These New Orleans food tours combine the unique flavors of the Big Easy with insights into the history, culture, and traditions that have made New Orleans one of the world’s best foodie destinations.
There is, perhaps, no place in the States where food is as synonymous with the culture as it is in New Orleans, Louisiana. When it comes to gastro-indulgence, the Big Easy dives in deep. New Orleans food tours explore some of the best chefs, intriguing history, wild drinks, and beautiful cultures that make New Orleans one of the fascinating cities in the world.
From Cajun to Creole, southern-fried delights to Po’boy platters; New Orleans food tours cover some of the most delightful and inventive cuisines in a city that takes excess to the extreme. Discover some of the best food to eat in New Orleans on these incredible food tours.
Booking New Orleans Food Tours
There are a number of excellent NYC food tours, many are offered via various small businesses or organized teams. It’s possible to book directly with many of these companies, although, like many small businesses in the tourism sector, it’s not always easy to connect directly. This is why we prefer to book through aggregators such as Get Your Guide and Viator.
Booking through a major aggregator (a booking website for tours), usually includes price guarantees, cancellation policies, and a refund policy in the event that the tour is canceled unexpectedly.
Food Tours In New Orleans, Louisiana
Hopping on one of these food tours in New Orleans offers a surefire way to dip into the excitement and gastro-history of this iconic city and experience it through the locals’ lens (and fork).
New Orleans French Quarter Food Tours
There is, perhaps, no better place to explore the flavors of New Orleans than in the historic French Quarter. This is the heart of the city, where New Orleans began. It offers the unique cultural connection that helped the city shape its future as one of the most culturally fascinating cities in the United States of America.
The New Orleans French Quarter food tours explore the rich, multicultural history of the city through cuisine, markets, and bakeries. On these French Quarter food tours in New Orleans, you’ll explore the cities historical roots from the winding Mississippi River, where Cajuns and Creoles, Pilgrims, and Spaniards all set foot on Louisiana soil, to the wild libations of Bourbon St.
French Quarter food tours in New Orleans most often include one of the city’s most iconic treats, the French-inspired ‘beignet’. You’ll wander through America’s oldest public market as you dust off the icing sugar as you meet fascinating local culinary characters. The French Market has hundreds of years of history behind it. Along the way, you’ll enjoy some of the local flavors that only local markets can truly provide an atmosphere for.
Of course, you can’t have a French Quarter food tour in New Orleans without the French Quarter itself. You’ll wander the gorgeous streets, where the music seems to be wafting through every doorway, and every street corner is filled with local artists hocking their unique wares.
As you explore the French Quarter, you’ll be introduced to the spicier side of Cajun life. This New Orleans food tour will dip you into Louisiana hot sauce country (after all, New Orleans is the birthplace of Tabasco). You’ll learn how the deep history of New Orleans has shaped this world-famous condiment.
You can’t have a New Orleans food tour in the French Quarter without gumbo. These tours will introduce you to the classic dish and explain how hundreds of years of history have shaped the recipes and why everyone’s ‘Maman’ has the best gumbo recipe in Louisiana.
You can compare some of our favorite New Orleans French Quarter Food Tours here:
New Orleans Garden District Food Tours
The Garden District is another fascinating and beautiful New Orleans area that offers a plethora of amazing New Orleans food tours.
During these culinary experiences, you’ll tour the Garden Districts’ grand mansions and humble shotgun houses as you experience that vast breadth of lifestyles within the city. You’ll see how Cajun and Creole cuisine has become a mainstay of all facets of life in New Orleans as you make multiple stops throughout the Garden District.
These New Orleans food tours are generally small-group tours. Usually, they include fascinating pieces of New Orleans history, including the Lafayette Cemetery, where you’ll learn about the unique funerary traditions of New Orleans that have come about due to the combination of culture and geography of the city.
Garden District food tours in New Orleans usually include a stroll down storied Magazine St., where you can wander through local shops offering fresh seafood straight from the Gulf of Mexico. You’ll see first-hand how these dishes are transformed into Creole fusion and learn about the breadth of cultures that have gone into shaping these culinary delights.
The Garden District Tour will take you on a journey that includes beignets and cafe au lait, craft beer and custom cocktails, and a wild array of Creole tastes that will help you fall in love with New Orleans.
You can check out some of of our favorite Garden District food tours in New Orleans below.
New Orleans Cocktail and Food History Tours
New Orleans is always best enjoyed with a glass-in-hand. The Big Easy is a city where there is always a party going on, whether it’s the local jazz clubs or the wild shenanigans of Bourbon St.
Cocktail and history tours in New Orleans explore the wide diversity of NOLA flavors. You’ll learn about the colonial history of New Orleans through glasses of local craft beer, daiquiris paired with upscale bar bites, and local classics such as the French 75 (a combo of fresh lemon, brandy, or gin).
Along the way, you’ll be introduced to Louisiana’s historic influences through cheese, hot sauces, seafood, and local treats.
Cocktail food tours in New Orleans are a great way to dive into the boozy culture of the city that will help you understand how it’s gained its reputation as one of the biggest party cities in the world. These New Orleans food tours are always super casual and tons of fun.
You can find some of our favorites below:
New Orleans Food History Tour
If you want to focus specifically on the food and the cocktails are an afterthought, the history and food tours in New Orleans are some of the best. They dispense with the revelry and focus on the food that makes New Orleans so famous.
On New Orleans food history tours, you’ll learn about popular dishes such as beignets, pralines and Gumbo, Boudin, the Po-Boy, Muffuletta, and much more through visits to high-end restaurants boutique shops, and local holes-in-the-wall. And along the way, you’ll learn about the rich culinary heritage of NOLA and southern Louisiana.
The tours usually begin in the French Quarter and meander through the lively Vieux Carre (Old Square) on multi-hour excursions that usually include many stops along the way. You definitely won’t burn as many calories as you take in on this New Orleans food tour.
You’ll sample local hot sauces, charcuterie spreads, and you will learn about the local seafood industry, including how catfish became such a stable New Orleans food culture.
Make sure to hit this food tour in New Orleans with an empty stomach. You’ll be doing a lot of eating.
You can check out some of the best available food tours below:
Tips For Enjoying Food Tours In New Orleans
Food tours are one of the best ways to experience the must-try food in New Orleans. The sites, sounds, smells, and tastes of this historic Louisiana city are more vibrant than nearly any other city in the United States.
To make sure that you have the best time on your New Orleans food experience, here are a few things to remember before you head out.
- Don’t forget your ID – Food tours in New Orleans often involve alcohol. Make sure you bring your id, such as a military id card, driver’s license, or passport, so that you can indulge at will.
- Wear comfortable shoes – Most New Orleans food tours are walking tours. None of them involve huge distances (normally between 1.5-2.5 miles) and typically involve many stops along the way. But wearing comfortable shoes will ensure that you still have the energy to explore the city at the end of the tour.
- Check the age restriction – The legal age for alcohol purchases in the United States is 21 years old. If you are signing up for a tour that involves alcohol, you will need to show proof of age, or you may not be able to access certain venues.
- Check the weather – Summers in NOLA can be HOT! If you’re doing a summer food tour in the city, we recommend wearing light, breathable clothing along with a hat to avoid sunburn.
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