Since I still get food tour requests four years after quitting touring, I’ve been on a mission to find a solid alternative. A local who possesses the kind of knowledge, energy, and passion for NYC food, especially street food. Someone who will take you to places even locals dont get a chance to discover. A guide with an actual sense of humor, not the kind of dad jokes I shared with many of you.
I’m tempted to write “I’m still looking”, but that would be just another ego inspired bad dad joke. The fact of the matter is the entire Ziggy clan, including the food snubs, thoroughly enjoyed the Ultimate Chinatown Food Tour with Scott the other day. And in case you are wondering right off the bat, yes I paid for it.
Food tours is a subject near and dear to my heart. The reason I got into this business to begin with was that the offerings 10 year ago were quite poor, and I wanted to do something no one else did. Judging by the fact that I reached #4 on Trip Advisor (out of 250 experiences), I’d say it succeeded, but the market got saturated and commercial in a hurry. Even foreign based entities like Spain’s Devour are now offering tours in NYC.
As a guide, and one that took many food tours around the world (including Devour in Spain), I will share with you the formula. Food tours are half food, half location/places, and half guide! You need a fun and energetic guide, delicious and varied food, and places that come with interesting stories. The rest like history, general knowledge isnt as important (not that it was lacking here). With Scott its an easy check, check, check.
I’m not going to spoil this for you by naming any of the places. I think its best not to know much. But there were quite a few surprises even for someone like myself and my oldest that spends much time in the area. I can tell you that I had some exceptional Szechuan, fantastic noodles, and a delicious item at a place I frequent but never had it. On top, you get a good sense of the local cuisine breakdown that will help you understand what Chinatown is all about.
And doing all this with Scott is the icing on the cake. He developed a special rapport with the vendors, and even learned some of the language. Seeing Chinatown on your own or through a local like this is unquestionably night and day. Its not only the preferred way, but a potential highlight of your entire trip. But I would wholeheartedly recommend this tour to locals as well.
https://ultimatefoodtours.com/
Eating With Ziggy 