Best Food Tours in New Orleans

If there's one thing you can expect from New Orleans, it's exquisite and varied cuisine. The mix of cultures in the city's cuisine is one of its main attractions.

Carmen Navarro

Carmen Navarro

12 min read

Best Food Tours in New Orleans

New Orleans | ©Kendall Hoopes

I'll tell you about the best culinary tours you can find to include among the must-see and must-do things to do in New Orleans. The union between Canadians, Americans and French is transferred to the cuisine of this city, leaving a menu to suit all tastes.

One of the best ways to take a culinary tour of New Orleans is to walk the streets and enjoy what's on offer in every restaurant. Dining options range from authentic Creole food in the French Quarter to typical New Orleans fast food.

1. Food walking tour of the French Quarter

In the French Quarter| ©Elisa.rolle
In the French Quarter| ©Elisa.rolle

A must-do food tour is definitely one of New Orleans' French Quarter tours. This place has some of the best Creole food you'll taste in the city, as well as a rich, centuries-old history.

One of the best things about this French Quarter tour is that you have the ability to customise it with your guide according to the sites you want to visit. But on the regular tour you will visit the most popular restaurants in the neighbourhood and taste the typical food that has left an indelible legacy in the city.

Interesting details

  • Price: You can take this tour for an approximate price of 58 euros per person.
  • Duration: This tour lasts approximately 3 hours.
  • Means of transport: If you live your fitness life, you won't have to worry about calories because the tour is done on foot. You will have to make your own way to the meeting point.
  • Advantages of this tour: It is wheelchair accessible. You can have access to the tour in different languages, including Spanish. It is possible to bring assistance animals and prams. It is an experience for small groups of maximum 18 passengers. Tours for smaller groups of up to 12 people are available on request.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: The tour may be cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions, or not reaching the minimum number of people required for the tour. There are no vegetarian or gluten-free options, so it is important that you indicate any dietary restrictions before booking.

Book your gastronomic walking tour of the French Quarter

2. Historic New Orleans Food and Cocktail Tour

Ramos Gin Fizz Cocktail Tour| ©RedBarman
Ramos Gin Fizz Cocktail Tour| ©RedBarman

This is a food tour to learn about the history of New Orleans through its most traditional dishes, those that define both Creole and Cajun cuisine.

During the tour you'll visit long-established restaurants, as well as cocktail lounges and bars that have been in operation since before the outbreak of the American Civil War. It's an afternoon to experience all that this city's cuisine has to offer.

Interesting details

  • Price: The approximate price to enjoy this experience is 130 euros per person.
  • Duration: This experience lasts approximately four hours.
  • Means of transport: The tour is done on foot through the different restaurants, but to get to the meeting point, you must do it on your own.
  • Advantages of this tour: Assistance animals are allowed. You will have access to four full drinks and eight courses of food on offer during the tour. You will visit the most popular bars and restaurants in New Orleans. An expert tour guide will be on hand to answer all your questions.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: There are no vegetarian, gluten-free or pork-free options. The minimum age to enjoy this tour is 21 years old, and it is not accessible for wheelchair users because many of the places to visit do not have spaces suitable for wheelchair users. The places to visit may change due to unforeseen events at the main sites.

Book your New Orleans Alcoholic History Tour

3. Lower Garden District food tour

Lower Garden District| ©JasonPari
Lower Garden District| ©JasonPari

Take a tour of one of New Orleans' unjustly overlooked foodie neighbourhoods, the Lower Garden District, where you can take some of the most fun tours of the Garden District of New Orleans. Here you will appreciate the best of international food, mixed with traditional New Orleans fare.

Your guide will take you to the most interesting but also hidden places in this fun neighbourhood that is often overlooked by visitors to the city, but actually has many flavours to try.

Details of interest

  • Price: This gastronomic tour usually costs around 75 euros per person.
  • Duration: You will need approximately three hours to complete the tour.
  • Means of transport: The tour is on foot and you will need to get to the meeting point on your own using public transport or a mobile vehicle.
  • Advantages of this tour: A local guide is included and will be happy to answer all your questions. Meals and drinks are also included and will be sampled during the tour. The tour is wheelchair friendly and prams are welcome. Vegetarian food option is included but by prior arrangement.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: Transport to and from the accommodation is not included.

Book your tour of the Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

4. Private gastronomic tour of the French Quarter

Hurricane Cocktail| ©Eric Schmuttenmaer
Hurricane Cocktail| ©Eric Schmuttenmaer

A walk through the French Quarter of New Orleans with your selected group, with an expert guide who will tell you all the secrets of the city' s typical food, and exquisite tastings of typical foods and drinks such as the Hurricane, is a little of what you will enjoy on a private tour of the French Quarter.

This kind of tour is incredibly fun because you have the opportunity to do it with your own family or your own friends. This is a half-day tour where you can ask your guide to take you to the best restaurants in the area for lunch. The tour is for groups of up to 10 people.

Details of interest

  • Price: The price is per group and you generally pay around 875 euros per group of up to 10 people.
  • Duration: You will have half a day to do the whole tour, which equals about three hours.
  • Means of transport: You must arrive on your own at the meeting point from where you and your group will start the walking tour.
  • Advantages of this tour: You can choose to do this tour in English, Spanish or French. It is also a private activity where you will not be with strangers, but with your own group.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: It is not wheelchair accessible. There are no vegetarian or gluten-free options. Alcoholic drinks are not included but can be purchased on the way. Tips are also not included in the price.

5. Magazine Street Doughnut Tour

Donuts| ©Magdalena Kucza
Donuts| ©Magdalena Kucza

This is by far the most fun and sweetest tour of New Orleans and it's only for sampling the best desserts, donuts and beignets the city has to offer. This tour will take you to the most hidden restaurants and sweet shops for an afternoon experience to indulge your snack craving.

You'll also get to sample the classic New Orleans beignets as you stroll through the area' s best coffee shops. The tour includes the participation of a tour guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the popular sweet shop. It's a tour you can include among the things to see and do in New Orleans with kids.

Interesting details

  • Price: You will have to pay approximately 40 euros per person to take the tour.
  • Duration: The whole tour takes approximately two hours.
  • Means of transport: To get to the meeting point of the tour of this area of the city, you will have to get there on your own. From then on this tour is on foot.
  • Advantages of this tour: It is possible to take pets with you. Prams are also allowed. There is plenty of public transport nearby.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: This tour is not suitable for people with heart conditions or other similar problems, nor is it recommended for people with reduced mobility and who are unable to stand for long periods of time. It is not accessible for wheelchair users. Transport to and from your hotel is not included, you have to travel on your own.

6. Street food tasting in the Freret neighbourhood

Street Food Business| ©Marco Verch
Street Food Business| ©Marco Verch

The Freret Quarter is one of the most interesting places to get street food from New Orleans. One of the biggest advantages of taking a culinary tour of this area is that you won 't encounter as many tourists as in the French Quarter.

This tour includes all the culinary tastings as well as selected cocktails, but if you want to try a variety of other cocktails, you also have the opportunity to purchase them on your own to make the most of the experience.

Details of interest

  • Price: The tour can be had for approximately 96 euros per person.
  • Duration: It can take around three hours to complete the tour of the area.
  • Means of transport: You have to get to the meeting point on your own, after arriving, the tour will be done on foot.
  • Benefits of this tour: All food tasting options are included, as well as five drink options, such as cocktails, wines and beers. Also included is an expert guide who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. If you need a vegetarian option, you can have it as long as you let us know in advance.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: Additional drinks are not included but you do have the option to purchase them on your own. Transport to and from the hotel is not included. Tips for the tour guide are not included in the price.

7. Gastronomic, historical and brewery tour of Bywater

At a Brewery in Bywater| ©Plwm B
At a Brewery in Bywater| ©Plwm B

After Katrina, Bywater has been one of the towns that has recovered the most and has left an important historical, cultural and gastronomic legacy in the area, so on this tour you'll not only get to taste delicious food, but you'll also see incredible street art displays.

The great colourfulness of this neighbourhood is what you will like the most about the visit and the walk through this place. You will also learn a lot about the history of the civil rights proclamation and how this struggle started in New Orleans. You can also visit German breweries where you can taste traditional beers.

Interesting details

  • Price: This tour costs approximately 95 euros per person.
  • Duration: You should allow at least three hours to complete the tour of the entire neighbourhood.
  • Means of transport: To get to the starting point of the tour, you will have to get there on your own. The entire tour takes place on foot throughout the neighbourhood.
  • Benefits of this tour: All taxes and tips are included at each food stop. Tastings and a drink at each restaurant are also included. Full meals are included at three stops, which can be split into Cajun and Creole options.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: Not suitable for people with mobility problems or wheelchair users. Transport to and from the hotel is also not included. Extra meals and drinks are not included.

Book your tour of New Orleans and learn about the stories of the drunks

8. Introduction to West Riverside's nightlife and dining scene

Nightlife in New Orleans| ©DC James
Nightlife in New Orleans| ©DC James

In two and a half hours you can take a tour to West Riverside, an interesting place in New Orleans that stands out for its impressive nightlife. Together with your guide, you will have the opportunity to learn about some of the things to see and do in New Orleans at night in this part of the city.

You will learn about the history of cocktails and typical foods of the city. As for the drinks, you will be able to choose whether you want to drink alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, and regarding the snacks you will try at each of the hot spots you will visit, you will be able to decide whether you want the traditional or the vegetarian version.

Interesting details

  • Price: The tour is priced at approximately 500 euros per group, although the price may vary according to the size of the group.
  • Duration: This tour lasts around two and a half hours.
  • Means of transport: You will arrive on your own at the meeting point and from there to each of the points on the itinerary, you will travel in a vehicle equipped according to the size of your group.
  • Advantages of this tour: The biggest advantage of this tour is that it is private, so it is just you, your group and your guide. The guide is an expert and will tell you everything you need to know about the nightlife. Vegetarian alternatives are included and snacks and three drinks are included, as well as entrance fees to the different bars and restaurants.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: No transport from the hotel and back. It is not wheelchair accessible. Some extra drinks and snacks are not included.

9. Cooking classes and tastings of NOLA classics

Cajun and Creole food| ©Rebecca DonSon
Cajun and Creole food| ©Rebecca DonSon

A must-do in New Orleans is a cooking class to help you learn how to make some of the most interesting and important traditional dishes of this American city.

In this cooking class and tasting experience, you'll have one-on-one lessons with an experienced chef who will teach you how to make New Orleans' most famous foods.

In addition to learning how to make typical Cajun and Creole dishes, you will have access to tasting the dishes you previously learned to make.

Interesting details

  • Price: To participate in this activity you will have to pay around 37 euros per person.
  • Duration: These cooking classes last approximately two hours.
  • Means of transport: To get to the site of the cooking classes you will have to travel on your own. The activity will take place at the meeting point.
  • Advantages of this tour: You will learn the recipe of the dishes from the best chefs of New Orleans. You will be able to take the recipes home to practice. Food tasting, desserts, tea and other beverages are included.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: You must pay an additional fee, which can cost from 5 euros, in case you wish to learn how to make these preparations with vegetarian ingredients or due to dietary restrictions.

10. New Orleans Cocktail Tour

Making Cocktails| ©Magda Ehlers
Making Cocktails| ©Magda Ehlers

This is a fun city tour of New Orleans that is only suitable for those over 21 years of age. The offer is that you will drink a lot of liquor during the city tour. It's also a tour that has everything you'd expect, stops to learn about the different famous cocktails in the city, and counts as one of the best ghost tours in New Orleans.

The tour is guided by a person who is an expert in both paranormal matters, as well as the history of the city and its various traditional liquors. This is an experience that I recommend you do with friends. You will be able to use professional ghost detection equipment.

Interesting details

  • Price: You can book this activity for approximately 28 euros per person.
  • Duration: One to two hours is enough to do the whole tour to learn about the dark history of New Orleans and taste incredible liquors.
  • Means of transport: You must arrive on your own at the meeting point and then the tour will be on foot through the French Quarter of New Orleans.
  • Highlights of this tour: The tour is wheelchair accessible and pets are allowed. Children are welcome, but certain conditions apply.
  • Disadvantages of this tour: Can be cancelled due to bad weather or failure to meet the minimum quota of participants, in which case a rescheduling or refund may be offered. If cancelled for customer related reasons, no refund will be issued. Many nightclubs do not accept children.

Tips for taking a food tour in New Orleans

Booking online| ©Marek Levak
Booking online| ©Marek Levak
  • Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking during the food tours of New Orleans.
  • Try to control the amount of alcohol you consume on any of the cocktail tours, as you may miss out on the experience.
  • Ask as many questions as you need to before booking, as many of these tours are non-refundable.
  • Be careful not to take these tours with small children as they will often not be allowed into certain venues.

What are the advantages of taking a food tour of New Orleans vs. going on my own?

  • Guided tours
  • You will have access to an expert guide who will explain the history behind each dish.
  • The tour will be planned according to the tour guide's expertise.
  • You'll get to know the best places to eat in New Orleans, with no surprises.
  • Tours on my own
  • You won't have a guide explaining everything about each dish.
  • The food tour you take on your own may not be the most interesting.
  • You might encounter bad culinary experiences due to lack of knowledge.