Best San Diego Food Tours – Recommended by a Local!

San Diego is not only famous for sandy beaches and crystal blue waters but also for its delicious food scene!

As a result of its location next to the Mexican border, it’s a hotspot for imported cuisines from Central and South America. Additionally, there’s a wide range of people from different backgrounds and global nationalities basing themselves here. These factors have contributed to San Diego’s exciting culinary scene and made it one of the best in the USA.

There’s no better way to sample the best of San Diego’s food than by taking a food tour. Why pay for average, overpriced food? Instead, hire a guide to experience restaurants off the beaten path with better food.

Check out our top San Diego food tours, so you can try the tastiest dishes when you visit!

San Diego Food Tours – Little Italy Tours

Taste Of Little Italy in San Diego City

San Diego’s famed neighborhood Little Italy is exploding with restaurants waiting for you to try out. Join this three hour walking food tour where you’ll avoid the tourist traps and visit only the most authentic restaurants.

Besides eating, discover the chic district’s unique forms of architecture and learn about the history of immigrants who have made the area what it is today. Find out the secrets of Little Italy while joining tastings at several locally-owned eateries, all included in the price.

A maximum of 17 people can join this fantastic San Diego food tour. It sets off from India Street at the same time every day, 4 pm. This gives you plenty of time to do whatever you like during the day and have an enormous feast at night.

Little Italy Wine Sampling Tour

Drink your way around Little Italy while amalgamating history with wine on this three hour tasting tour. In a group of 12 you’ll hear fun facts about the district’s history, find the best places to drink wine, and sample aromatic glasses at three locations.

Of course, fine wine goes better with great food. So there will be opportunities along the way to sample food like calamari, pizza, and meatballs. This tour is done entirely on foot and will leave from outside Vino Carta on India Street at 3 pm sharp.

All group participants must be over the age of 21 due to the nature of the excursion.

Booze & Bar Bites in Little Italy

Eat like the Italians do on this three hour food and drink tour of Little Italy. Before the famous district became a gastronomical wonderland, it used to be home to many Italian families involved in the fishing industry. Fast forward many years, it’s filled with international eateries, microbreweries, and cool bars.

Start your tour in front of the Little Italy Food Hall, where your guide will meet the group. Walk around the area and hear how Little Italy turned from a quiet fishing village to a culinary hotspot. Make four restaurant stops to try different styles of food and a drink of your choice (beer or cocktail) and dive into some ice cream for dessert.

A maximum limit of 15 people can join this tour, so it’s not too crowded, and allows an authentic experience with your guide. This is definitely one of the best food tours in San Diego.

Little Italy Food Tour

Get a taste of Little Italy, a playground for foodies visiting San Diego, on this 2.5 hour trip around the area. Follow along with your guide for a walking history tour of the Italian quarter while visiting local restaurants.

Savor cheesy pizzas and hearty portions of pasta as you learn why Italians are adamant that nobody can replicate their unique recipes.

On this 15 person tour there’s a chance to meet other food lovers and bond over one of the most incredible things in life.

Guests must be at the Fountain in Piazza della Famiglia at 4:30 pm. From there, the eating will commence.

San Diego Food Tours – Gaslamp Tours

Gaslamp Quarter Downtown San Diego Food Tour

The Gaslamp Quarter is well-known around San Diego for having an array of food options. This exciting three hour tour brings you to the downtown area to learn all about the city’s food scene.

Follow your private tour guide to five locations, like ethnic eateries and mom-and-pop shops, where you’ll sample plates of local food.

These guys pride themselves on serving hugely sized portions, so there’s no chance you’re going home hungry. Hear about the district’s history and culture, and how it’s associated with food. We’re sure you’re going to love this one!

All the food you sample is included, but the downside is that if you want alcohol, you must pay. Although, since you’re going to get so much food, it doesn’t matter.

There’s quite a lot of walking involved in this small group downtown San Diego foodie tour, so it’s recommended you wear comfortable shoes.

Brothels, Bites, and Booze: Learn About San Diego’s Questionable Past

Devour a variety of delicious bites in the vibrant Gaslamp District alongside a tour guide who knows all about the area’s shady past.

Hear how the heart of San Diego was once renowned for red light activity and a haven for notorious gangsters. Now, it’s a bustling quarter with over 150 bars and restaurants, some of which you’ll get to try while here.

Indulge in food and drink sampling at three locally-owned restaurants and four bars before belting a song or two during a karaoke session. This is definitely one of the more unique foodie tours in San Diego! It will be an evening out that promises to be filled with new tastes and lots of fun.

After meeting your guide and group of up to 15, you’ll embark on the 2.5 hour tasting activity. Be mindful that it involves 16 square blocks of strolling. At least there’s a chance to walk off all the food you’re going to eat.

San Diego Food Tours – Downtown Tours

San Diego Walking Tasting Tour with Secret Food Tours

Discover the burgeoning influence of international cuisine in San Diego through this extended 3.5 hour Secret Foods Tour.

Visit diverse eateries where you’ll try many plates from varying cuisines, including crispy fish tacos, a succulent Californian meltburger, a beef mulita, a secret dish you’ll hear more about on the tour, and locally made ice cream. Really, what’s a meal without dessert?

What sets this tour apart from others is seeing different culturally significant neighborhoods in San Diego. Get off the tourist trail and find places to eat that you’d only find with a local. Learn what corners of the city have the best food, so you can go back when you’re feeling peckish. 

The tour departs from 600 B Street. We highly recommend arriving on an empty stomach. There’s a lot of eating involved!

San Diego Food Tours – Old Town Tours

Tequila, Tacos, & Tombstones Culinary Tour of San Diego City

Let’s fiesta like Mexico does on this 2.5 hour San Diego culinary excursion. Roam through Old Town’s quaint streets, stopping at the neighborhood’s top Mexican restaurants.

Try some of the specialties from light snacks to tequila-based beverages. Listen to stories about Native Americans, Mexicans, and gold miners behind Old Town’s flourishing success.

Stop by the El Campo Santo Cemetery, where there have been numerous reports of ghost sightings. You may get lucky and see one.

This slow-paced walking food tour can include up to 16 people and food and drinks are included. Cafe Coyote is where the group will meet. It kicks off at 4:30 pm sharp, but try to get there about ten minutes before to ensure there’s no waiting around for anyone.

San Diego Food Tours – East Village Tours

Food & Drink Journey Through the East Village

East Village is one of the lesser-known areas in San Diego where you can take a food tour. What was once a neighborhood filled with warehouses is now a cosmopolitan district with award-winning eateries and restaurants, quirky cocktail bars, and hip craft breweries.

On this three hour outing, you’ll learn about a culinary evolution you’ve probably never heard of before. See how an industrial area filled with factories, like Wonder Bread, transformed into San Diego’s new trendy neighborhood.

After you meet your guide at Fault Line Park, they’ll take you to four or five spots ranging from Michelin star restaurants to chic cocktail bars and crafty breweries. Indulge in various plates from a number of cuisines before enjoying a couple complimentary drinks to wash it all down.

Food tours are a great way to find unique places to eat in San Diego. You get to see hidden gems, try cheap eats, and visit quiet eateries that aren’t out the door with other hungry people.

Which San Diego food tour will you book!?

Up for a brewery tour as well? Be sure to also check out the Best San Diego Brewery Tours.

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