Booking choice: The Downtown Charleston Food Tour, from $110 per person. Check dates Tour details
Three operators run the French Quarter food walks compared most closely here: Charleston Culinary Tours, Secret Food Tours and Bulldog Tours. All three walk the French Quarter in groups of up to 12, and all three cancel free up to 24 hours before.
The differences are smaller than the marketing suggests, but they matter: whether the menu is printed, who can come, and how much you eat.
The quick answer
For a walk that promises a meal for most, the Downtown Charleston Food Tour (4.7, from $110). For the highest rating of the big three and a printed menu, Secret Food Tours' French Quarter walk (4.9 from 2,391 reviews, from $89). For a walk that starts by the City Market with grits and pralines, Bulldog Tours (4.6, from $111). Want privacy, sweets or a chef? See the alternatives below.
How do Charleston's food tours compare side by side?
Secret Food Tours has the most reviews and the lowest price of the big three; the Downtown Charleston Food Tour promises a meal for most.
| Tour | Rating | From | Time | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Downtown Charleston Food Tour | 4.7 (1,479) | $110 | 2.5 h | Not under 8 |
| Secret Food Tours, French Quarter | 4.9 (2,391) | $89 | 3 h | Child, youth, infant bands |
| Bulldog Tours, Savor the Flavors | 4.6 (898) | $111 | 2.5 h | 12 and over |
| Private food and history tour | 4.8 (176) | $94 | 3 h | Child bands; min. 2 adults |
| Streets and Eats | 5.0 (31) | $95 | 2.5 h | 8 and over |
| Secret Food Tours, Upper King | 4.9 (356) | $89 | 3 h | Child, youth, infant bands |
| Sweet treats walk | 4.9 (60) | $80 | 2 h | Child band 0 to 10 |
Narrowed it down? Every walk in this table cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the Secret Food Tours French Quarter walkCharleston Culinary Tours, Secret Food Tours or Bulldog Tours: which should you book?
Pick by what matters most to you: the amount of food, a menu you can read in advance, or a start by the City Market.
- Hungry, and fine with surprises: the Downtown Charleston Food Tour. Four restaurants, a meal for most, no published menu.
- Want to know the dishes: Secret Food Tours, whose listing names them.
- Want grits, pralines and the Market: Bulldog Tours.
- Traveling with children under 12: Secret Food Tours has child tickets; Bulldog does not take under-12s.
- Cheapest of the three: Secret Food Tours on Viator.
What is the Downtown Charleston Food Tour like?
Two and a half hours at four local restaurants in the French Quarter and around the Market, from $110 on Viator or $95 direct.
Most reviewers leave full; the operator says a meal for most and suggests a light lunch or none before. The menu rotates daily, and reviewers mention sliders, shrimp and grits, she-crab soup and collard greens. It cannot handle vegan, dairy-free or soy-free diets. Read the full Downtown Charleston Food Tour review.
What is Secret Food Tours' French Quarter walk like?
A three-hour walk with a menu printed on the listing, rated 4.9 from 2,391 reviews, the most of any food tour here.
The listing names a pulled pork taco, corn bread, she-crab soup, a pecan cluster, benne wafers and shrimp and grits, plus the company's secret dish. The menu can change with the restaurants' availability. Two things to know: confirmation comes within 48 hours rather than at once, and the operator's own site charges $104.99, more than Viator.
Want the dishes in writing before you pay? The French Quarter walk lists its whole menu.
Explore the Secret Food Tours French Quarter walk Tour detailsWhat is Bulldog Tours' Savor the Flavors like?
A 2.5-hour walk from 18 Anson Street that calls at the City Market and spends about two hours in the French Quarter, ending on Market Street.
The listing names stone-ground grits, pralines, collard greens, benne wafers and South Carolina barbecue, and includes bottled water. It rates 4.6 from 898 reviews, the lowest of the three, though still 80% five-star. Everyone must be 12 or older. The pace is described as leisurely, and allergies go in the special requirements box before payment.
Are there smaller or private food tours in Charleston?
Yes: Streets and Eats takes up to 15 past Rainbow Row and South of Broad, and the private tour is for your group only, from $94 per person.
Streets and Eats rates 5.0 from 31 reviews, so far a small sample. It has three tastings, two grab-and-go and one sit-down, where water, fountain soft drinks and iced tea are included. It meets in the lobby of The Loutrel, 61 State Street. The private tour serves four courses at three restaurants, passes the City Market, St. Philip's Church and Philadelphia Alley, and is listed as wheelchair and stroller accessible.
What if you want brunch or something sweet?
Take Secret Food Tours' Upper King Street walk for brunch dishes, or the sweet treats walk ($80) for bakeries.
The Upper King walk starts at 427 King Street and ends at 11 Cannon Street. Its listing includes a croffle, a country ham biscuit, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, pimento cheese and fried chicken with honey, plus a Bloody Mary and Santome Prosecco. The sweet treats walk starts at Toast! All Day on Meeting Street, stops at the City Market and ends at the Pineapple Fountain.
Brunch person? The Upper King Street walk swaps the French Quarter for King Street's cafés.
Check dates for the Upper King Street food walkIs a cooking class or a chef-led tour a better choice?
If you would rather learn the dishes than graze on them, yes: the cooking class takes two hours, Chef Forrest Parker's morning takes four.
The Lowcountry cooking class ($99) makes buttermilk biscuits, pimento cheese and a Huguenot torte at 184 East Bay Street, rated 4.9 from 119 reviews. One guest's class was cancelled because only two people had booked, which the listing allows, so have a backup. Chef Forrest Parker ($250, 21+) rates 5.0 from 1,000 reviews: a 90-minute history walk, a demo of three recipes and lunch with wine pairings.
Rather cook than walk? Make biscuits, pimento cheese and a Huguenot torte, then eat the lot.
Explore the Lowcountry cooking class Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Which is the best food tour in Charleston?
It depends on what you want. Among the big three, Secret Food Tours rates highest (4.9 from 2,391 reviews) and costs least; the Downtown Charleston Food Tour (4.7 from 1,479) is the one that promises a meal for most; Bulldog Tours (4.6 from 898) starts by the City Market.
Is Secret Food Tours or Charleston Culinary Tours better?
Secret Food Tours rates higher (4.9 against 4.7), prints its menu and costs less on Viator. Charleston Culinary Tours calls its walk a meal for most and confirms at booking, while Secret Food Tours confirms within 48 hours.
How many people are on a Charleston food tour?
Up to 12 on Charleston Culinary Tours, Secret Food Tours and Bulldog Tours; up to 15 on Streets and Eats and 20 on the sweet treats walk. The private tour is your group only.
Which Charleston food tour goes to the City Market?
Bulldog Tours calls at the City Market, the sweet treats walk spends about 30 minutes there, and the Downtown Charleston Food Tour covers the Market area.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Downtown Charleston Food Tour
- Tastings at 4 local restaurants, enough for a meal for most guests
- A local professional guide, about 2.5 hours on foot, up to 12 travelers
- Meets at 184 East Bay Street; ends within 3 to 4 blocks of the start
Secret Food Tours: French Quarter
- Listed tastings: pulled pork taco, corn bread, she-crab soup, pecan cluster
- Benne wafers, shrimp and grits and the tour's Secret Dish
- Small group of up to 12 travelers with a local guide
Bulldog Tours: Savor the Flavors
- Tastings such as stone-ground grits, pralines, collard greens, benne wafers and barbecue
- Bottled water and a local professional guide
- Meets at 18 Anson Street; ends on Market Street
