Public North End Neighborhood Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Boston, USA
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Taste only the best in Boston’s North End. This foodie tour takes you to a careful selection of award-winning restaurants throughout this historic neighborhood. Stop by Best of Boston winners to sample the city’s top pizza, sandwiches, and bread. Sample iconic cannoli and visit an Old World salumeria shown on the Food Network. Learn about Boston’s rich culinary history, and and end your tour with a delicious pasta finale.
- Taste Boston’s best pizza, pasta, and more at award-winning restaurants
- Explore the food culture of Boston’s historic North End
- Gluten-free options available for several tour stops
- Tour price includes all food, tax, and tips for servers
Sample Menu
Starter
Regina's Pizza
The original! One slice of Regina's iconic cheese pizza. Has been ranked the #1 pizza in the country by TripAdvisor.
Starter
Monica Mercato's Award-winning Italian Sub
A tasting sample of Monica Mercato's Best of Boston-winning Italian sub.
Starter
Bricco Paneterria's Old World Italian Bread
Tasting sample from 3x Best of Boston Bread Bakery. Depending upon guests' dietary restrictions: Best-selling Parmesan-Prosciutto or Olive Loaf.
Starter
Bricco Salumeria & Pasta Shop - Mozzarella
Tasting sample of house-made mozzarella, paired with award-winning bread and flavored balsamic vinegars.
Main
Limoncello - Pasta finale
Artisanal bread and olives. Choice of Time magazine-featured Rosette Pasta, 3-cheese ravioli, or Penne with Pomodoro sauce, along w/Mama's meatball.
Dessert
Modern Pastry - Cannoli
Takeaway iconic cannoli from North End institution, Modern Pastry. Plain, ricotta, with powdered sugar.
What's Included
- Price includes all food, taxes, and servers' gratuities.
- Dinner
- Tour cost does not include drinks or tour guide's gratuity should guests wish to consider.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Tony DeMarco Statue191 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, USA
Boxer statue located in the North End at the corner of Hanover and Cross Streets, next to Mother Anna's restaurant. NOTE: Does NOT correspond to 191 Hanover Street, though, location on the map is correct.
End point
- 190 North St, Boston, MA 02113, USA
Tour ends at Ristorante Limoncello.
Itinerary
1
Boston Foodie Tours
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Recommend that guests enjoy a light bite prior to tour to tide them over until first tastings.
- Each party will be offered a separate table for restaurant pasta course/finale.
- Will not require dinner. Tastings amount to a full meal.
- Recommend that gift bring a bottle of water.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Chris_C
Audrey was the best. The food was fantastic and the North End stories were very informative. The meatballs at Limoncello were the best I have ever tasted. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone.
Reviews
4.9
based on 118 reviews
Maritza_G, Jul 2024
I booked this for my family of 5. We loved the tour so much my kids asked to do to again. The food is amazing, the little details about the north end were fun to learn and Audrey was the best! Sge is extremely accommodating and knowledgeable about the area. I highly recommend you take this food tour!!!
Dana_T, Jul 2024
We were starving at the beginning of our tour but not to worry! Even though our first stop did not prepare our food for the group, the rest of the day certainly made up for it! Food was absolutely delicious! We were completely stuffed at the end and enjoyed a gracious guide and a scrumptious afternoon tasting the finest pizza, pasta, and cannolis Boston had to offer!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Never again!!! On this day, our first stop, a local institution/James Beard Award winner, was overflowing with customers - more so than usual - as it prepared for its annual month-long summer vacation. In its haste, it ran out of food before accommodating our pre-order. While an aberration in our experience, thankfully, our guests - including you - were flexible as we quickly pivoted to a nearby partner's multi-award-winning pizza shop. That being said, we're glad that we were able to still earn five stars for your tour experience as a result of your thoughtfulness and generosity, and managed to send you off happy and full. (Phew!)
Debbie_H, Apr 2024
Audrey was a fantastic tour guide and we really enjoyed the tour. She gave us many tips and showed us places we were unaware of.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you for joining us, and for the laughs! We were honored that you and your lovely daughters included us in your annual birthday getaway. We'll always have fond memories of this North End Neighborhood Tour, especially when we see the, ahem (clears throat), colorful "souvenir" that one daughter left behind to remind locals of her visit. Wishing you many more delicious mother-daughters adventures, and, hopefully, a return trip to your favorite Boston finds.
Thomas_P, Oct 2023
We stopped in Boston on a cruise and have always wanted to visit the North End.
Audrey, the tour guide was great and does her best to make the experience memorable. The tour tastes were great and some people enjoyed some more than others. We went on a Sunday, so some changes are made because of business closures. The alternatives were good but maybe different than where you expect to go. There are great places where we went that you may not have found/went on your own. It’s always easy to know where the most popular place are, but we went to a few lesser known gems. My favorites were the sub sandwich and the pasta restaurant, they were amazing
I’m so glad we had Audrey. It’s her business and it’s obvious how much she tries to make it enjoyable.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Cruise ship guests are beginning to return to Boston, and we couldn't be happier. Thank you for including our North End Neighborhood Tour as a port activity, and, prior to your departure, for sharing such heartfelt, positive feedback. You and your lovely wife sent this tour guide/owner home confident that she had provided you with an optimal tour experience, and had left you craving more of the North End's best eats, not the least of which are Monica Mercato's award-winning Italian sub, and Ristorante Limoncello's Time magazine-featured Rosette Pasta.
Eric_S, Oct 2023
Glad we didn't eat before we started the tour-- wow, so much great food! We really enjoyed the tour and getting tips and recommendations for where to eat next time we visit. Audrey was so fun and knowledgeable and connected to everyone on the tour. We had a blast!
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Is it possible to have too many laughs on a food tour? If so, we plead guilty!
Thanks for bringing your lovely family - including your delightful, prankster-loving daughter - on our North End Neighborhood Tour, and for adding us to your Parents' Weekend itinerary. I hope that during your return visits you'll not only recreate the tour for your college-aged son, but that you'll also make more delicious North End discoveries that everyone will enjoy through graduation.
Scott_M, Aug 2023
Audrey was VERY informative with her own stories that she has learned through discussions with the business owners, employees and the "locals". The locations on this food tour were excellent and representative of the North end. We were treated in the best way by Audrey and everyone that we came in contact with at each of our stops. I highly recommend this tour to everyone, tourists and locals too! Thank you!
Bethany_T, Jul 2023
Audrey did a fantastic job explaining many things about the North End. She lead our group to many lovely and tasty treats. The Italian Sub stop was my husband and I's favorite! However every stop was delicious! Thank you Audrey for a fantastic day. Many laughs were shared. Bethany and Jason
Response from Host, Jul 2023
What a pleasure. We simply could not have had a better group, or nicer weather. Thank you for such a thoughtful and enthusiastic review. There are times when this tour guide hopes that guests had even more fun than she did, and yesterday's North End Neighborhood Tour was one of those times. It was simply a delight to host each and every one of you on our sold out tour, and to see the nearly instant camaraderie between strangers. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the tour as much as you did - especially the award-winning Italian sub - and couldn't be more appreciative of your sharing your positive experience not only with future guests, but also with me personally. It put an extra bounce in my step on the way home, and an ear-to-ear smile on my face that continues to linger, and makes others wonder what I've been up to!
Stephanie_P, Jun 2023
Great tour, you really get to appreciate the North District, it’s people and it’s food. Nice blend of food and history. Great tasting food along the way with a perfect ending.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
A perfect ending for this tour guide as well: Seated in my favorite North End patio on a warm day with an intimate group of wonderful guests, as I watch them enjoy a delicious pasta finale, followed by house-made Limoncello.
Thank you and your husband for joining us, and for the laughs! I hope that we might have the opportunity to introduce more best eats to you should you return to Boston, and that you'll share your experience with loved ones from Ohio to Ireland who will be as much of a pleasure to host as you were.
Mary_D, Jun 2023
Absolutely loved this tour! Audrey was amazing! Plenty of food to try so go hungry. The neighborhood stories and history shared was so interesting! Highly recommend!
Cindy, May 2023
Audrey gives the best tour!! She has great relationships with the restaurants and individuals in North End. She partners with them to create a unique tour. The food was AMAZING along with sharing behind the scenes that we would never know about or see. She also shared great history of Boston specific to the North End. She shared so much knowledge with us and it was so much fun!
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you, but sometimes it's OUR GUESTS who give the best tours!!!
It was a joy to host you, your husband, and your adult son, and to be able to demonstrate once again that food tours cross generations, with all members of the family enjoying the tastings and the experience. In this case, we brought the food and the fun, while your family brought some of the entertainment, too.
We hope that we left you with many marvelous memories of your time in the North End, and that we may have even inspired you to return in the future.
Peggy_S, Mar 2023
Audrey is amazing! She finds the perfect balance between history, fun facts, and fabulous food! We can’t wait to come back for her Beacon Hill tour. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
The welcome mat will alway be out ... What a pleasure it was to host you and your lovely family on our North End Neighborhood Tour. Thank you for sharing your enthusiastic feedback with future guests, and for the touching, nearly-brought-me-to-tears follow-up text, which has inspired this owner-tour guide to not only continue to chase excellence, but also to share joy and best eats with wonderful guests like you for many years to come.
James_S, Sep 2022
Audrey our host was wonderful. We were three in our group so it was like getting a private tour. The food was delicious. We warn don't eat before you go.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Thank you, your lovely wife, and your sister-in-law for joining us on our North End Neighborhood Tour. It was a pleasure to offer you a more intimate experience than expected, and one that evoked pleasant memories of your family's Sicilian roots, too.
We hope that you enjoyed the remainder of your stay, and that we've inspired you to consider a return trip to Boston in the future.
Karen_O, Aug 2022
Audrey was a delightful guide and the food was all top notch and delicious. Enjoyed learning the history of the North End and visiting many one of a kind businesses.
Response from Host, Aug 2022
It was a pleasure to both host you and your husband on our North End Neighborhood Tour, and to be included in your initial retirement travels. We were delighted to be able to introduce you to the North End's best eats, including Limoncello's Time magazine-featured Rosette Pasta, a favorite tour tasting that we hope will inspire you to visit Boston again.
Wishing you a retirement filled with adventures, discoveries, and lifelong food memories.
Helma_I, Jul 2022
SO fun and informative! Loved the trivia questions about the North End. Food was delicious, well paced out. Definitely recommend not planning anything else right after the tour- give yourself a buffer of an hour or more to relax and digest and enjoy!
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Well, we thought that you were SO fun, too!!! In fact, you left us with one of our favorite tour photos this season.
We're pleased that you and your lovely daughter enjoyed our North End Neighborhood Tour, including our history "quiz", and that you managed to squeeze in a much-desired - and impressively quick! - glass of house-made limoncello prior to your departure. We hope that if you visit Boston in the future, we'll be fortunate to be on your to-do list again.
maureen_b, Jul 2022
Loved this tour. It was basically a private tour since we were the only group…an added bonus! Audrey had so many fun and interesting stories about the North End. Two members of our group are from Boston and they even learned some things. And the food…absolutely delicious! You will not leave hungry. Highly recommend!
Claudia_B, Jul 2022
Audrey shared interesting information about the North End neighborhood’s history, culture and characters as she led us to sample pizza, pasta (when she recommends the rosete pasta at Limoncello, listen to her and order it! So good!!), bread, subs and cannelloni.
Janice_C, May 2022
The food was amazing, and plentiful! Our tour guide was a neighborhood local and shared backstory details about the North End, bringing the area to life. The food choices were fun and delicious - save room for the cannolis! My out-of-town friends and I had a wonderful time.
Response from Host, May 2022
And YOU were amazing!!! Your upbeat, positive spirit made us want to buy a ticket to YOUR tour.
Thank you for sharing such enthusiastic feedback with future guests for whom our popular North End Neighborhood Tour may be suitable as well. We, too, think that food tours are a terrific way to host out-of-town visitors, and, as proven by you, for recent transplants to Boston to make food memories and discoveries.
We hope that you'll enjoy your favorite new food finds again, and that we might have the opportunity to introduce you to more of Boston's best eats in the future.
Chris_C, Dec 2021
Audrey was the best. The food was fantastic and the North End stories were very informative. The meatballs at Limoncello were the best I have ever tasted. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone.
Response from Host, Dec 2021
Oh, how we love celebrating birthdays with our guests. Sometimes we're even tempted to bring the balloons!
Thank you for entrusting us with such a special occasion, and for your thoughtful review. Admittedly, we sometimes get carried away with birthday celebrants. In fact, they would be well-served to wear elastic-waisted pants! And, somewhere up above, Mama Connie is smiling. While she may no longer be with us, her famous meatballs continue to bring joy to so many of our North End Neighborhood Tour guests.
Glad that you enjoyed the tour, and the best eats. Hope that we'll have another opportunity in the future to make delicious memories with you.
Rhonda_H, Nov 2021
This is not really a food tour. We've done so many food tours through Viator. We loved them all. This one was horrible. The details should make it clear that except for the last stop, you aren't sitting down. The first stop for pizza (which was average) we were supposed to eat standing up outside in the freezing cold. Second place was a slice of a sandwich in a deli. Which we were allowed inside as long as we "were out of the way of customers." Eye roll. A tasting of three different drops of balsamic vinegar had to be done on 1 small piece of French bread topped with one small piece of mozzarella. No drinks means not even a cup of water. I HATED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF THIS TOUR.
Response from Host, Nov 2021
Not unexpected, sadly. On rare occasions, unfortunately, tour operators find themselves in a no-win situation from the outset of a tour, of which this is one of a handful of examples I would cite in our ten years of multi-award-winning operations. Thankfully, at Boston Foodie Tours, as our many guest reviews attest, we have not only consistently met "realistic" expectations, we have also often exceeded them.
The bottom line: This particular Floridian guest and her daughter were simply not prepared or dressed appropriately for Boston's seasonably brisk weather. In fact, the buyer shared that she had cancelled her reservation the previous day, and rebooked based on anticipated weather more to her liking. Arriving late to a sold-out tour, she voiced her displeasure at our first "official" stop, Regina's Pizza, which has been ranked the #1 pizza in the country two previous years in a row by TripAdvisor. A small, old-school, local neighborhood institution that is consistently sold out, Regina's simply cannot reserve space for tour groups. Instead, our guests enjoy a slice casually outdoors, on this day, under HEATED awnings.
Our second stop is a Monica's Mercato, which many reviewers have noted as a top tour favorite. In the warmer months - through November 1st this year - Monica's allows us to seat our guests in an outdoor patio prior to its neighboring restaurant's opening. In the colder months, guests enjoy its Best of Boston-winning Italian sub standing off to the side in the the deli, where there is no available seating. Should guests not be flexible, we would need to omit this stop, which I suspect nearly all guests would object to.
At the next stop, Bricco Salumeria & Pasta Shop, guests were seated on comfortable sofas - often around lighted fire pits - at its sister, then-closed Mare Oyster Bar, where they enjoyed flavored balsamic vinegar tastings with house-made mozzarella on a freshly-made baguette. When asked at the tour's conclusion, both mother and daughter chose this as their overall favorite tour tastings. As for water, our tour confirmations advise all guests to bring a bottle of water, for which we've never been asked at this stop, or have the option to provide.
The tour continued with a stop at a three-time Best of Boston-winning bread bakery, and a final pasta course at award-winning Ristorante Limoncello, where each party was offered its own separate table. The mother enjoyed a signature pasta dish that was featured in Time magazine, and which another reviewer described as "mind-blowing". On this day, all guests were also provided with complimentary Limoncello, which mother and daughter enjoyed, as well as a departing iconic cannoli.
While I personally extended myself throughout this tour to ensure the comfort of these largely, physically-disengaged guests, it simply was not possible in this case, as the tone and negativity of this review exemplifies. I regret that, despite our best efforts, they did not have a favorable experience similar to that of the better-prepared, more flexible guests on this particular tour, and of the many guests who have highly recommended it.
Note: Our North End Neighborhood Tour will be on hiatus during the winter months. We encourage guests who wish to join us during that time to consider our morning Boston Public Market & North End Tour, which is more centralized, and is largely indoors.
We also encourage visitors to pack appropriately and warmly for Boston's seasonal weather. We promise you award-winning best eats, but we can make no promises when it comes to Boston's unpredictable weather.
Carey_P, Nov 2021
Audrey 's stories. Food was excellent and nothing that I would've located on my own.
Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2021
Thank you for joining us on our North End Neighborhood Tour, and for recommending it so highly to others. We're glad that you enjoyed the tour, and the stories that we've collected for nearly a decade in the North End, many of which you simply can't Google. We hope that you'll have an opportunity to visit your favorite finds again, and that we'll have an opportunity to share more of Boston's best eats with you in the future.
susan_w, Oct 2021
Audrey is truly outstanding. She brings the North End to life with her knowledge, stories and love of the Italian culture (food!). Her many years of experience allow her to make the entire experience flow beautifully, and 3+ hours went by in a flash. The food was plentiful and wonderful, expertly chosen and spaced throughout the tour. Have already recommended to friends!
Response from Host, Oct 2021
"The Best" is how we like to refer to our guests, and, in this case, it was true again.
Thank you for such a thoughtful, favorable review, and for referring Boston Foodie Tours to others, for which we're always very appreciative. It was a pleasure to host you and your lovely mother, demonstrating once again that food tours are not only a wonderful activity with which to entertain out-of-town visitors, but also that they're a multi-generational activity that all ages can enjoy. I hope that we've inspired you to enjoy more food tours, and that we'll have another opportunity to share Boston's best eats with you in the future.
Nino_L, Oct 2021
Audrey made the experience the best. She was informative in a humorous way. She knew how to draw out people in the group so it was inclusive. The food experiences were excellent. I have lived in the area for more than 40 years; have visited the North End many times and still learned. Truly a wonderful day
Maria_L, Sep 2021
Our guide Audrey was wonderful! She's very knowledgeable in local history and gun facts. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious. We had an amazing time touring the North End!
Response from Host, Sep 2021
Oh, boy, we may have told one too many mob stories! Pretty sure that you meant "FUN" facts. No "gun" facts on this tour!
We couldn't be more appreciative of your thoughtful review, which gave us a bit of a chuckle. We're pleased that you and your husband enjoyed our North End Neighborhood Tour, and all of the award-winning tastings, and hope that you'll consider joining us again if your future travels bring you to Boston.
Myron_D, Sep 2021
Audrey is a wonderful and unbelievably knowledgeable tour guide. She is animated and delightful. You'll walk away from this tour with a real flavor (literally and figuratively) of what the North End of Boston was like both then and now.
Response from Host, Sep 2021
It was a pleasure to host you and your lovely wife. We're thrilled that you enjoyed our North End tour, including the neighborhood's rich history. We're very appreciative of your kind words, which we'll try to live up to as we continue to chase excellence, and to exceed our guests' expectations.
Gianna_K, Sep 2021
All of the food you try on this tour is OUTSTANDING! The guides are super nice and extremely knowledgeable about the food and neighborhood! Definitely well worth the money for everything you get along with the great stories! A priceless tour! You will get full! Plenty of food!!! I can’t even pick a favorite option because everything we tried was AMAZING!
Response from Host, Sep 2021
Well, we think that you're pretty OUTSTANDING and AMAZING, too!
What a pleasure it was for Leah, a then-trainee, and I to host you on our North End Neighborhood Tour. We're thrilled that you enjoyed our Little Italy's iconic and award-winning best eats. While we hope that the remainder of your family enjoyed the Sox game as well, we're glad that you opted instead to spend nine innings with us creating lasting food memories. Should you plan a return trip, we'd welcome another opportunity to share Boston's best eats with you. And if you know of others who would enjoy our tours, send them our way. We promise to send them home happy and full, too!
Tara_S, Aug 2021
This tour was fantastic! The food, the history, the stories that Audrey threw in…we had a blast. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Aug 2021
Thank you for so highly recommending our North End Neighborhood Tour. We were thrilled to be able to reintroduce you to the North End, and to share its best eats, including your favorite, Monica Mercato's Best of Boston-winning Italian sub. We hope that we inspired you to return to the North End more often, and to create additional food memories on your own.
Nia_C, Aug 2021
Audrey’s perspective on this neighborhood & insight to some of its residents is really fun. It’s a great way to enjoy some of Boston & get great recommendations for places to eat or shop.
Response from Host, Aug 2021
It was wonderful to see you again, and to host more of your loved ones. We're thrilled that you enjoyed our North End Neighborhood Tour, including the senior residents who reside off-the-beaten path, and with whom we have nurtured and developed relationships. Should you return a third time, we promise to have more best eats a-waiting, and a few less parking wars between bites!
Jenny_D, Aug 2021
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!! Audrey intimately knows this neighborhood -- everything from great stories to the best places to eat. Everything we tasted was delicious.
Response from Host, Aug 2021
Always wonderful to host kindred food tour lovers! While the bar was raised high, we're thrilled that you and your husband enjoyed our North End Neighborhood Tour, and rated it 5 stars. Thank you for joining us, and for such a thoughtful review. Wishing you many more travels, and food memories!
Jennifer_C, Jul 2021
What a wonderful afternoon! Audrey shared great stories with us and the amount of food that we enjoyed was generous. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2021
Thank you for joining us on our North End Neighborhood Tour. We're thrilled that you departed both happy and full, and appreciate your sharing your experience with future guests. We hope that you'll have an opportunity to enjoy your favorite tastings again, and that we'll have an opportunity to introduce to more of Boston's best eats in the future.
Greg_E, Jul 2021
This was the best food tour that my family has ever taken and we have done more than 10. Great combination of food, history, with a little crime mixed in. Our tour was led by Audrey, who was magnificent!
Response from Host, Jul 2021
Sometimes reviews leave us a little verklempted! We're thrilled that we not only met your expectations, but also surpassed them. Thank for joining us, and for such thoughtful feedback, which we'll continue to strive to live up to. We hope that we'll have another opportunity to share Boston's best eats with you in the future.
From $120.00
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