Last weekend we had friends visiting from out of town, so I searched for something fun and touristy in town. After an extensive search on various websites, we all decided a food tour with Boston history would be best. The day, time, cost, and mostly importantly, reviews all played a part in choosing a tour. And let me tell you, this Boston tour will FILL you up with fabulous food and history.
The tour that met all criteria seemed to give us the most bang for our bucks. And it delivered! We were fed like kings. We felt as if we were walking the streets with the Mayor, and learned a lot about an historic, and hugely popular area of Boston.
We decided on the North End Food Tour with host Bobby Agrippino. Bobby is a life long North End resident, with a vast knowledge of the area’s past and present. He loves to show pictures on his phone of family and friends. I won’t spoil it for you with details, but he has stories. The former restaurateur restauranteur is now a full-time tour guide and owner of his company North End Food Tour. Having a guide who’s actually lived in the area, and has seen it change dramatically was a real plus. He was completely entertaining, authentic and knowledgable. The walking wasn’t too much for anyone in our capacity group of 20. The tour takes you around a few streets in Boston’s historic North End.
Word of caution…come HUNGRY. There was so much food, I was asking for bags to take home a few items. I highly recommend, from personal expeierience this Boston Tour. It will fill you up with fabulous food and history!
How much?
This tour felt like a bargain at only $79 per person (plus taxes and fees). There was a LOT of food and plenty of historical tid bits. Youd can book your tour HERE.
northendbostontour.com
What's Included
You most certainly get a bang for your buck on this tour. For $79 (plus taxes, fees), we had a glass of wine, pizza, pasta, full size cannoli, another pastry, tastings of deli meats, cheeses, olive oil, a sandwich, arancini, ground coffee to take home…am I missing anything? Probably but you get the point. You will not leave hungry! But definitely GO hungry. I’m sure the choices change from restaurants to food, but this was our experience. We started at the fabulous Antico Forno on Salem Street with pizza, wine and pasta, and a bottle of water. ALL of the food was amazingly good.
The tour lasts about 3 hours, filled with historical gems, a visit to sites of a famous movie, and a tv commericail. There was plenty of personal recollections from our host and knowledge of the area he grew up in.
Your Host
Tour guide Bobby Agrippino is a lifelong resident of Boston’s North End. As he says on his website, because he is from the area he “can educate you on things that no other tour can.” Bobby is knowledgable, entertaining and adds just the right amount of humor to his tour. He will take you “off the beaten path and visit the nooks and crannies of this 1 square mile neighborhood and learn about the history of the first Italians who settled here and how this neighborhood came to be what it is today. All the delicious food and wine we will be eating and drinking is a bonus to the culture and history of this wonderful neighborhood.”
northendbostontour.com
The Food Places
Each tour will likely vary, but as I mentioned we started at Antico Forno, talked about the history of pizza in the area, and the different kinds of pizza. We visited bakeries and pastry shops, an historic coffee shop, a market, a wine store (the first in Boston), salumeria (deli), and more. After the tour, Bobby shared an email with us that included a list of his favorite places, he considered to be the most authenic. Even if you live in the area, like we do, this is a really fun and tasty adventure. Hey, if you are planning on going out to dinner, why not make your dinner or lunch this tour!
northendbostontour.com
