taste tours phoenix

Taste It Tours

• See all photos

Downtown Phoenix Food Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Taste It Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Taste It Tours

• See all photos

Downtown Phoenix Food Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Taste It Tours - All You MUST Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• Twitter / X
• Readers' Choice
• Food & Drink
• Arts & Culture
• Travel Guides

Taste It Tours

Type: Tours and Excursions

Last updated on August 19, 2016

10Best Says

114 West Adams Street Suite C-109 Phoenix, AZ 85003

(480) 274-3569

things to do

restaurants

Explore Phoenix

Also featured in.

Taste It Tours AZ

The Place: Taste It Tours AZ When: Tuesday + Friday at 2:00pm The Location:  The Original Downtown Phoenix Tour (Meets at Phoenix Public Market Cafe )

By: Kelly Loubet

You might think you know everything about the food culture in Phoenix. You’re wrong. I’ve lived in Phoenix my entire life and I thought I knew everything about Phoenix history and a great deal about where to eat. I was wrong. Taste It Tours AZ invited me along on a tour and I experienced Downtown Phoenix in a way I never have before. From interesting historical tidbits to delicious eats + tasty cocktails, Taste It Tours AZ did not disappoint!

Before I get started… there are several other tours available on a variety of days and times (including Old Town Scottsdale and Roosevelt Row). The tour I’m about to share with you is specific to Downtown Phoenix. I was not compensated for this post.

Our group met up at the Phoenix Public Market Cafe . Our tour guide handed out special stickers to the attendees over 21 years old, who planned on having any cocktails. She also did cute icebreaker activity, asking everyone if they were “sweet” or “savory”. I like to think that I’m “swavory”! And with that… we were off on our tour! This particular tour is a walking tour. Along the way, our guide shared with us fun tidbits about the history of Downtown Phoenix. For instance- those glass blocks built into the sidewalk in the downtown area? They’re there to highlight underground tunnels that were functional during the days when I hidden speakeasy was common.

Our first stop was Short Leash Hot Dogs . Short Leash started out as a humble, yet popular 80 square foot food truck. They now have 3 permanent locations- including Rollover Doughnuts. Here are some highlights- rather than a traditional hotdog bun… Short Leash uses Naan, a traditional Indian flatbread. They serve hard to find, independant soda labels + local beer + specialty cocktails. Here’s the thing… I hate pickles. But their beer-battered, fried pickles are to die for! There’s something for everyone at Short Leash. I can’t wait to try their Biltmore location, which is just a mile or so from my house! I can walk off all that deliciousness!

Next, we stopped at Thai Basil . They have 4 locations across the valley. We were greeted with a super tasty broth soup with mushrooms and things in it. The soup is said to have healing properties. You can bet that I will be ordering a tub of it, the next time I catch a cold! While at Thai Basil, we also sampled Pad Thai and a veggie/chicken dish. It was so delicious! To wash it down, we had a traditional creamy, orange, tea.

Walking along the tour, we learned some other really random facts about art installations, buildings, and tragic tales. I don’t want to give them away though… take the tour! Our next stop was Tom’s Tavern . Tom’s has it’s own very interesting history. It’s been around since 1929! Amazing! Many politicians, city leaders, and councils have discussed issues and signed deals over a meal at Tom’s Tavern. They were even voted Best Client Lunch spot by AZ Central. Congrats, guys! We sampled the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Helloooooooo comfort food! Don’t tell my mom… but it might be better than her meatloaf. Ok. It is better than her meatloaf! We also had one of the most delicious margaritas I’ve ever had- The Ratnerita- an Italian Margarita Made with Milagro Tequila, Cointreau, Lemon & Lime Juice with a Float of Disaronno Amaretto. Also, I hate salt. I always get sugar on the rim, but at Tom’s Tavern, they use a special mix of salt and mango-ish sugar. So YUM!

Onward we go! Our group took a little detour through Cityscape. It was especially cool while we were there, because the ice rink was up and active! How fun is that?! From there, we ended up at The Strand- Urban Italian . What’s Urban Italian? Well… It means that gluten-free/low carb options are available + artful cocktails + boutique wines + creative menu choices! Their pasta was really delicious and they make a tasty sangria daily. They even offer curbside/to go service! I’ll definitely be back.

One of our stops on the tour was kind of spontaneous. We checked out a newer venue in the downtown area- Valley Bar . It’s kind of a secret entrance. Like a modern speakeasy. Located in a back alleyway, only identifiable by a large man taking care of the door… Valley Bar takes you down the stairs of what only could be described as your grandmother’s 1970’s basement. Amazing vintage furniture populates the space. Arcade games and board games abound. There’s a “secret” library for cigar aficionados and Valley Bar hosts live music too! Make a point to try and find it 🙂

Finally… we ended up back at Phoenix Public Market Cafe . They treated us to coffee (or tea) and the cookie of our choice! I chose the Peanut Butter cookie. It was more delicious than I can even put into words. I’d like to give a big shout out to the Taste It Tours AZ team. They do an amazing job at keeping the group engaged and having a good time!

Here are some tips if you’re going to go on a Taste It Tour:

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. That may be obvious, but unless you’re doing a trolley tour, you’ll be walking.
• Don’t be afraid to socialize and meet new people. Our tour had 13 people in it. We had a blast sitting next to someone new at each stop.
• Try everything. Even if you don’t think you’ll like it. Just try it.
• Book your next Taste It Tour for another part of the Valley. At the end of our tour, the guide gave us all info on the places we visited and a coupon for our next tour. Take advantage of it!

There are no comments

Cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

WELCOME TO ARIZONA FOOD TOURS! THE TOP RATED AND LONGEST RUNNING FOOD TOUR IN ARIZONA. EST 2009.

Recently receiving the 2023 USAToday readers choice award as the #5 ranked food tour nationally, we are now celebrating our 15th year hosting food and wine tours in historic Old Town Scottsdale! Public and Private tours offered 7 days a week!

Arizona Food Tours opens your mind and palate with tales full of rich history, one taste at a time!

Arizona Food Tours has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Trip Advisor and a 5.0 Google rating. Led by local foodie enthusiasts, we are committed to providing an entertaining, fun, and fulfilling experience for any occasion. We look forward to hosting you!

“A Taste of Old Town Scottsdale” – Food Tour

The first ever food tour in Arizona! This tour visits 4-5 locally owned establishments, providing a full meal with dessert and 2 cocktails.

Scottsdale Wine Tour

Interested in a food experience with wine pairings? Spend your afternoon visiting a combination of 4 local tasting rooms and restaurants!

“Sip and Sample”- Happy Hour Tour

Spend an afternoon visiting 4-5 of Scottsdale's favorite saloons, restaurants, and tasting rooms, serving food and drinks at each location!

ALL TOURS BOOK HERE!

Plan you tour experience with us! Scottsdale food or wine tours available 7 days a week starting at 11:00am, 2:30pm, or 3:00pm.

#1 of 30 Food & Drink in Scottsdale. Top rated and longest running food tours in the Phoenix area.

"We are from Ohio and have done food tours in big cities like NYC and this was better! The history tidbits, awesome food, plentiful wine, an overall great time! Very well organized and run. They are true pros and it shows in the details. This is a Scottsdale must, 5 stars doesn't seem high enough!"

Connect with Arizona Food Tours!

Join our mailing list for the latest news and updates from Arizona Food Tours, promotional discount codes & releases coming to your account!

Follow us on your favorite social media platforms and stay updated on latest tour information, recent photos and reviews!

walking tour - 3 hours |   Ages 12+ $80.00

walking tour - 3 hours |   Adult 21+ $95.00

This website uses cookies to provide you a great user experience. By using our site, you accept our Privacy Policy

Taste It Tours

• See all photos

Downtown Phoenix Food Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

TASTE IT TOURS (Phoenix) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

• Taste It Tours

Rates for Taste It Tours

Private tour options - food tours, classic tour package.

When: Starting from 11am to 3pm; Duration: 2.5 hours. Walking tour of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert with 3 restaurants, 1 dessert, no cocktails.

Premier Tour Package

When: Starting from 11am to 3pm; Duration: 2.5 hours. Walking tour of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert with 3 restaurants, 1 dessert, 2-3 cocktails.

Premier Plus Tour Package

When: Starting from 11am to 3pm; Duration: 3 hours. Walking tour of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert with 4 restaurants, 1 dessert, 3 cocktails.

Executive Tour Package

When: Sun. - Thu. after 4pm; Duration: 2.5 hours. Walking tour of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert with 3 restaurants, 1 dessert, 3 cocktails.

Executive Plus Tour Package

When: Sun. - Thu. after 4pm; Duration: 3 hours. Walking tour of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert with 4 restaurants (or 3+ wine tasting), 1 dessert, 3 cocktails.

Custom Food Tour Package

Have a food tour request not listed above? Let us know what you're looking for and we'll try to accommodate.

Private Tour Options - Other Tours

Dessert tour package.

When: Afternoons; Duration: Approx. 2 hours. Walking tour of Scottsdale with 6 dessert stops & a coffee demonstration.

Pub Crawl Package

When: Afternoon or Evening; Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours. Walking tour of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert with 5 stops at the coolest bars in town.

Wine & Chocolate Tour Package

When: Afternoon or Evening; Duration: Approx. 3 hours. Walking tour of Scottsdale with wine from 3 Arizona wineries & 2 desserts.

Looking for a Great Team Bonding Idea

Taste it tours offers unique team building activities for all size companies.

With over 350+ corporate events under our belts, we've got you covered.

We can completely customize a bus or walking food & drink tour in and around Downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Gilbert.

Corporations such as Wells Fargo, Google, and Intel have enjoyed corporate off-sites with us. We have also hosted our fair share of office Christmas parties, birthdays, and bachelorette outings as well.

We'll showcase incredible foods, beautiful architecture and the rich history of each neighborhood, all while having a wonderfully fun time

You will conclude our tour feeling like a local, with an insider's view into local life and a happily satisfied stomach.

Private Tour Details

Please call for more customized tours and transportation.

Tours can start between 11am and 4pm any day of the week, with evening tours available Sunday through Thursday.

Tour Transportation

Options include walking or public trolley. Pick-up and drop-off arrangements can also be made.

Multiple beverage/cocktail packages available.

We've facilitated tours as small as 10 guests up to 200+.

This varies based on the level of customization.

Private Tour Terms & Conditions

All private group tour details will be agreed upon ahead of time by the private tour organizer and taste it tours., weekday private tours are generally easier to book than weekend tours..

Please be advised that weekend private group tour requests during the peak season of January through end of March are difficult to accommodate.

Private tours have a minimum participant requirement of 8 guests.

Private group tour prices vary depending on the package you pick., we do not offer children's ticket prices for private group tours..

All tickets for private group tours are charged at the adult ticket price.

A tour guide gratuity fee of 18% will be included in your total cost and provided directly to your tour guide (s).

Private tours booked more than 10 days from agreed tour date require a 50% deposit paid via credit card to hold a date, time slot (s), and tour guide (s)..

Final headcount and remaining balance (non-refundable) paid via credit card are due 10 days prior to the event.

Private tours booked less than 10 days from agreed tour date require full payment to hold a date, time slot (s), and tour guide (s).

Other conditions, private tours are held rain or shine, so prepare for inclement weather., taste it tours will try to accommodate any particular requirements or dietary restrictions of your private group event..

Gluten-free and vegan diets are the most difficult to adjust for, but we will do our best.

Rates may not be up to date Submit corrections.

What's Popular Here?

Masha K. I did the Phoenix Taste it Phoenix Food Tour with Jessica. She was awesome. This is definitely more… Read more

Taste It Tours

• See all photos

Downtown Phoenix Food Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Taste It Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Internet-famous Dave Portnoy ranked 5 metro Phoenix pizzerias 'forgettable' to 'perfect'

Founder and owner of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, was in the Valley for the Final Four. While in town, he stopped by five local restaurants to conduct his social media pizza reviews.

Known for his internet personality, Portnoy is not only a part of the BFFs podcast with influencers Josh Richards and Brianna LaPaglia, he is also popular for his pizza reviews for which his catchphrase is, “One bite, everybody knows the rules” as he makes stops at various pizza shops across the country and gives them a rating from 1-10 on a slice of their plain cheese. Portnoy is hard to please. He rarely, if ever, hands out numbers ranking higher than 9.

Given that, he handed out pretty high ratings to five metro Phoenix pizzerias during his 2024 visit.

Dave Portnoy has reviewed pizza in Arizona before

This isn’t the first time Portnoy has reviewed pizza spots in the Valley, let alone Arizona. When he was here for the Super Bowl he visited some local spots in Phoenix and Tucson.

He posted a review of the famous Pizzeria Bianco on Feb. 9, 2023. He said the pizza was “impossible to get,” he showed up at 10:30 a.m. and the spot already had a line out the door with an hour and a half wait, all before the 11 a.m. open.

Portnoy said you can’t get the pizza to go so you have to show up and that’s why he was “doing this one a little bit differently.”

He described the pizza as having a “good undercarriage” and an “outrageous crisp.” He said you could taste how fresh it is and mentioned that organic, locally sourced ingredients are used. Portnoy rated the spot a 7.3.

On Jan. 11, 2023, he tried Squared Up Pizza in Tucson which he gave the Sicilian-style square pizza a 7.6 .

“This is a good quality, solid Sicilian square slice,” Portnoy said.

He gave the round pie a 7.9 , calling it “crisp, excellent.”

Portnoy reviewed Villa Della Slice Shop on Jan. 10, 2023, and gave it a 7.9 .

“Has big time taste, great sauce, great flavor,” Portnoy said. “I need a little more crunch I think to put me in the 8s with this.”

Here's how he ranked five local pizzerias on his most recent visit.

Pizza On 40th got a 7.1

Portnoy stopped by Pizza On 40th located at 937 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. He left a review through an Instagram video posted on Thursday, April 11.

"Looked good, that's a pretty New York-style thing, good little bubbles, I like bubble trouble," Portnoy said. "Thin, oh pretty good crisp. Scottsdale it's not the greatest pizza city, but it's not the worst. Good undercarriage."

He called the pizza "good-ish" rating it a 7.1. He said it was a very basic New York style, he wouldn't blink or look back for it. If it was in the streets of New York it would be an "average," "forgettable," "normal" pizza.

Pizza By Napoli scored 7.2

Portnoy's latest stop on his pizza tour throughout the Valley, posted in a video on his Instagram @stoolpresidente on Tuesday, April 16, included Pizza by Napoli , located at 3425 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix.

Portnoy said he decided to visit after he got a DM from the shop owner's daughter about a year ago and then again recently, asking him to come and leave a review.

"Looks like a football pie, pretty good. A little doughy ... would I make a trip an hour-and-a-half to eat it? No. Would I come here because this girl wants her dad and her family business to thrive so much and they've been here 35 years? Absolutely."

He gave them a 7.2 rating and said "sometimes it's more than pizza, it's people more than the pizza."

Lamp Pizzeria earned a 7.6

Portnoy said he waited about 2 hours to get a pizza at Lamp Pizzeria , which people warned him about. Located at 8900 E. Pinnacle Peak Road in Scottsdale, the review was posted on Instagram on Monday, April 15.

He said the pizza was "really great" but for him woodfire is not his favorite style. He gave the spot 7.6, which he said was a "monster score for this style of pizza." Portnoy said the taste was "really spectacular" and you could tell the oils, sauces and everything were super fresh.

"We got some good pizza in Scottsdale today," Portnoy said.

He said it was worth the two hour wait for the experience.

Andiamo Pizzeria in Scottsdale landed an 8.2

In a video posted on TikTok and Instagram on Thursday, April 11, Portnoy was filmed visiting Andiamo Pizzeria located on 7132 E. Becker Lane in Scottsdale.

According to their website, Andiamo started when two traveling pizza aficionados met in Phoenix.

“Fueled by a passion for pie that spans New York’s bustling streets, California’s laid-back pizza joints, the soulful authenticity of Italy, and beyond, we’ve crafted a menu that’s a journey in every bite,” the website states.

Portnoy was with his dog Miss Peaches when he was reviewing the joint.

“That looks like good, East Coast big pizza, look how thin that is,” he said. “Peaches, we’re about to change Andiamo’s lives here”

He compared the pizza to a “thin, perfect, Joe’s from New York.”

He gave the spot an 8.2 rating and claimed it was “the best in AZ” in his caption of the video. Portnoy even gave his dog a bite to try.

Trevor’s Liquor got an 8.3

Posted on TikTok and Instagram on Saturday, April 13, Portnoy was shown visiting Trevor’s Liquor at 3601 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix.

He was doing a High Noon meet-and-greet at the location when he was told to try one of their pizzas.

“This thing’s light so I think it’s going to be good … it looks good, really good undercarriage,” Portnoy said.

He said he was stunned by the pizza and didn’t realize the liquor store also had a pizza shop next door with a small menu of salads and sandwiches as well.

Trevor's Liquor has three metro Phoenix location. The one at 7000 E. Mayo Boulevard in Phoenix also sells pizza, but the store at 7340 E. McDowell Road in Scottsdale does not.

“Well now I’m f-----," Portnoy said. “Because we gave an 8.2 to Andiamo this morning and I said it’s the best pizza in Phoenix. This is the best pizza in Scottsdale.”

He gave Trevor’s an 8.3, “closer to an 8.4, than an 8.3,” he said.

Portnoy asked if this is how the pizza comes out all of the time. To which one of the employees responded 90% of the time, every time.

“Are you guys packed for pizza?” he asked. “You’re going to be busy like you haven’t seen before."

Bachelor Matt James visits Gilbert: Season 25 'The Bachelor' lead Matt James says this AZ restaurant was 'worth the adventure'

Reach the reporter at   [email protected] . Follow   @dina_kaur  on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to azcentral.com today .

Taste it Tours uses cookies to give you the best possible service. If you continue browsing, you agree to our use of cookies. More details can be found in our terms and conditions .

• 480-274-3569
• Open Facebook account in a new tab.
• Open Instagram account in a new tab.
• Open Twitter account in a new tab.

Private Tour Bookings

We want to hear from you.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team