Food on Foot Tours

So fun, just be ready to eat! Great stops and info from Cory and all the staff from each stop. So far everyplace he recommended to eat, has been spectacular!!! He was full of info and is generally just a nice guy! If you get a chance, do the food on foot tour, you will not regret it!

Two star review for making their booking process to damn difficult when you’ve purchased the New York Pass. Website had six available spots, by the time I booked and received the confirmation email (with patchy WiFi) they were all gone. If you don’t want to be included in something, then don’t sign up, don’t make it insanely difficult for people to use the pass.

This was an amazing tour! Corey is knowledgeable and knows the city restaurants inside and out. You would easily pass by these local gems without this tour, but each place was delicious, unique, and a good value!

A great guy with a great personality. He took us to authentic NYC street food which tasted good and was also easy on the pocketbook. He had savory, sweet, and quintessential NYC staples such as pizza, hot hog, pork sandwiches, and cupcakes created with NYC attitude.

This was a very interesting tour! The places Corey took us were absolutely delicious! And he recommended places to go later in the week during the rest of our vacation. Also was a good chance to meet and chat with people from other Countries. It was a lot of fun.

Possibly the worst customer experience we have had to date, and by a significant amount. The person responsible for organizing it, is rude, blunt and not helpful whatsoever and not surprisingly hasn’t provided their name (I wouldn’t either if I chose to conduct myself in the same manner as them). Once you’re booked in (which is a cumbersome matter in itself) the organizer couldn’t care less about you. Beware: they use a third party to liaise with you including changing details for your booking and provide a link which is associated with the third party company to apparently facilitate these administrative changes, however it is quite pointless as no changes are processed through the third party. Instead the third party company will not respond to you in a timely manner, but instead advise you it is not their responsibility (only after the tour is within 48 hours and therefore payments are not refunded). Having perused other reviews it is quite apparent that this is a common occurrence.

During our quick NYC weekend, we experienced two of the Food on Foot tours: the East Village tour on Saturday and the Midtown tour on Sunday. My rating is not based on what my «dream» tour would be, but on how well the tour delivered what was advertised. Food on Foot tells you upfront that you will be walking through neighborhoods with a large group, you will be selecting and paying for your own food at each stop, and you may literally be eating on the move. The tour is designed to offer you a glimpse of what it is like to eat like a typical New Yorker, perhaps on your lunch hour, in a busy and typically expensive city, on a budget.
I’m not certain I would call this a «foodie» tour, in that you will not experience truly exciting or extremely unique foods. This is more a «food „enthusiast“ tour for those who want to experience the culture and neighborhood dining of New York. To avoid any disappointment that your expectations are not met with this tour, the best advice I can give is to UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE BOOKING. If you want to experience NYC food like Paris Hilton, then don’t book a tour to experience NYC food like a typical New Yorker. If you stick with the recommended choices, you can certainly spend very little on the tour. However, I think it’s more realistic to plan on spending about $ 20/​person if you want to explore more of the menu or purchase beverages along the way. I’ll divide my review among several topics.
FEEL OF THE TOUR: From the beginning, it was obvious this would be a relaxed tour. Corey showed up in a well-​worn Mets jacket and gathered the group with a friendly, laid-​back demeanor. Think of the characters in Seinfeld or Taxi… our guide would fit right in! His ease helped all of us relax and open up to the rest of the group.
SIZE OF GROUP: I admit the group was MUCH larger than I anticipated, topping more than 30 people for each tour. However, this turned out to be a plus for a people-​lover and –watcher like me. Conversation was lively and friendly and I felt like we all bonded into a great unit by the end of each tour. I found the personal interaction to be comfortable, laid-​back and very fun. But, if you don’t enjoy meeting new people and interacting with other tourists from around the world, then perhaps this is not the tour for you. All that said, the reason that I rated this tour with a „4“ instead of a „5“ is because of the group size. The group size was great for interaction, but was cramped and uncomfortable for a few of the places we dined. I believe the tour would be greatly improved with a limit of 20 – 25 people.
WALKING TOUR: Rather than giving us a canned tour along the way, our guide mingled among the group and answered questions as folks asked. The distance was not too long and the pace was not too brisk. The weather, however, was very cold for our tour (in the upper 20’s and lower 30’s with a brisk wind). Of course, our guide could not be expected to control the weather, but with such a large group, it was impossible for us to go inside as a group to warm up a bit at some of the stops. That was uncomfortable for this Southern girl!
QUALITY OF FOOD: Food on Foot does not promise great food; it promises good food. And in that, it delivers.. good local food for great prices, in fun places. Food on Foot is not an appropriate choice for someone wanting a healthy or low-​calorie diet. It’s also not for someone who is looking for truly unique or quirky foods. There are certainly very interesting and flavorful choices at each stop, but I doubt you will encounter a Gomer Pyle moment where your jaw drops and you utter Gawwwlllleee!» In most cases, you could find vegetarian choices on the menu, and if the recommended items did not appeal to you, there were plenty more from which to choose. Of course, as in any food tour, there may be a stop where you don’t get excited about the food (for me, it was the hot dog stop… I’m not a fan), but I still enjoyed the people I was with and I also enjoyed the unique surroundings of each eatery.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: If you are wondering if you could duplicate this tour itinerary on your own, the answer is yes. That could be accomplished simply by looking at the «Where the Locals Eat» reviews for NYC, finding the selections with only one $ listed for price, and mapping them out. But, could you recreate the tour experience? NO. The dynamics of the group, the fun of strolling through the streets rather than peering at them through the glass of a vehicle, the interaction between our guide and the owners of the mom-​and-​pop locations, and the anticipation of wondering what is coming next all worked together to make this experience FUN! I’m very glad we attended, and I’m sure another Food on Foot tour will be part of our itinerary when we return to NYC.

Have fun and sample great food with a little history on the East Village Food on Foot Tour. Cory knows food and shared some of his favorite stops in The Village.

We are from Florida and we wanted to end our last day in NY trying all the best food places. What better than a food tour right!!!
Unfortunatly we were the deliquents who got lost on the subway and almost did not make it to the Penn station meeting spot. Luckily we did and even though we missed introduction and the tour rules Cory made sure to catch us up along the way.
We had a big group over 30 but Cory keeps it well organized and at a New York Pace he says. Lol. He made sure we had a taste of 4 amazing gem restaurants along w/​2 sweet spots. The walking was not bad. We stayed around the Hells Kitchen area so nomore than 5 blocks of walking total which was nice for us because we had been touring the entire weekend.
The only thing I Would advise is to bring extra money. We thought when we paid for the tour it included the tasting at each restaurant. It DOES NOT!!! So we were bummed about that but between myself and 4 friends we picked up tab at each place so it wasn’t too bad. Just be prepared if your alone or just a couple. Each stop ranges around $ 5.00 each stop so just be prepared. We still had a blast and glad we had this experience!

Really interesting 5 hour tour. I’ve already told my travel savvy friends about this one man gem. Friday we spent the afternoon with Corey on his New York Waterfront Villages– Brooklyn tour. He is witty, likes people & makes guests feel valued. Really appreciated that he has an emphasis on economy when it comes to unique food experiences. NYC can be so expensive so finding delicious places to eat off the beaten path is golden. Never would have found the Russian deli food heaven without him. Great afternoon & a most memorable part of our trip. Hats off to a wonderful NYC ambassador & fun guy.

Definately recommend this as a number one priority when in NYC! We went on a trip with ten people for 6 days and ¹⁰⁄₁₀ said it was their favorite part of the entire trip. Interesting and really great food that is not part of the tourist path!

Coming from Toronto, I knew that to get an authentic set of dining experiences in New York, I’d need a New Yorker as a guide. We may not have appreciated every stop on the tour, but we went to 3 particular places that I loved. Our first stop introduced me to the best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted. This tour took us far from the tourist traps I’m sure most visitors to the city get sucked into, and into a part of the city we might not have explored otherwise.
Corey listed off a bunch of restaurants we should check out after the tour, and we made note. On our latest trip, we hit Vynl for breakfast, and it was fantastic. Bonus points for being far enough from tourist hell that there was no wait for a table. This man knows his food.
Every review on here agrees that the tour groups are too large. I wish he could hire a student or something to split the groups in two before heading out. I understand that this guy needs to make a living, but for the benefit of the tour, the group size could really use some thinning out. Even staggering the tours by 15 minutes would make every stop so much easier.
This guy knows his food. You can trust him. That’s what I want you to take away from this.

We didn’t go on a Food On Foot tour during our most recent visit to New York, but we ended up going to a few locations that Corey recommended when we took his tour back in June. We went to a gelato place he took us to on the tour, but we also went to a bar/​restaurant that he mentioned in passing. This guy knows his food, is really knowledgeable about the city, and we had an amazing time at both locations. Thanks you again, Corey, for sharing your knowledge and passion with us.

Corey’s tour was amazing. For my first time in NYC I wanted to eat where the locals went but didn’t know where to go. This tour went to 6 stops and every stop had something incredible. Corey was a great guide and very friendly. If you want to go to a few places the locals go that are pure gems take this tour. It meets at Penn station and is easy to find.

Tour: —
We took ‘East Village Variety’ tour on July 28, we had good time eating dumplings, good pizza, and tried veg hot dog :) and had 2 sweet stops. Stops he choose are not expensive, each item was between 3 – 5 usd,(finding tasty food & cheap that’s a good research) I observed joints he took were NYC ‘A’ rating… quality not compromised:))
it was good experience for us.
Booking process: —
Like you all I had also checked tour’s review before booking, I saw lots of –tive comments on booking process & tour meet… I was extra cautious while booking… so I planned 5 days in advance… but believe me, I completed booking in just 3 mins … received confirmation mail with meeting spot… next day I received an email to provide them with order number of my NY pass purchase, although I had already mentioned NY pass number for all guests (I don’t know why order number was necessary when I had provided them with complete NY pass numbers)… I provided them with details… but anyways that did not change my booking status it was just that wanted :)…on tour date we reached mentioned spot 30 mins early and that’s it.
Its one man company… so I think advance planning will give some buffer incase there are queries by «food on foot» regarding your booking.

I loved this tour! Cory is awesome and friendly and really sets a great atmosphere for his tours. I wish I did this at the very beginning of our trip so we didn’t spend tons of money on low quality food. We did the east village block party tour and I absolutely loved everything! Make sure you follow his advice and always share because you will be FULL. I will go on another food on foot tour next time I reach NYC. Cory gives great recommendations and is a true foodie and is very knowledgeable and passionate about his business. Highly recommended and take this at the beginning of your trip— you won’t regret it!

I participated in all three free food tours and I thought they were excellent! $ 10 is usually enough to fill you up with yummy food.

Super confusing booking instructions if you get it through the city pass and the billing process is a complete nightmare!
Due to the confusing booking process I ended up paying TWICE for this tour and all of the parties involved (they go through a third-​party booking service) were unwilling to help. Not to mention a nasty little email I got from the company after trying to post my experience with them on Unilocal.
Had to file a claim with my credit card and after they reviewed the circumstances they credited the ‘fishy’ double charge back to me. If you asked me if I would go through this whole ordeal to take another one of their tours I’d quickly say: Heck no — not worth it!
Advice: Definitely read their 2 page long instructions and policies **thoroughly**. If you book through any city pass make sure you check your credit card /​bank statement when you’re done vacationing.
Needless to say, I won’t be referring this to friends and family.

These tours are a great way to find some cheap eats while seeing a bit of New York. This is not a historical walking tour of New York but is literally a food tour where you walk around a neighborhood stopping at about six places to eat some yummy food. The price of the tour doesn’t include the subway fare (usually one ride for $ 2.50) or the food you buy (runs around $ 15 a person). There were about 20 people on each of my tours and it was a fun way to meet other travelers, often from around the world.
I took the east village tour in December and loved it so much that I went on the midtown tour this trip. Between the tours I’ve had some amazing pizza, delicious chinese dumplings, fabulous tacos, crazy hot dogs, gourmet sandwich, custom cupcakes, etc. It is best if you have a least one other person to go with so you can split the food at each stop, otherwise you wont be able to walk at the end of the tour.
Corey is a great guide and clearly loves food. He also gives great tips on non-​tourist restaurants to eat at throughout the city … so if you can go earlier I’m your trip, you’ll have some good tips on where to eat during your stay — he has recommendations for all types of cuisines across the city. Wish I had been able to go earlier on this trip as he would’ve told me where to go while waiting to go to The Daily Show — there are a couple great eats near by.
So if you like food, which I assume you do if you’re on Unilocal,then book on of these tours on your visit or even if you’re a local — you won’t regret it.

Sorry for my late review. My hubby and I went on the 6÷6÷10 Midtown Mix tour. Corey did a great job with the restaurant choices. As vegetarians (who will resort to eating shrimp if necessary), we had many veggie food options to choose from. We especially loved the falafel, it had the perfect amount of crunch and spice, plus it was perfect for eating while standing and cheap.
We did this tour because we had New York Passes (a card you pay for once and use at a bunch of attractions in the city over a period of days). But if we didn’t invest in the card, Corey is definitely worth paying for! Overall, Corey is probably one of the nicest and hardest-​working guys in NYC. The tour was one of our favorite parts of our trip. If we ever go back to NYC, we’ll join you for another tour.