Chef Driven Food Tours - Chicago, Illinois

Uduak W.

My girlfriend and I did the Pilsen tour, and it was absolutely a blast. The food was all amazing, the van is cozy and has water bottles, and the tour itself is fascinating. Greg is super knowledgeable about Chicago and keeps conversation interesting while also enlightening us to some genuinely interesting facts about the city. We also visited the National Museum of Mexican art between stops, which was brilliant. We learned a lot about the neighborhoods we were eating in and the history of different restaurants we saw. Meanwhile we had plenty of time to digest the huge sandwiches we had at the first two stops before gorging ourselves again the tacos and desserts later. Would absolutely do it again. Well worth the money.

Gabbie W.

Best food tour in Chicago! My boyfriend got me the custom tour with Chef Greg for my birthday and it was the best present ever! Greg is so friendly and knows so much about Chicago history and the specific places he took us to were amazing. We had an extremely great 4.5 hour tour filled with tacos x2, fried shrimp, steak sandwich, and the original polish sausage. Needless to say we were happy and full! I would recommend this your to anyone!

Kris S.

This is hands down the best food tour in Chicago! We stopped at several restaurants that were actually handpicked by some of the top chefs in Chicago.. Definitely the best food I've had! Most of these eateries are not your typical over hyped places that you always hear about in the media. Our tour guide Chef Greg also drove to many landmarks in the neighborhoods and pointed out a lot of interesting facts about the history, culture and architecture out there. You will not be disappointed!!!

Yanti A.

Awesome day spent with Chef Greg discovering some of the best kept secrets in the Pilsen neighborhood. Had the best tacos I've ever eaten, and sampled amazing cactus salad. As great as the food was, the highlight of the tour for me was a stop at the Mexican National Art Museum as well as the incredible street art that was all over the neighborhood. We even watched the art in action and got a chance to chat with the artist. This is not just a food tour, it's an immersive cultural experience, and Chef Greg definitely knew his stuff. Highly recommended to those looking for a genuine Chicago experience.

Josh L.

If you want steaks and red wine, head to River North. Or if your looking for Michelin star hopefuls, then West Loop is your destination. But if you want to experience local joints that have been staples of Chicago neighborhoods for fifty plus years, this is the right place.

Chef Greg combines Chicago history, his deep neighborhood knowledge, and a good sense of humor into his culinary tour. It's not just about the food here folks - it's about learning why a dish became popular in Chicago and which neighborhoods you should head to to find that dish. Yes, you can get Polishes at practically any corner in Chicago. But which restaurant is the best? And why is it the best? And where is it? Chef Greg not only tells you - he shows you.

Essentially, I can distill Chef Driven Food Tours down to a single sentence: This tour shows the real Chicago.

Rob S.

Chef G has been immersed in the Chicago food and restaurant scene for close to 30 years, now, both as a chef and a restaurant owner. Few, if any, know the scene as well as he does, and he has been able to use all the contacts he built up over the years to put together an amazing set of food tours based on personal relationships with the best chefs in the city. On these tours you not only eat delicious and unique food, the guides also give you a peek 'behind the curtain' of Chicago's food scene and the history of how it evolved over the years. Fantastic stuff!

Malcolm C.

My family (my wife, 18 year old daughter, and I) first took the Pilsen tour. We liked it so much we had to experience the Southside as well. Although these tours center on food, they are actually much more than that. Chef Greg knows the neighborhoods intimately. He uses street art to illustrate the culture and the evolution of each area. Chef Greg amazed me with his deep knowledge of the demographics, architecture, history, and social structure of the communities. I could sense him patiently adapting the tour to the interests of the participants. He let us out of the van a couple times on each tour to make photos of some of the intricate street art. We visited sites of interest other than restaurants on both the Pilsen and Southside tours. Each place helped us gain a deeper appreciation of the local culture. Nevertheless, the food was the main attraction. Chef Greg took us to 4 or 5 different restaurants on each tour. You would not likely find these restaurants on your own. Locals eat at these places because they know the food tastes great. The restaurants on these tours don't boast a luxurious ambiance or a Michelin star. They just do one thing: they send out food that will blow out your taste buds with pleasure. I had the best sandwich ever at one stop. It was an Italian beef sub dipped in au jus. I could eat this sandwich every day. Chef Greg shows you how to order and eat like a local. My wife, a tiramisu connoisseur, raved about the authentic, melt in your mouth Italian dessert that marked our last food stop on the Pilsen tour. The culinary highlights of the Southside tour came from a soul food feast and a Caribbean/Central American food paradise. Both tours were wonderful. I hope to experience another one on my next visit to Chicago.

Bill F.

Much more than a food tour!

We went on the Pilsen/Little Village food tour, and I have to say right off I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was much more of a neighborhood tour rather than your typical food tour. We certainly ate plenty of great food, but what really elevated it was Chef Greg's knowledge of the neighborhood's history and dynamics, all the way from the 1800s to the present. We stopped in at the National Museum of Mexican Art and also saw numerous street murals, including one that took up an entire alley. One of the artists happened to be at work and actually chatted with us, giving us some insight into how the whole process works and the ideas behind it.

Now for the food. We had this amazing pork dish at a place in Pilsen. For the life of me I can't remember what it's called, but it came with a heap of tortillas and various garnishes, including a tasty cactus salad I'd never tried before (or, let's face it, ever heard of before). That alone almost filled me up, but there was also a stop for fried shrimp at the lone Bohemian holdover still existing in the neighborhood, another for Italian ice, and, lastly, one for dessert. And let's not forget the tacos at this one place in Little Village. Chef Greg claims they're the best in the city. I see no reason to argue. The al pastor ones in particular were amazing.

So yes, we ate plenty and often and it was all great, but what'll really makes this tour worth your while are the insights into the neighborhoods you'll acquire. It's an outstanding tour. I highly recommend it.