Discover the delectable highlights of Sarasota's thriving dining scene on this small-group, dinnertime tasting tour. Meet your guide in central Sarasota, and come with an appetite: you'll visit up to five local restaurants, and will enjoy enough samples to add up to a generous meal (alcoholic drinks additional expense). As you go, soak up the convivial atmosphere, and learn more about Sarasota's unique culture and culinary offerings.

Feel like a local when you follow your guide to popular Sarasota restaurants
This gourmet tasting tour includes a generous range of samples
Soak up the city's ambiance when you explore on foot
A small-group tour makes for a personalized dining experience

What's Included

Dinner
Personal Tour Guide
Scenic Walk
Stops at 4-5 different stops

Gratuities for your tour guide (recommend 10-20% of purchase price).
Alcoholic beverages not included
Additional parking fee for $3 for the next 2-3 hours and $1 per hour after

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

State Street Parking Garage
1538 State St, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA
Meet outside of State Street Garage outside of the elevators next to Rise & Nye's. Your guide will be waiting with a big smile at 3:30 p.m. The first 2 hours is complementary parking, $3 for hours 2 and 3 and $1 additional per hour after.

Start time

03:30 PM

End point

Gelato-go Sarasota
14 S Orange Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA
We will give you instructions on how to get back to State Street Parking Garage from this location.

What To Expect

Sarasota, Florida Relocation (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

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Q:How many locations do we visit on the Downtown Walking Food Tour in Sarasota?

A:We will stop at 4 or 5 different family-owned restaurants meeting local artisans and eating unique foods hand-picked by state-of-the-art chefs.

Mar 2021

Q:Is there parking near the departure point for the Downtown Walking Food Tour in Sarasota?

A:Yes. The tour departs from the State Street Parking Garage. There may be a fee to park in the garage.

Mar 2021

Traveler Photos

Featured review

SusanC

I’ve been on food tours all over the country and this one was one of the best. Julie our guide made it special with her knowledge of Sarasota. The mix of restaurants was great and we went back to one of them the following night for dinner with our friends.

Reviews

4.5

142 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 142 reviews

Food was just okay

Deb_M, Apr 2024

Our guide Kelley was the best thing about the trip The Italian restaurant was great. Next one had sushi with fish, which we don’t eat so we had nothing but adamane beans. Got nothing extra to make up the meal that we didn’t get ~ kind of thought it was a rip off. should’ve asked if people like seafood not everyone likes sushi Wouldn’t go again

Super Great History & Food Tour

Cary_B, Apr 2024

Kelley was amazing! She went above and beyond to make sure we enjoyed the food (which we did). Her knowledge of the history of Sarasota and the way she explained it was outstanding!

Great experience in Sarasota.

SusanC, Apr 2024

Wonderful history of Sarasotas cultural scene

Suzanne_E, Mar 2024

Kelly has an impressive repertoire of history and stories of Sarasota to share. Food was good not great. The meatballs in the marinara were a fave!

Smooth and informative

Bob_H, Mar 2024

My expectation was less quanity and higher quality. The food was relatively pedestrian. It was interesting to see the drawings in John Ringlings former office above one of the restaurants. Our guide was well researched. The stop at the art gallery was a bit of a collusion. We are happy to have done it.

Go for it!

Lissa_R, Mar 2024

Food was delicious, guide very personable and knowledgeable. Other participants friendly and fun. Fell in love with Sarasota

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We're thrilled to hear that you had such a wonderful experience! It's fantastic that you found the food delicious and enjoyed the company of both the knowledgeable guide and the other participants. Falling in love with Sarasota sounds like the perfect outcome of such an enjoyable tour!

Friendly knowledgeable...

Robert_K, Mar 2024

Friendly knowledgeable guide. Great selection of food offerings. A pleasant way to get to know history of Sarasota.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for sharing your positive experience! It's great to hear that you enjoyed the friendly and knowledgeable guide, as well as the delicious food options.

Totally Enchanting Evening!

Marcia_M, Mar 2024

Kelly, our guide, was absolutely fabulous. We so enjoyed the evening due to her knowledge and enthusiasm. Met wonderful people and enjoyed making connections. Food was good, but it was really Kelly that made the evening so special. Specialty drinks were terrific and the gelato at the end was to die for!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for your glowing review! We're delighted to hear that Kelly made your evening so enjoyable with her knowledge and enthusiasm. It's wonderful to know that you not only enjoyed the food and drinks but also made meaningful connections during your experience. We'll be sure to pass along your compliments to Kelly. We agree, the gelato at the end is indeed a delightful treat! We look forward to hosting you again for another memorable adventure.

Fantastic tour of Sarasota

Cliff_B, Feb 2024

Kelly was extremely nice, provided so much interesting history information! She also had photos to enhance the historical Perspective. The restaurants she chose for us to experience were spot on! A terrific tour! Thank you Kelly!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for sharing your positive experience! Kelly is an exceptional tour guide, combining fascinating historical insights with good restaurant choices. It's great to hear that you had such a terrific time. We'll be sure to pass along your gratitude to Kelly!

Fun time, good food!

Leisa_R, Feb 2024

The food was excellent, the Ringling office with his etchings was very interesting, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for your review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the excellent food and found the Ringling office with its etchings to be interesting. It's wonderful to know that our tour guide was able to provide you with knowledgeable and informative insights. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again soon!

Fun time on the food tour!

Colleen_C, Feb 2024

The food was amazing! (Planning a lunch at one of the restaurants next week with friends!). Christine, our guide was terrific, extremely knowledgeable about history, architecture and of course, the food! Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the culinary delights on our tour and that you're already planning to revisit one of the restaurants with friends. It's fantastic to know that our tour left such a lasting impression. We're delighted that Christine's expertise and passion for history, architecture, and food enhanced your experience. Providing knowledgeable and engaging guides is a top priority for us, and we're glad that Christine exceeded your expectations. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we truly appreciate you spreading the word about your positive experience. We can't wait to welcome you and your friends back for another memorable dining adventure!

Get to know Sarasota and meet other visitors.

Heidi_H, Jan 2024

There are nice people everywhere and several different couples were all in our group. The walking part was just right between stops and the variety of stops was great. By the end of the evening you get plenty to eat. Several stops had a limited variety of cocktails and wine offered to complement the food pairings but there was also a full drink menu available. Be prepared for the weather which can have a cool breeze in the evening for the time walking outside.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the company of the diverse group on our tour. Creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all our guests is one of our top priorities. We're glad to hear that the walking portion of the tour was just right, allowing you to comfortably explore between stops. Offering a variety of stops is something we strive for, and we're pleased that you found it to be great. It's fantastic to know that by the end of the evening, you felt satisfied with the amount of food provided. Thank you for the reminder about being prepared for the weather. Ensuring our guests' comfort and safety is paramount, and we appreciate your thoughtful advice for future participants. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back on another culinary adventure soon!

A must do - food walking tour

MaryJo_H, Sep 2023

Kelley was very knowledgeable and interesting. Kelley made sure those of us with food allergies had awesome food to ear. Food at all locations was awesome.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Mary, thank you for sharing your experience with us! Hope to see you again soon!

Great food and history!

Brendan_E, Aug 2023

The food on this tour was really good and we loved the history of some restaurants. The food was a lot and more than our family could eat. Kelley did an amazing job of keeping up a good pace, while stopping for Sarasota history and picture opportunities. It was really enjoyable!

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you for booking with us and sharing your experience.

Definitely a must try , 5/5 tour.

Srdjan_S, Jun 2023

The tour was great , Kelley was a great guide. We enjoyed learning the history of Sarasota and the food was great. We would definitely suggest this tour to anyone in the city as it really shows you nice parts of the city and gives you ideas for new place to try.

Would do it again!

Alice_S, Apr 2023

Great fun! Kelly was full of great history!it was fun to try different foods. The city was very nice. Can’t wait to go back!

Response from Host, May 2023

So happy you enjoyed the tour. We will see you again soon!

Dining and historical...

Patricia_S, Apr 2023

Dining and historical information was so enjoyable Our group of six all had a wonderful experience. Our tour guide was fantastic and accommodating and took us to many unexpected stops along the way.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for sharing your experience with us and others. We appreciate it!

Highly recommend

Amanda_R, Apr 2023

Great time! Kelley was knowledgeable and a fun tour guide. Perfect length of time for a fun afternoon.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for the recommendation! See you next time.

Fantastic Experience

Debra_T, Mar 2023

Enjoyed the food and local history. Tommy engaged each member of our group. We all had more than enough to eat and drink.. Fantastic experience.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you for booking our tour and the great feedback! Hope to see you again soon!