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Food tours: what to eat and which tour to book

City-by-city food guides with the dishes worth eating, the markets and neighbourhoods to eat them in, and real food tours compared by price, length and group size.

How to choose a food tour

Length and how hungry you are. Most walking food tours run three to four hours and replace a full meal; book one for lunch or dinner, not right after breakfast. Shorter market tours (two to three hours) suit mornings, when stalls are fullest.

Group size. Under ten people means you can ask questions and actually stand at the counter. Groups of fifteen or more move slower and tend to eat at places set up for tours.

Street food, sit-down or cooking class. Street-food walks are the cheapest way to try many dishes in one go. Sit-down tours trade variety for wine and a proper meal. A cooking class is the one to pick if you want to repeat a dish at home or you have dietary needs, since you control what goes in.

Dietary needs. Tell the operator when you book, not on the day. Vegetarian versions are common; gluten-free and halal are harder on street-food routes. Each city guide notes what is realistic.

When to book. Small-group evening tours in Rome, Lisbon, Barcelona, Tokyo and Mexico City sell out days ahead in high season. Most listings allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before — check before you pay.

Every tour in these guides is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, with the length, group size and price we saw when we checked. Prices change with season and exchange rates, so confirm on the booking page.