San Diego

Gaslamp Quarter Food and Drink Tour: Brothels, Bites & Booze

Badge of ExcellenceSan Diego, USA

Brothels Bites and Booze A Culinary Tour of San Diegos Questionable Past

2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the best eats in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego on a walking tour with an expert guide who shares the inside scoop on the district's hopping restaurant and bar scene. Sample delicious dishes at several eateries, sip drinks, and learn about the history of the district as you discover its latest incarnation as a top nightlife destination. Colorful stories shared by your guide make the history of San Diego come to life on this 2.5-hour tour.

2.5-hour food and walking tour of the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego
Discover the seedy history of the Gaslamp Quarter
Enjoy food samples at four restaurants
Sample drinks at three stops
See where the early 'women of the night' worked

What's Included

Food tasting
Drink samples

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

209 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
We meet guests under the Gaslamp Quarter Sign on the Hard Rock Hotel side of the street (209 5th Avenue)

End point

Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
The tour will end at the last stop somewhere in the Gaslamp Quarter neighborhood.

What To Expect

After meeting your guide in the Gaslamp Quarter, set out on your food and walking tour of this vibrant nightlife district, which covers 16 square blocks in the the historic heart of San Diego.

Your guide outlines the scope of the impressive local restaurant and bar scene, and takes you into top eateries to taste their delicious fare. As you stroll at a leisurely pace, pass some of the 150 bars and restaurant, and 94 registered historic buildings in the Gaslamp Quarter. Hear about the origins of this neighborhood, including its notoriety for its red light district when San Diego started out, and illegal booze-running during Prohibition. The area has undergone significant renewal in the past two decades after falling into disrepair in the mid-1900s.

Please note: restaurants may change and are subject to availability.

Gaslamp Quarter

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Minimum age is 18 years
Not wheelchair accessible
There is a minimum of 4 passengers to operate. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 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.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

537 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 537 reviews

Rich history

Eric_L, Apr 2024

We enjoyed all of the history we learned about downtown San Diego. The food and drinks were amazing.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Great news! Thank you for joining us!

We love Raul !!! Great tour !

Jaeliz_A, Apr 2024

Raul was so knowledgeable and friendly. He brought us to some really cool spots and shared history about the drinks/ food we had. He was an amazing guide.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. We love Raul, too! He's a great guide, and we're happy you enjoyed the experience in the Gaslamp.

Anna and some great...

Cynthia_L, Apr 2024

Anna and some great stories and made the tour so much fun! Definitely would recommend it to someone looking to explore the town!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We're so happy you enjoyed your time with us!

We had such a great time...

Mattison_U, Apr 2024

We had such a great time on our tour. The food and drinks were delicious and we learned a lot. Raul was our guide and he was very knowledgeable and kind. Loved learning the history. Would definitely recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We're thrilled to find that you had such a great time with Raul! Thank you for taking the time to review our small business.

good tour

Keir_A, Apr 2024

Did the tour with my wife. Raul was the host. Very informative, interesting and engaging and good food. Would recommend

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for joining us! :)

Good food and fun stories

Ryan_B, Apr 2024

We went on this tour on an incredibly busy night because of the Billy Joel/Sting concert. The first restaurant we visited had trouble finding a space for us. Aparna handled this wonderfully, and we were eventually seated. The food was great. The rest of the tour went smoothly. The food and drinks were delicious (especially the ice cream!), and Aparna's stories about how San Diego got started were entertaining.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for the great review, we are so happy you had a good time despite how busy it was due to the concert!

Excellent tour. Highly recommend.

Serrena_C, Apr 2024

Our guide (Aparna) was excellent. Highly recommend. I've done a dozen of these food walking tours all over the world and this was one of the better ones.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

This makes us so happy! Thank you for the support of our small local business - we hope to see you on another tour soon!

A wonderful taste of the Gaslamp Quarter

Johny_D, Apr 2024

Our guide Apurna was very knowledgeable about the area's history and the food was amazing at all locations.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for the great review! I'm so happy that you enjoyed your time with Aparna!

Super Yummy Walk Through Gaslamp

Christine_F, Apr 2024

The food and drink stops on this tour were really, really good! Great way to try some different restaurants.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We agree that a food tour is the perfect way to try a few different restaurants rather than selecting just one for dinner! Thank you for joining us!

Good food, good vibes!

Amanda_O, Mar 2024

This tour was so much fun. Raul was an excellent tour guide & really helped create a fun & inviting atmosphere! I really enjoyed all of the food and drinks!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you so much for choosing to experience our tour! We're so happy you enjoyed your time with us in the Gaslamp Quarter!

Great choice for food. ...

Tabitha_J, Feb 2024

Great choice for food. Ana was very knowledgeable about the history of the area and made the experience enjoyable.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We are so happy you enjoyed your experience with Aparna (aka Ana)! Thank you for supporting our small local business!

Wonderful

sandeesi, Feb 2024

Excellent guide group and experience highly recommend would do it again perfect way to learn the area

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a great review! We're happy you enjoyed yourself.

Best way to become an expert on Gaslamp Quarter

Jackson_H, Feb 2024

Raoul was an excellent guide. He added valuable context as to the history and architecture in the Quarter. Food stops were all wonderful.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to review our tour and Raul! We're so happy you had a great time!

Wonderful experience!

Brian_P, Feb 2024

Our tour guide, Ben, was very personable and knowledgeable about the history of the Gas Lamp District. He shared fun stories and facts about different buildings and people. We stopped at three restaurants for a unique cocktail and food tasting. All were good. We ended with an ice cream treat. I would highly recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for joining us in the Gaslamp Quarter. We are happy you enjoyed the time with Ben! Thank you for the great review!

One of the best food tours

Alan_D, Jan 2024

The food and drink were excellent, and Ben's knowledge of the area, and his enthusiasm made the tour very special.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

We are so happy that you enjoyed your tour with Ben! He's such a great person to have on our team! Thank you for joining us!

We loved it!

Cynthia_M, Jan 2024

Despite the rain, we very much enjoyed this tour. The food and drinks were excellent, with the Greek quesadilla being our favorite. Scott was a fabulous tour guide, filling us in on all the Gaslamp Quarter's history. We highly recommend this tour if you are looking for something fun to do in San Diego.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for braving the rain in San Diego!

Fabulous Tour

Monica_C, Jan 2024

This was a very nice tour through old town San Diego. We stopped at some great places and all were very good food and drink samples. Sampled different types of tacos and margaritas that were amazing. We walked through some historic areas including the cemetery, and a haunted house. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

It's so great to find that you had a great time on our tour! Thank you for taking the time to write about it!

One of the best experiences we’ve had…

Shirley_N, Nov 2023

We celebrated our sisters “bachelorette” in San Diego and decided to do something different. This tour was fabulous. The food was so different and delicious. Each of us had our favorite spot. Scott, was our guide and was great. We not only would do this again, but highly recommend it. It a wonderful way to see and taste restaurants that we wouldn’t otherwise know about.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for taking the time to write such a great review, Shirley! I'm so happy you had a great time with Scott.

awesome tour

Gwen_T, Oct 2023

the history was awesome. she did a great job. food was amazing. we didnt know it was a walking tour but loved it. Amy was awesome.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for the great review! I'm happy you enjoyed your time with Amy! She's a sweetheart!

This chair needs to be re-evaluate. The drinks in the food or definitely not worth the money.

Mary_G, Oct 2023

The wine was a sangria. Really? The next drink was a small cocktail glass of a margarita and the final alcohol drink was 2 ounces of a dessert mixture. The food was a five out of 10 at best. $90 a person was definitely not worth it. You could go and have a nice restaurant somewhere for a lot less. I will say, Ben, art guide, was very nice, but the total experience was not worth the money.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Hi Mary. Thank you for sharing your concerns. Our food tour is by no means a gourmet offering, but it showcases some fun and tasty items from our restaurants. You should have been served a Greek quesadilla, which is a fusion item. It's a fresh pita wrapped around gyro meat, sautéed veggies and a 3 cheese blend. The second item was a filet mignon taco topped with guacamole, cabbage and pickled onions, and last a Rotisserie chicken sandwich on French baguette with house coleslaw, chipotle aioli, and pickle. Our 4th stop is a local ice cream shop with over 50 flavors to choose from - all made locally, and the size is quite large. For the drinks, we don't promote selecting your own drinks for the tour portion, and don't mention anywhere about wine selections on this tour. I'm sorry the tour did not meet your expectations.

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