Mafia Walk NYC: East Village & Little Italy Tour with Detective

Step behind the scenes to taste Mafia history where crime and culture collide

A three-hour walking tour of New York City's East Village and Little Italy mafia crime locations, led by a retired NYPD detective born and raised in the neighborhood. You walk the streets where Lucky Luciano founded the mafia, where John Gotti ran the Gambino family, and where prohibition-era speakeasies operated. The guide shares firsthand accounts and stories the major tour companies don't know. Spaghetti and a full-size Sicilian cannoli are included at the 11 AM option. The 10 AM option ends with cannoli only.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mafia walking tour with food tastings

• Start at NYC Red Sauce Joint
• Enjoy spaghetti welcome tasting
• Learn Mafia origins in East Village
• Walk and hear mobster stories
• Explore Second Avenue prohibition history
• Visit urban garden linked to Mafia
• Hear about Gambino family social club
• End with Sicilian cannoli pastry tasting

The experience

The tour starts at 302 E 12th Street in the East Village, a red sauce joint that was the birthplace of organized crime in New York. Your guide is a retired NYPD detective who either grew up in Little Italy or worked the neighborhood as a cop. Someone who watched this history unfold and can point to the actual corners where it happened. You'll walk through the East Village first, learning the structure of the crime families from foot soldiers to captains to the boss, then move into Little Italy where the Gambino family ran their social club and John Gotti operated as the Teflon Don.

Along the way you pass through Second Avenue's prohibition history, see an urban garden with mob connections, and hear about the specific crimes and the people who committed them: Myer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, Joe Masseria, Vinny the Chin, Crazy Joe Gallo. The stories come from someone who was there, not from a script. At the 11 AM departure, you start with spaghetti and tomato sauce at that first location. At 10 AM you skip the pasta. Either way, the tour ends at a pastry shop that has been family-owned for nearly a century, where you get a full-size Sicilian cannoli, not the small ones other tour companies hand out.

The walk takes three hours and covers both neighborhoods on foot. The route is wheelchair accessible, and the tour runs in all weather. You'll need moderate fitness for the walking, and the guide speaks English throughout.

What’s included

• A retired NYPD detective guide with insider knowledge of the neighborhood.
• a full-size Sicilian cannoli at a century-old pastry shop.
• spaghetti with tomato sauce at the 11 AM departure only.
• stories and crime locations most tours don't visit.
• the tour runs in all weather.

Options for this experience

2 options

Mafia Walk, Cannoli OnlyGuide in English · 10:00Guided walk featuring a true-crime and mafia history tour led by a retired NYPD detective. It runs 2 hours 30 minutes, approximately 2 to 2.5 hours (from 10:00 AM to about 12:15 or 12:30 PM). The cannoli-only option includes one cannoli, and no pasta lunch is part of this choice. The route begins in the East Village and ends in Little Italy, covering major historic mafia locations. The no-lunch option is an earlier, lighter version of our main tour, with the same route and guide as the 11 AM experience, just without the lunch stop.

Mafia Walk with Lunch and CannoliGuide in English · 11:00Guided tour that covers a mafia and crime history walk led by a retired NYPD detective. The walk lasts about 3 hours, roughly from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The lunch and dessert package includes pasta with tomato sauce for lunch and a cannoli for dessert. The route starts in the East Village and finishes in Little Italy, passing major historic mafia sites. This option comes with a full lunch and dessert. It follows the same route and guide as our 10 AM version.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 11:00

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (9 and older) · Under 9: can't be booked

GroupUp to 35

Live guideEnglish

Audio guideEnglish

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

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by NYPD Police Tours

Is this one for you?Book the 11 AM option if you want the full experience with a meal included. Choose 10 AM if you prefer a shorter food commitment and still want the same three-hour walk and cannoli. Either way, you get a guide who actually lived through this history rather than someone reading from a script.

Traveler reviews

4.89★★★★★★★★★★

1,283 verified traveler reviews

5 ★1,196

4 ★52

3 ★21

2 ★9

1 ★5

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Who is actually leading this mafia tour in New York?

A retired NYPD detective who was born and raised in Little Italy or worked the neighborhood as a police officer. The guide lived through the era when the crime families operated and can speak from firsthand experience about what happened on these streets.

What mafia leaders and locations does the tour cover?

You walk where Lucky Luciano founded the mafia, where John Gotti ran the Gambino family out of a social club, and where other major figures like Myer Lansky, Joe Masseria, Vinny the Chin and Crazy Joe Gallo operated. The tour includes the red sauce joint at 302 E 12th Street where the mafia began, Second Avenue's prohibition-era speakeasies, and an urban garden with mob connections.

What food is included, and does it differ between the two departure times?

Both options include a full-size Sicilian cannoli at a pastry shop that has operated for nearly a century. The 11 AM departure also includes spaghetti with tomato sauce at the start of the tour. The 10 AM option does not.

How long is the walk, and what level of fitness do I need?

The tour is three hours and covers the East Village and Little Italy on foot. Moderate physical fitness is recommended for the walking, though all areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible and the route is navigable in any weather.

Can I bring children or a stroller on this mafia history tour?

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and the tour is wheelchair accessible. However, the tour is not recommended for travelers with walking or leg conditions due to the amount of ground covered.