Delve deeper into the food and multicultural history of Manhattan’s Lower East Side than you could alone on this small-group walking tour. Rather than guessing at eateries and foods to try, let a guide showcase local hotspots and specialties; and chart their European, Jewish, and other cultural roots. Taste snacks such as “knish” doughballs, “bialy” filled rolls, and more; and learn stories of 19th-century immigrant life that many travelers miss.

Explore the foods and history of the Lower East Side on a walking tour
Skip guesswork: let a guide introduce you to must-try eateries and snacks
Try “bialy” rolls, pickles, and more; and unpack the area’s immigrant past
Stop by the Tenement Museum and enjoy tastings that amount to a full meal

What's Included

Bottled water
Local guide
Lunch

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Katz's Delicatessen
205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002, USA
This NYC institution is the home of the worlds greatest pastrami.

Start time

10:30 AM

End point

Doughnut Plant
379 Grand St, New York, NY 10002, USA
They beat Bobby Flay in a throw down for good reason. These doughnuts are to die for.

What To Expect

Katz's Delicatessen

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lower East Side (Pass By)

Vanessa's Dumpling House

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Essex Street Market

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Pickle Guys

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Economy Candy

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kossar's Bagels & Bialys (LES)

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Rain or shine
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Dress code is casual

Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Vegetarian option is available, please advise when you meet your guide
Please advise any specific dietary/allergy requirements when you meet your guide
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

jgherman

Adam was a fantastic guide. He was fun to be with, had a great sense of humor, and his deep knowledge of the history and multicultural flavor of the neighborhood opened our eyes to a part of New York that should not be missed. Great selection of must-experience food stops along the way. Bring your appetite!

Reviews

5.0

526 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 526 reviews

Pastrami with Ian

Brendan_F, Apr 2024

Great sampling of foods with good info on local history. Ian was a fun, knowledgeable guide. Pastrami, dumplings, bagels…

Tasty and Fun

David_S, Apr 2024

We got to taste some great food. Our tour guide was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and knew all the owners and introduced them to us. He made the group comfortable with each other. We would do it again.

Highly recommended!

Dana_V, Apr 2024

Thoroughly enjoyed the food tour mixed with the local history. Our guide was knowledgeable and fun and made navigating the neighborhood and food establishments a breeze.

Great tour!

Lauren_M, Mar 2024

All the food we had was delicious! I do wish we had gone in reverse order and started with donuts and ended with pastrami since we began at 10:30am. Emilliene was a great tour guide!

Fantastic foodie experience

Kate_K, Mar 2024

Great tour, small group size and a great way to see and learn about the lower east side! Tour guide Adam was very knowledgeable. Would recommend!

Great intro into NYC food with an awesome guide

Michael_W, Mar 2024

Andy leads a great intro to the area visiting some of the great traditional institutions. Andy was some welcoming and friendly and keen for everyone to have an awesome time. A great NYC experience!

Great tour & great food!

Victoria_G, Mar 2024

It was an awesome tour! Emmeline was really knowledgable about both NY and the stops/food we had. There is a lot of food, thankfully we skipped breakfast! Would highly recommend this tour!

Fun, Delicious, and Belly Filling Walk Through Lower East Side

Bruce_J, Feb 2024

Katz's pastrami at 10:30 am, Russ' rugelach, Vanessa's scrumptious dumplings, Pickle Guy's pickled cukes and pickled pineapple (!!!), donuts, bagels, Essex Marketplace, Economy Candy! Adam and his guest, Russ, were excellent hosts! Just three of us had a great personalized tour, with great food and conversation. Highly recommend!

Great experience

jsilversteinmd, Feb 2024

Great walking tour of different iconic eateries on the lower east side. Tour guide very friendly and knowledgeable. We all had a great time. Highly recommend

Fantastic Tour - Fun with Adam

Sam_M, Dec 2023

We had a fantastic time and appreciate our Tour Guide, Adam coming out with us in the rain and not so pleasant weather. Started at Katz’s Deli and enjoyed the pastrami and got to know each other. Since we ended up as a small group of just us - grandparents and grandson we felt like being showed around by family. My highlight was Adam and the Pickle Guy joshing around and busting each others chops, in a friendly cross Borough way. Food was great, I’m wrecked for store bought bagels here on the West Coast and we had a wonderful experience to go with the tasting.

Lower East Side Tour

Colleen_B, Dec 2023

Evelyne was a great guide and made the whole group feel comfortable. The food was great and we learned a lot.

Wonderful tour

Laina_S, Nov 2023

The food was delicious. Emmalene was friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended. Loved the history of this neighborhood.

Lower East Side culture

Charles_S, Nov 2023

Adam, the tour guide, kept the walk lively and informative with his in-depth knowledge of the lower east side food stops we made on this tour. He actively engaged each participant in the group, and answered all the questions presented to him. His commitment to make the experience memorable was evident from the beginning straight through to the last stop. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an "insider's" knowledge combined with a warm, personable style of communicating.

Great LES walking food tour!

Nancy_G, Nov 2023

Adam was an incredible tour guide! So relaxed, personable, conversational and knowledgeable!! Really enjoyed the experience, learning about the area and, of course, the food!!

Very informative and...

Brandon_A, Oct 2023

Very informative and enjoyable. We had a great time taking in the sights and flavors of the area! Would definitely recommend!

Would recommend

LoriV, Aug 2023

Tour guide was fantastic. Lots of different spots with a great variety of sweet and savory. My group all had a great time and would recommend

Fantastic LES Food Tour

Quinci_M, Aug 2023

So great! Every location was a hit, and Ian (with Nice Guys Tours) was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. The portions were generous - come hungry! I especially appreciate that Ian recommended additional attractions nearby that were beyond the scope of the tour but worth checking out. This tour is a definite hit!

Great food and great guide - just go!

Ronald_C, Jul 2023

I'm a little late posting this review as my visit was in May 2023, but I had such an enjoyable time on this food tour that I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to praise our guide, Dante, and the wonderful walking tour he has put together. There was such an incredible variety of foods to sample - Jewish staples like the pastrami at Katz's Deli and rugelach at Russ & Daughters, Chinese dumplings, candy, guided olive oil and balsamic vinegar tastings, delicious donuts, fresh bagels and locally produced pickles. We had so much delicious food and were stuffed by the end. Dante is a warm and welcoming host who is clearly very knowledgeable about the history of the community and passionate about food. He set everyone in our small tour group immediately at ease and got us all chatting excitedly with one another about the flavours of the lower east side and the history of the neighbourhood. What a wonderful way to spend half a day in NYC!

Great food tour

Howard_O, Jul 2023

We had a wonderful food tour. We ate at all the original restaurants and our tour guide Adam, was very knowledgeable. He knew all of the history of the area and the restaurants and the families that started and still owned them. From Katz’s deli, Vanessa’s Dumplings, the pickle guy, doughnut plant, the bagel place (I can’t remember the name) and economy candy, we had a tasty and satisfying day. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting some history and great food.

Well worth it!!

Gary_S, Jul 2023

Fantastic selection of a variety of foods. Adam was also an amazing guide with relevant information regarding food and the district. Totally worth the $$. You leave with a full stomach.

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