When you think of Boston, you probably think of history, Fenway, and maybe a lobster roll. But if you ask me? Boston is a food city first. And nowhere shows that off better than the North End — aka Boston’s Little Italy. Cobblestone streets, red-sauce restaurants packed shoulder to shoulder, and bakeries with lines that snake out the door.
So when I had the chance to take a Boston Food Tour of the North End, I jumped in. Here’s my honest review: what I loved, what I didn’t, and whether you should sign up for a guided food tour or just eat your way through the North End on your own.
I booked with Boston Foodie Tours because they cap their groups at 12 people (ours had just 4, which felt perfect). Our guide was Boston-born and bred, and she knew everyone — literally. At several stops, she waved down locals for chats that sometimes lasted 10+ minutes.
If you’re into history-heavy tours, you’ll love her style. She went deep on Boston’s Revolutionary roots, Italian immigration stories, and the neighborhood’s long culinary traditions. Personally? I’m a “get to the food” kind of girl. I wanted shorter stories, quicker bites, and more time focusing on the restaurants themselves. But that’s just me.
The tour was supposed to wrap at 3 p.m. but stretched past 5 p.m. thanks to extra stops and long chats. Great if you have nowhere else to be; tricky if you’re on a schedule.
The food itself? Delicious. We sampled a little of everything that makes the North End famous:
Fresh Italian bread, straight from a local bakery.
A hearty pasta dish that reminded me why Italian “comfort food” is a phrase.
Cannoli from one of the big-name bakeries (more on that battle later).
Sips of local coffee and stories about Boston’s old-school shops.
I left full, happy, and armed with a long list of places to return to.
While we were out, we passed another group — the “Politically Incorrect Food Tour.” Their group had 40+ people trailing one guide who smoked while talking and tossed in plenty of profanity. If you’re into rowdy, oversized tours, maybe that’s your thing. For me? Hard pass. I was grateful to have a smaller group where I could actually hear the stories and not feel like part of a herd.
Here’s the thing: food tours can be amazing, but you need to know what you’re signing up for.
If you love history and people stories as much as food, Boston Foodie Tours is a solid choice.
If you’re like me — a food-first traveler who wants the backstory but also wants to dive right in — the tour might feel a little drawn out.
That said, I appreciated the personal touch, the capped group size, and the variety of bites. Just don’t expect it to be quick or light — bring a big water bottle and plan for a long afternoon.
Honestly? You don’t need a guide to eat well in the North End. You could easily build your own walking food tour — and you’ll probably cover more ground at your own pace. If I were to design one for you, here’s where I’d go:
Monica’s Mercado & Salumeria: Grab the Italian sub “with everything.” Crusty bread, paper-thin meats, olive oil, balsamic drizzle — it’s perfection.
Limoncello: Order the signature rosette lasagna. You won’t regret it.
Or snag a table at Carmelina’s for their famous meatballs.
Regina Pizzeria (North End location only): Their brick oven has been running since 1926. Go plain cheese or the loaded Giambotta.
Neptune Oyster: Line up early (doors open at 11:30 a.m.) and order the hot buttered lobster roll and clam chowder.
Mike’s Pastry: Huge, traditional ricotta-filled shells. Cash only.
Modern Pastry: The Boston cream cupcake and mini cannoli are incredible. Cash only.
Bova’s Bakery: Open 24 hours, their cannoli shells are Florentine-style lace cookies — extra delicate and worth the splurge.
Caffé Vittoria: Boston’s oldest Italian café. Get the tiramisu or a cappuccino. Bonus: their pistachio martini is legendary.
The North End is basically Boston’s version of Italian Disneyland — and I mean that in the best way. Whether you take a guided food tour or just hop from bakery to pizzeria to salumeria on your own, you’re going to eat well.
For me, the guided tour was a fun one-time experience, but next time? I’ll DIY it. Smaller portions, quicker pace, and more freedom to stop exactly where I want (like sneaking back to Monica’s for another sub).
Either way, Boston’s North End will win you over one bite at a time.
If you’d rather branch out beyond the North End, my Where to Eat in Boston (Outside the North End) guide has plenty of amazing options.
A hotel that’s also a free 24-hour contemporary art museum penguins included. We booked a Corner Suite at 21c and it was massive: separate bedroom, living room, dining area, 699 square feet to spread out in. The bathroom alone had a double vanity and custom Rookwood Pottery tile that made getting ready weirdly entertaining.
The location is downtown, two minutes from Fountain Square, walkable to Boca for dinner, and close enough to hop the free streetcar into Over-the-Rhine. If OTR is where most of your plans are, you might want to stay closer to that neighborhood instead downtown worked for us, but we spent more time in OTR than we expected to.
And yes, there’s a recycled-plastic penguin sculpture that will absolutely scare you the first time you open your door and forget it’s there. Link in bio for the full review rooms, parking, walkability, and everything else before you book 🎨
Three neighborhoods, one streetcar, and more Cincinnati specialties than I could finish in one afternoon.
We hit a goetta breakfast sandwich, chocolate chip ice cream from a shop that’s been at it since 1870, a Liège waffle that earned its Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives spot, and Cincinnati chili the way it’s actually meant to be eaten... over a hot dog, buried in shredded cheddar.
$75 got us three and a half hours, a local guide, free streetcar rides, and a genuinely full stomach. Don’t eat breakfast before this one, the portions add up fast.
My third Secret Food Tour in my third city, and it’s still undefeated.
Link in bio for the full review cost, route, parking, and every stop we hit 🥟🌶️
13 creek crossings, a canyon that keeps closing in around you, and a hike I’d genuinely put back on my itinerary, West Fork Trail was the one.
We got to Call of the Canyon at 7:15am and the lot was barely a quarter full. By 12:30 it was 85% full, so if there’s one tip that matters most, it’s this: go early.
The maintained trail is 6.6 miles round trip, mostly flat, mostly shaded, but I kept my regular tennis shoes dry the whole way by hopping across the rocks at each crossing. It’s rated moderate, and honestly that’s about the distance, not the terrain.
Here’s what nobody tells you though ✨ the maintained trail isn’t the end. We changed into water shoes at the official endpoint and kept going another mile straight through the creek, canyon walls narrowing around us the whole time. That extra mile ended up being my favorite part of the entire hike.
5/5 for me. I’d bring the water shoes again in a heartbeat.
Link in bio for the full guide parking, timing, what to pack, and everything I wish I knew before I went 🥾
Two hours, zero regrets. The Pink Jeep Broken Arrow Tour is hands down one of the most fun things we did in Sedona.
Open-air Jeeps crawling over slickrock, backcountry views you can’t reach on your own, and the famous Road of No Return, steep, thrilling, and somehow completely safe the whole way down.
If you’re picking one paid activity in Sedona, make it this one.
You have to do @pinkjeeptours 🌵🚙 Link in bio for the full review.
Dinner beside Oak Creek at Cress, and yes, it’s a splurge, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.🤍
Candlelit tables under the trees, the creek running right beside us, a menu that mixes Arizona ingredients with French technique. We ordered a little of everything: the squash and beet salad, milk rolls with three different butters, sweet potato gnocchi that somehow felt light instead of heavy. Then two desserts because we couldn’t decide. The Vanilla Crème Caramel with Manchego cheese completely stole the show, salty and sweet in a way that sounds strange until you taste it.
Plan on $100–250 for two depending on what you order, and this isn’t the spot for a quick casual dinner, it’s slow, intentional, and worth every minute. Book ahead and ask for a creekside table if you can.
If you’re looking for one unforgettable meal in Sedona, this is it. Link in bio for the full review 🍽️
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