Taste the Southwest: Tucson Walking Food Tour
Tucson, USA
Taste the Southwest: Tucson Walking Food Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tucson, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Tucson is the first place in the United States named by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy. This walking tour showcases the unique fusion of Southwest flavors that created one of the country's culinary capitals. Enjoy stories told by a professional chef and storyteller as you explore with your food-loving guide, eliminating the guesswork of eating in a new city.
- Includes tastings of a variety of Tuscon dishes
- Enjoy more personal attention in a small group
- Go off the tourist trail to find food you’re unlikely to discover on your own
- Take away tailored foodie tips for the rest of your trip
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 251 reviews
Webb_B, Mar 2026
The tour was a good mix of new food and restaurants spiced with the very interesting history of the city.
Dawn_W, Mar 2026
Carol did a great job of providing not only some of the history of the places we visited, but also the background of the family owned businesses we ate at. She focused on local fare from small, family owned restaurants. Mexican pizza was a fav!
Michele_S, Mar 2026
Great foodie experience. A mix of history and food. Carolyn brought us each a cookie from a Mexican bakery to start our tour. During the tour it was hot and she made sure she kept us in the shade as much as possible and gave us water cups at several stops.
She made sure we didn't have allergies and if there were things we didn't like she found an alternative. Carolyn was friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging. I would definitely recommend her tour to anyone wanting to experience a little of Tucson on their travels.
Apostolos_G, Mar 2026
This was a great food tour. Carolyn or guide was awesome. She took us to local places and we sampled street tacos, Sonoran hot dogs, chimichangas, etc etc. Being from Marylandthus was an awesome experience. In addition to the food Carolyn gave us a historical perspective of the city of Tucson.
Sue_K, Mar 2026
Great story telling and excellent food. Walking around town was easy and fun. A good sampling of Tucson specialties.
James_F, Mar 2026
Excellent food tour of Tucson, including history! Just the right amount of food, and a good intro into local food!
Sue_S, Mar 2026
This was supposed to be a “chef led” food tour. Unfortunately it was more of a history tour. We visited two of the restaurants on the itinerary and two additional restaurants were substitutes for originals on the itinerary. We did not visit the Congress Hotel or Tabu which we were looking forward to but never happened. Unfortunately we only went to two out of the six restaurants that were listed on the Viator itinerary. Very sorry to say, I can not recommend. If I were able to contact Viator, I would request a partial refund. Viator obviously tried to pack too much into a 3 hour tour.
Barry_G, Mar 2026
Great way to spend an afternoon in Tucson. Our guide was very knowledgeable on local Tucson history and did a wonderful job guiding us through several eateries that provide real insight to the local culture and unique food options of the Sonoran desert. Highly recommend!
Gary_L, Mar 2026
Awesome tour lead by a chef! Carolyn obviously knew a lot about food, but even more impressive was her knowledge of Tucson and its history. Such a great story teller! Thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and was so full by the end.
Silvana_M, Feb 2026
Carolyn was an exceptional tour guide. She was warm, knowledgeable, and engaging and I would recommend this tour to anyone who’d like a diverse experience of Southwestern food in Tucson.
Mary_B, Feb 2026
Outstanding and informative walk about Tucson stopping for food along the way. Carolyn is funny and knows her food and her history of Tucson. We had a great time. A must do for sure.
Erika_C, Feb 2026
You will experience a well balanced tour of the local history and food. You are able to quickly taste several delicious local cuisines. Thank you Carolyn Manning
Marie_B, Feb 2026
During this experience you learn about some of the history of Tucson; the downtown area; and you get to sample some delicious, unique southwestern food.
Tomi_T, Feb 2026
Tour was ok. Most of the food was good. . Recommended parking garage closed before the tour ended, we had to call security and wait to get our car.
cbupp1, Feb 2026
If you’re in Tucson this is the downtown food tour you want to take. Carolyn was an absolutely fantastic guide. Her restaurant and chef experience really helped make this a wonderful experience. Beyond the food tasting her knowledge of the history of Tucson and her ability to tell terrific stories from the area made this a great food tour
Heather_K, Feb 2026
It was fine but a little disorganized. Didn’t feel well planned out’, more like the guide (who was quite nice and interesting) was flying by the seat of her pants. Food wasn’t ordered in advance so that took a lot of time. In addition, the description says that the tour is two hours when it is actually three-plus. We had another commitment and were unable to stay for the final tastings which was disappointing and a waste of our money!
Tamara_R, Feb 2026
Great food tastings at small local restaurants! Loved all the history that Carolyn shared in addition to the food tour. It’s like we got a “two for one”!
Linda_F, Feb 2026
A tour full of history and good food. We even went back to the pizza and ice cream stops during our trip. Highly recommend.
Christine_M, Feb 2026
Get a sample at many downtown restaurants with some interesting history! Enjoyed the experience! Carolyn is an entertaining guide.
Carol_B, Feb 2026
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Chef Carolyn today. She is so knowledgeable about the history of Tucson and has some really interesting stories to share. Carolyn has a great personality and we had alot of laughs together. The food was good - my favorite was the pizza and the Sonoma hotdog was a close second. My husband really enjoyed the tacos the most. This tour is definitely worth it and I highly recommend it whether you are visiting Tucson or even if you live in Tucson.
Tresleon_F, Jan 2026
This was an amazing experience. I was absolutely blown away by this walking food tour! I came hungry, curious, and with decent expectations—and somehow it exceeded all of them. Every stop felt intentional, not just for the food (which was outstanding), but for the stories behind it. Carolyn (the guide) has a gift for weaving culture into every bite, making everything come alive in a way you’d never get wandering on your own.
If you want more than “good food” and are looking for an experience that deepens your understanding of a city through its flavors, this tour is an absolute must.
Beth_P, Jan 2026
Carolyn gave us a great tour of the downtown Tucson food scene. We started with some history (and a cookie), then proceeded to more restaurants and sights of Tucson. Her knowledge of the area is fantastic, and the food was great. The amount of food over the 6 stops was perfect - not so much that you don’t want anymore. Highly recommend!
Jane_H, Jan 2026
Wonderful tour - great mix of history and food tasting ==============================================
T_A, Aug 2025
If you want a different experience than the norm… try this tour! The food was amazing and the tour guide was so awesome. We learned a lot about culture an had great seafood to snack on!
Lori_F, Aug 2025
Very knowledgeable of the area. Food selections excellent. Pace of the tour good. Highly recommend Carolyn as a guide.
Gillian_I, Aug 2025
A wonderful tour! Carolyn is incredibly knowledgeable and answers all questions really thoughtfully. She is incredibly interesting, clearly knows her subject and is funny and kind also. The stall holders clearly really like her as well so it is wonderful energy all round.
She really goes above and beyond and includes extra interesting visits if there is time and people have a particular interest. We were like a family by the end.
What a tour should be!
Randy_B, Aug 2025
Great, knowledgeable, professional, and friendly guide made this afternoon food tour va very enjoyable experience. Highly recommend.
Kevin_M, Aug 2025
Experienced guide took us to all the hidden gems we would have missed. Food was fantastic, a lot of seafood, you will be full!!!
Mallori_S, Jul 2025
Amazing food, lots of ocean history as well as a few extra stops that Carolyn added on. She is a wealth of knowledge about Seattle, was exuberant and such a fun and informative tour guide. I highly recommend this tour!
Jeanne_C, Jul 2025
It's not just seafood! Caroline shares incredible history of Seattle, glacial activity, and early settlers. But, of, course there's also the seafood! Just be prepared for lots of walking.