Chinatown & Little Italy Food Tour: Five Tastings in 3 Hours

Taste Five Neighborhoods in One Morning

A 3-hour food tour of New York City's Chinatown and Little Italy with five restaurant stops, covering the Fujianese backstreets, the traditional Cantonese area, and Little Italy's western edge. The guide orders at each stop while you eat dumplings, pork buns, tea cakes, noodles and pizza, and shares the history of each dish and neighborhood. Vegetarian options available. Contact in advance for other dietary needs.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Chinatown and Little Italy food

• Visit five Chinatown restaurants
• Eat dumplings, pork buns, tea cakes, noodles
• Learn history of dishes and neighborhood
• Walk through less-touristy Fujianese area
• Explore Cantonese area of Chinatown
• Pass by Little Italy neighborhood
• Eat a delicious dessert

The experience

Five stops means you'll eat at places locals know, not the tourist corridor. The route starts in the less-visited Fujianese area east of the main drag (the backstreets where the neighborhood actually lives), then moves west through the Cantonese restaurants most visitors find, and finishes at Little Italy's edge with a dessert stop. The guide handles the ordering at each place, so you sit down and eat while learning what makes each dish matter to the neighborhood's history.

Dumplings, pork buns, tea cakes, dan dan noodles, handmade crispy dumplings, pineapple roasted bun, authentic pesto arancini, some of the best NYC pizza, and a secret dish revealed only on the day. That's the eating part. The walking part connects them: you move through backstreets, past storefronts, between the older Cantonese quarter and the Italian blocks that border it. Three hours total, so the pace stays steady without rushing the food.

Bring comfortable walking shoes, warm clothes, a hat and a large appetite. Public transportation is nearby if you need it. The tour runs in English with a live guide. Vegetarians can be accommodated. Reach out before booking if you have other allergies or dietary restrictions so the guide can arrange the right stops for you.

What’s included

• Five restaurant stops with tastings at each.
• crispy handmade dumplings, pork buns, tea cakes, dan dan noodles, pesto arancini, NYC pizza and a secret dish.
• live guide in English sharing the history of each dish and neighborhood.
• guide ordering at each stop so you can focus on eating.

Information

Lasts 3h, runs every day, 6 start times, from US$ 99 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 12 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day except Thursday: 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:00Thursday: 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:00Another time? ›

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglishOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3)

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ultimate Food Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to eat where locals eat rather than follow the guidebook: the route covers the Fujianese backstreets most visitors miss, the Cantonese core, and Little Italy's edge, so you move through the neighborhoods as they actually connect instead of hitting the same five tourist stops everyone else does.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly do we eat at the five stops on this Chinatown and Little Italy tour?

The five stops feature crispy handmade dumplings, freshly baked pineapple roasted buns, dan dan noodles, authentic pesto arancini, some of the best NYC pizza, and a secret dish the guide reveals only on the day of the tour.

Does the tour go to the touristy part of Chinatown or the neighborhoods where locals eat?

The tour covers both. It starts in the Fujianese area east of the main tourist zone (the backstreets of what was once part of the Lower East Side), then moves through the well-known Cantonese restaurants, and finishes at Little Italy's western edge, so you see how the neighborhoods actually connect.

Who orders the food at each restaurant stop?

The guide orders at every stop, so you sit down and eat while the guide explains the history of the dish and the neighborhood. You don't have to navigate menus or decide what to try.

Can you accommodate vegetarians or food allergies on this tour?

Vegetarian options are available. For other allergies or dietary restrictions, contact the operator in advance so the guide can arrange the right stops and dishes for your needs.

How long is the tour and what should I bring?

The tour runs 3 hours. Bring comfortable walking shoes, warm clothes, a hat and a good appetite. Public transportation options are available nearby if you need them.