Chicago is known for their food, architecture and world-class sports teams. Beyond all that, we love the fact that Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in the United States! The diversity allows us to celebrate so many cultures and it’s evident in all the neighborhoods that make up the city. Whether you are a local or visiting the Chicagoland area, why not get a personalized culinary tour of Chicago by a knowledgeable guide who has worked in the industry! What’s Cookin, Chicago can give you a special experience to take it all in with a unique and customized tour based on your preferences. Chef Joelen Kenny is a restaurant industry professional with at least ten years experience as a Chicago chef and food blogger that was raised in the Chicagoland area for over 40 years.
Our Culinary Food Tours feature spots where fellow chefs eat and include places that have been highlighted on several popular tv food shows such as Food Network, Diners Drive Ins & Dives, Bizarre Food, Food Paradise, Anthony Bourdain and many more. More importantly, our tours will provide you a deeper understanding and delicious tastes of what Chicago is about beyond the tourist traps and chain restaurants.
To participate in a What’s Cookin, Chicago Culinary Food Tour:
- Select a date, time and neighborhood or theme! We have several tours available and can customize the tour to your preferences. After receiving your request, we will create a tour itinerary that includes all the stops that meet your needs and email you with the information. Each tour will have a very minimum of 5 stops up to as many as you are available to visit with your time allowed.
- Let’s meet up! We can designate a meet up point or pick you up! There’s a lot of ways to experience Chicago’s flavors either by foot, bike, public transit, boat and/or car. Let us know what works best for you and we’ll strategically navigate you through our city.
- Come hungry, relax, and enjoy the foodie adventure we have planned! We’re all about giving you an awesome experience of Chicago through food along with some history, culture, architecture and fun facts. There won’t be any grocery store sized samples on our tour – it’s a full immersion of the city’s best spots.
A What’s Cookin, Chicago Culinary Food Tour includes:
- customization of your tour that accommodates any food preferences, allergies and/or restrictions; physical limitations, and geographic location
- culinary narration of Chicago, tailored to your tour, which includes colorful stories, historical facts and a one of a kind experience provided by a food industry professional that allows you to connect to our city through food
- all food and/or drinks for each stop of the tour; food and/or drinks on the tour can include an appetizer/snack, main entrees, side dishes, desserts and/or drinks/cocktails the stops are known for. {Proper ID is required for alcoholic drinks}
- pick up/drop off and any incurred commuter expenses on the tour (train fare, bus fare, boat fare, bike fare, gas, parking, etc)
A Culinary Food Tour does NOT include:
- tip/gratuity. Our love of the city will shine through and if you’ve enjoyed the experience we provided, gratuities are greatly appreciated!
The typical Culinary Tour format is:
- 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to tour – We’ll shoot you a text, email or give you a call to confirm our meeting spot to kick off the tour.
- 2+ hour interactive tour to several stops based on preferences – Depending on your customized tour, we’ll eat our way through Chicago! Plan on dressing appropriately for the weather, have comfy shoes on and bring a backpack in case you pick up some fun things to take home along the way.
- services complete – we’ll drop you off at our pre-determined end point and leave you to enjoy the rest of the city with some new found info!
Here are some of our most popular tours:
Andersonville Awesomeness
Latin Love in Little Village
Chopstick in Chinatown
Mixin’ it up on Maxwell Street
South of the Border Pilsen
Little Italy Faves
Geekin’ Out in Greektown
Dehli Delights of Devon
Perusing in Polonia
Bucktown: Rick Bayless’s Garden Tour
Albany Park Neighborhood 1
Albany Park Neighborhood 2
Andersonville Neighborhood
East Lakeview Neighborhood
Edgewater Neighborhood
Michigan Ave. Chocolate Tour 1
Michigan Ave. Chocolate Tour 2
Ravenswood Corridor
Uptown Neighborhood
Wisconsin Cheese Tour
… and many more to customize just for you!
If you’re interested in attending a Culinary Food Tour with us, we’d love to show you around town and taste your way through our delicious city! Send us a message through our contact page!
