'Forget it Jake. It's Chinatown,' but if you're willing to get off the tour bus, then San Francisco's Chinatown and its foodie adventures don't have to remain a riddle. Explore the roads less-taken, sample Chef Han's world-famous Szechuan cuisine and the delectable Peking duck, take in the sights and smells of the real Chinatown, and see how San Francisco's Chinese Americans live during this culinary and gourmet food tour.

Explore the local streets on a walking tour of the city
Informative, friendly and professional guide
Great overview and orientation of the city
Perfect introduction for first-time visitors
Perfect for all ages and skill level

What's Included

Food tasting
Local guide
City map
Bottled water

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

1066 Grant Ave
1066 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
We will be meeting outside in front of The East/West Bank

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

1068 Stockton St
1068 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
A minimum of two people per booking is required
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Q:Do you offer vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options for the San Francisco Chinatown Food Tour?

A:We do offer a full vegetarian option, however, guests with vegan or gluten-free diets are able to enjoy appx. 50% of the food offerings. Feel free to let us know of any dietary restrictions in the "Special Requirements" box at checkout.

Feb 2021

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Well worth the time and cost, Lauren was charming, entertaining and very knowledgeable and made certain we all had a great time.

Starting the tour before all the shops opened was also helpful in getting around and being able to hear the guide.

Reviews

5.0

73 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 73 reviews

Fantastic tour

Al_T, Mar 2023

Excellent tour. Well planned and executed. Ted was very informative and articulate. The food was amazing and more than one would expect.

Delicious

Sonya_N, Feb 2023

The food was delicious and plentiful. We learned a lot about Chinatown and some of the local buildings and temples. Loved the fortune cookie company tour.

Great tour

Scott_H, Feb 2023

Such fun! Delicious and great info. Ted was great ! 5 stops all were authentic. Peking duck was outstanding.

This tour was amazing! I...

Ian_M, Nov 2022

This tour was amazing! I took my wife on the tour for a birthday surprise and we both loved it. We've lived in the Bay Area for a year but never visited Chinatown, so it was a great way to explore it and have some delicious food. Casey is an amazing tour guide! He's a walking encyclopedia and was able to provide answers to any question we had about Chinese food, the history of Chinatown, the architecture, recommendations for food or sightseeing, and the history of San Francisco in general.

Good Food - Nice History

Tammy_L, Nov 2022

All the places we visited, the food was delicious, serving size perfect, and variety of food was good. Scott took us to some really good places and on the way shared good stories and lots of interesting history. Our group was small - 7ppl - which made it easy to walk around & to hear Scott's stories. I highly recommend this tour and with Scott - you really see a lot of China town and ALL of the food was delicious!!!

You could tell the host...

Christal_G, Oct 2022

You could tell the host loves his job. The vegetarian noodles were delicious! I also liked the tea at one of the restaurants.

Thank you to our guide...

Wendy_M, Sep 2022

Thank you to our guide Kasey and to the hardworking restaurant staff that prepared food for us to sample. Everything was delicious and Kasey’s historic information was very interesting. Would highly recommend

Amazing food tour!

Kerry_E, Aug 2022

Amazing food and educational tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and nice. Me and my fiance had a great time!

A different way to have a dining experience

MichaelBryant, Jul 2022

Great experience share the food style was awesome. The option of the fork was there but we accepted the challenge. The guide know all the facts about china town to include black history and lantio history as well

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you so much for the glowing 5 star review of our Chinatown Food Tour. We're glad you enjoyed the history and culture spiel about the neighborhood. Join us on our North Beach and/or Mission District food tour the next time you're in SF

Chinatown tour

sb1298, Mar 2022

Not as described- no bottled water or entrance into temple. Water was provided at two stops. Guide left group at some stops to check on the next place supposedly so there was a lot of down time. Food was mediocre.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Hi SB1298. Thank you for your feedback. We take all our customer's feedback to heart and make tweaks to our food tours when necessary. We provide ample water at the food stops on our Chinatown tour. The Temples haven't allowed the public inside since the pandemic. We will be sure to remove the wording on any paperwork that says we go inside temples. Almost all of the reviews about our Chinatown food tour are 5 stars and our guests rave about the Chinese food on our tour. We're surprised to read your experience was so different from our other guests. Thanks again for your candid comments.

Best Food Tour Yet!

Burke_K, Mar 2022

Marvin was a great guide. He was organized and told a great story at every stop! He really brought Chinatown alive for us! It should also be noted that this is t one of those food tours where you get a little bite at each place. We were FULL by the second stop, but the food was so good we kept on stuffing it in! Highly recommended!

Delicious Food with a side of history

Leslie_B, Feb 2022

This tour was awesome! The food was excellent, I learned so much about the history of Chinatown I never knew! The tour guides were kind and knowledgeable, and we got to see a celebration of the Lunar new year. Definitely recommend, but bring an empty stomach, there is a lot of food. We were stuffed by the end.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Thank you so much for your wonderful review of our Chinatown food tour with Marvin. You got a special treat during the Chinese New Year celebration!

The history of Chinatown...

Lauren_K, Feb 2022

The history of Chinatown was fascinating. The guide was quite knowledgeable. The food was very tasty and the servings were very generous.

Worth It

Robert_S, Aug 2021

Exceptional tour. Our guide was well-informed and passionate about his job. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

Historical tour as well as a food tour.

Darissa_N, May 2021

My son and I enjoyed our culinary tour through Chinatown. Neither of us were expecting to learn so much about the history of Chinatown. Starting the tour before all the shops opened was also helpful in getting around and being able to hear the guide. We finished the tour with time to walk around and visit the shops now open and catch some of the activities happening at that time.

Highlight of our trip to San Francisco

Susan_N, Mar 2021

Lauren did an amazing job combining both history and cuisine of Chinatown. Would highly recommend this tour for visitors

Response from Host, Mar 2021

Thank you so much for the glowing review of our Chinatown Food Tour with Lauren. She loves guiding our guests to some of the best foods in Chinatown and discussing the history and culture of the neighborhood. Come eat with us in North Beach and/or The Mission District next time your in town.

Superb in every way

Richard_H, Feb 2020

Everything about this experience was top of the line. Lauren, our guide, was knowledgeable, articulate, and lively; she discussed Chinatown’s history with the passion and small details that made it come alive. The food was delicious, and Lauren was able to describe it down to the last ingredient, which made it not only tasty, but a cultural experience. At several stops, the restaurateurs and purveyors took over the storytelling, adding layers to the experience. Slated for three hours, our tour took close to four (with two bonus stops) and was worth every minute. it was a wonderful way to get to know this city.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Hello Richard! This is quite the review and we are proud to hear it. Lauren is an extremely talented food tour guide! We really love what you said about our restaurateurs adding "layers" to the experience. It's so accurate and something that makes Sidewalk Food Tours so unique. Thank you for taking the time to let us know!

Chinatown Food tour

Susan_T, Feb 2020

Our guide Lauren was articulate, informative and had wonderful sensory descriptions of the food we were able to sample. It was well worth the time and money. The people and shop owners were graciously welcoming hosts and eager to share their uniquely beautiful culture, food and architecture. Loved it!

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Hi Susan! Thank you for taking the time to leave Sidewalk Food Tours such a kind review. Lauren is a rockstar guide + we're so excited you had fun with her on your Chinatown Food Tour!

Chinatown Food Tour

Adam_J, Oct 2019

This tour was Fantastic! We got to taste a variety of Chinese foods and learned a bit about the history of China town and Chinese culture.

Best tour!

Barbara_D, Aug 2019

This was a very pleasant and exciting surprise. The tour was supposed to be 3 hours and our excellent guide, Lauren, entertained us for 5 hours. The food was plentiful and the forty-five minutes at a tea tasting was wonderful. Well worth the time and cost, Lauren was charming, entertaining and very knowledgeable and made certain we all had a great time.