Chinatown tasting tours

There are two Chinatowns, one that you see from a van or bus, and the one that can only be experienced on foot in the back alleys, food markets, and local restaurants.

One Chinatown, the one from the bus, is interesting. Our Chinatown will surprise you with new adventures around every corner. In our Chinatown, artisans form Fortune Cookies by hand. In our Chinatown, artisans practice their craft in small alleys using techniques handed down for thousands of years. And in our Chinatown, the authentic cuisine will enliven your senses with new flavors, smells, and aromas.

• We start our San Francisco Tours of Chinatown seeing authentic Chinese antiques at one of the best places in Chinatown. You'll see statuettes and ritual objects that are literally thousands of years old.

• Next we'll be visiting a music center where, to put it simply, if you think you've seen every musical instrument ever made, I think they can prove you wrong.

• We'll be trying different types of Dim Sum (Chinese food) from the oldest Chinese bakery in San Francisco.

• In addition to experiencing one of the oldest cathedrals in San Francisco, we'll be watching how fortune cookies are made. We'll also take you to the very place where famous celebrities get their hair cut.

• We’ll be heading into one of the local Buddhist temples.

• We'll be visiting the local Chinese markets. While we're there we will enjoy some wonderful tea.

• On these enjoyable San Francisco tours we'll spend approximately three hours eating everything from dim sum to fortune cookies and teas, and more.

Whether you join us on our 10 am or 2 pm tour, we'll search out authentic crafts and pottery, and explore exotic and unique Asian produce, herbs, and teas from the very people who know them best. We'll uncover their hidden secrets only intrepid locals know. And you'll be astonished by the new finds in secret alcoves.

San Francisco is one of the culinary capitals of the world and every block has its own unique feeling and foods. On every one of our sojourns into San Francisco neighborhoods, we'll go into local bakeries, restaurants, and cafes, and taste the food. We know these places because these are the places we go to ourselves.

We don't go and look at "tourist" shops. Our San Friancisco tours takes you into, to spend time with, local artisans as they practice their crafts, whether it is calligraphers, bakers, or families who have been fishing for generations.

We have a passion for life, for trying new things, for living life to its fullest. Our goal is that after you join our San Francisco tours and explorations, you will take that same passion with you. After experiencing the real zeal of this place, we know you will. And not only will you leave your heart in San Francisco; you may find that you have left part of your soul here as well.

Local Tastes of the City San Francisco Tours is a group of passionate, professional, and certified guides with years of experience leading adventures in our San Francisco tours. We live here; we can't imagine living anywhere else. We love the City and want you to also experience its magic.

One of the founders, Tom Medin, has been guiding our San Francisco tours for close to a decade. In addition to extensive knowledge of San Francisco history, architecture and cuisine, he is a trained naturalist, specializing in marine mammals. Several of his cookbooks are in the process of publication.