland is filled with delicious and authentic culinary offerings from all over the world.

Choose one of two 3-hour walking tours, eating your way through either Uptown or Temescal – and discover the amazing flavors of Oakland! You’ll meet your local guide and the rest of the guests in your chosen neighborhood, before being shown to a variety of local eateries. Learn why (despite some shade from Gertrude Stein) Oakland has become a top travel destination, and sample an assortment of creative dishes. If you choose the Temescal tour, you can expect to try a diverse array of tastings including Indian street food, authentic Ethiopian dishes, Korean rice bowls, grilled mac and cheese and much more (if you can manage it!) On the Uptown tour you will enjoy empanadas with handmade heirloom corn tortillas, chocolate-covered bars, and house-made craft beer.

12. San Francisco Craft Cocktail Tours – $121

Anyone for a cocktail? (Trick question: the answer’s always yes.) During this three-hour Craft Cocktail Tour in San Francisco, you won’t just be drinking cocktails (although that’s a big part of it), you’ll be mixing them as well! You’ll meet your guide and local cocktail artist downtown, where they’ll show you how to mix up your own bitters. Bitters are an essential component of any good mixologist’s drinks cabinet, so learn how to create this essential ingredient from scratch – and pimp your own drinks at home! You’ll take your bitters with you in a custom-made jam jar. Next, you’ll head over to some of the hottest bars in the city, where you’ll sip on some innovative off-menu cocktails carefully crafted by San Francisco’s best bartenders. While you sip your one-of-a-kind creations, you’ll feast on Banh Mi sandwiches (AKA the sandwich king, as we have already established) and learn about the art of mixology. When you’ve concluded your creative, delicious and fun tour, you’re sure to understand why this city has become one of the most popular drinking destinations in the country.

13. Farmers Market Tour and Culinary Class – $235

Discover the art of shopping at the farmers market with this Napa Farmers Market Tour and Cooking Class. Join Chef Julie for a tour of one of three farmers markets, followed by a three-course cooking class and wine pairing. You’ll meet the chef bright and early at either the Napa, St. Helena or Oxbow Farmers Markets. Here, you’ll discover why the popularity of farmers markets has seen a rise in recent years as plenty of Americans ditch the big supermarkets for locally-grown produce. Browse through the stalls and receive a chef’s unique perspective on how to create gourmet dishes using in-season ingredients. Once the ingredients have been hand-picked, you and the rest of the group will return to Julie’s kitchen, where you will learn to prepare an incredible three-course meal using produce fresh from the market! Perfectly paired with Napa wines, this gourmet lunch will then be enjoyed either on the beautiful outdoor patio, or in the elegant dining room set with china, linen, silver and fresh flowers.

… Thank you for reading!

Thank you! We hope you’ve found a culinary gift to suit the tastes of your favorite foodie, or something to help you navigate your way around the Bay Area with food. San Francisco is such a diverse, interesting city offering cuisines and culture from all over the world. We hope one of our tours helps you take advantage of this incredible place – but remember, if you haven’t found what you’re looking for, you can always browse our entire range of culinary gifts in San Francisco here. If you’ve got any thoughts of your own about the food in San Francisco, please feel free to leave a comment! Most importantly, happy eating.