A question we get a lot at the Providence Tour Company is this: what makes a great food tour? After providing some of the best food tours in Providence, these are the lessons that we have come away with.
Variety: A great food tour should showcase a variety of different food types, from traditional dishes to modern twists on old classics. This can give visitors a comprehensive experience of a city's culinary culture.
Cultural context: The food tour should be informative about the cultural context in which the food is prepared and served, including the history, traditional dishes, and cultural significance.
Interaction: Interacting with local chefs, vendors, and even fellow tourists can make the experience memorable and engaging.
Value for money: A great food tour should be worth the money paid by visitors.
Fun: A food tour can be a fun experience while discovering new culinary items, so the tour guide should make it entertaining and enjoyable.
What Tours in the Area Would We Recommend?
In Rhode Island, the best tour that we could recommend to meet all of our requirements for a great food tour is the Providence Tour Company's Crime and Cuisine Tour.
The Crime and Cuisine Tour is a tour of Federal Hill in Providence, focusing on its various world-class restaurants including, Trattoria Zooma, Venda, Roma, Napolitanos Pizza and Pastiche Bakery.
Food is not all you get with this tour: there is also a stop at Gasbarro’s Wine and Spirits. Here Timothy, their owner, picks out an amazing bottle of wine for the group to taste as he gives a tour of one of the largest climate-controlled wine cellars on the eastern seaboard. Not only do you get to enjoy an unmatched lesson on all things wine, but you will learn the story of how Zooma was created, the origins of the tastings at Venda and Roma, and a pizza-making demonstration at Napolitanos, a big check for interaction!
Not only does this tour hit our points for value, variety, and interaction but it also has some great cultural context and loads of fun! The tour is centered around Raymond Patriarca, the head of one of the most prominent crime families of the 20th century. The incredible tours paint a picture of Patriarca, his crimes, battles with the state, and even the corruption that led to the collapse of Rhode Island’s banking system in the late 1980s.
If you are looking for a great food tour with a phenomenal introduction to Rhode Island’s storied past, look no further: The Providence Tour Companies Crime and Cuisine Tour is the one for you.