Charleston Food Tour: 7+ Tastings Through French Quarter History

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/17

Duration3h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Seven tastings that tell 300 years of Lowcountry cooking

A guided food tour through Charleston's French Quarter or Upper King Street neighborhood with a live English-speaking guide, featuring 7+ tastings of Lowcountry classics and Southern favorites over three hours. Choose between the classic tour (pulled pork tacos, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, benne wafers) or the brunch option (warm biscuits, spinach and feta quiche, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, banana pudding), both ending with a mystery signature dish. The itinerary and menu may shift based on restaurant availability and weather, so contact the operator in advance if you have dietary requirements.

Step-by-step itinerary

Culinary tour of Charleston French Quarter

Join Secret Food Tour
Explore historic French Quarter streets
Sample iconic Lowcountry dishes
Visit Upper King St. brunch spots
Enjoy mystery Signature Secret Dish

The Experience

The tour moves through Charleston's historic streets on foot, stopping at multiple restaurants and food vendors where you taste your way through the city's culinary past. A guide leads the group and shares the history woven into each dish — why she-crab soup matters, what benne wafers are, how pulled pork tacos fit into the region's food story. You're not watching a demonstration or sitting in one place; you walk, you eat, you move to the next stop. The pace is built around tasting portions, not full meals, so the three hours hold together without feeling rushed or heavy.

The classic tour route takes you through the French Quarter's most recognizable historic landmarks while you sample iconic Lowcountry staples: pulled pork tacos, corn bread, warm biscuits, spinach and feta quiche, crisp benne wafers, Southern shrimp and grits, creamy she-crab soup, and handmade pecan clusters. The brunch option follows Upper King Street instead — a neighborhood north of the Historic District with a contemporary restaurant and coffee shop scene — and swaps the menu for warm biscuits, spinach and feta quiche, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, classic banana pudding, and refreshing passion fruit–mango sweet tea. Both tours end the same way: with the guide's signature secret dish, a final tasting that caps the afternoon.

You can book the tour as a shared group experience or as a private tour for your party only. Public transportation options are available nearby if you need them. The operator asks that you contact them in advance if you have dietary requirements so they can work with the restaurants to accommodate you. Infants can join if they sit on an adult's lap. The menu and stops may shift depending on what's open, the weather, or other circumstances on the day, so there's some flexibility built in.

What’s included

Seven or more tastings including pulled pork tacos, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, benne wafers, warm biscuits, spinach and feta quiche, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, banana pudding (brunch option), pecan clusters, passion fruit–mango sweet tea, and a signature secret dish; a live English-speaking guide who shares the stories behind each dish and the historic landmarks you pass.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Secret Food Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the classic tour for Lowcountry staples like she-crab soup and shrimp & grits, or the brunch option if you prefer starting later with biscuits and quiche.