Walks of New York is proud to present the world's first food tour created in collaboration with a celebrity chef. Our tour structure reflects chef Mario Batali's high standards, and you'll experience (and taste!) it firsthand after 3 hours with our local New York foodies.
Enjoy an Italian meal with a difference
Over three hours we follow the flow of a regular Italian meal. Unlike a regular meal however, we won’t sit in one place. You’ll have tastings at numerous restaurants and specialty food stores, digging into the best that Greenwich Village has to offer. So come hungry!
We start our tour in the Italian heart of the Village, ultimately heading to Otto, one of chef Batali’s own restaurants, where we’ll arrive just as the doors open. You’ll be warmly greeted and seated in our own section where you’ll enjoy a specially selected antipasti including cheeses, salami, bruschetta and more. Traveling with an expert foodie has its perks – your guide will teach you what you’re tasting, emphasizing Mario’s own ethos of using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
We’ll take to the streets of the Village then to visit a few of our – and Mario’s – favorite food stores and eateries. You’ll try arancino (delicious Italian rice balls) and a few other surprises along the way, as you delve into this cultural and historic district.
Taste the best of the best in Greenwich Village
At the centre of New York’s culinary scene, Greenwich Village provides the perfect setting for our tour. The Village has been home to chef Batali for 20 years now and remains a great place in Manhattan to find quality, locally sourced produce – the focus of our tour.
Along the way, you'll learn a little of this history of this beautiful neighborhood, while being steeped in chef Batali's food ideology and Italian approach to cooking. Learn how to choose the best products and create great meals in your own kitchen. Your guide will take you to some of the area’s top food sellers, pointing out the best places to shop as you pass them.
At Florence Meat you’ll once again sample fantastic Italian produce, just like in the home country. Then it's time for a slice of New york city’s best pizza at John's Pizza, and on to another of our favorite Italian haunts, Pagani. Here you’ll sample fantastic Italian olive oils, meats and a dish you won’t see on most menus – lemon pasta, made with flour and lemon juice rather than water.
Tastebuds and stomachs satisfied, we’ll finish our Greenwich Village food tour with a refreshing New York take on a favorite Italian dessert – gelato at Popbar.
An intimate day with an expert foodie
To keep our New York food tours authentic and to offer you the best experience possible, we’ve hired only the best New York foodies to lead this tour. Your experience will be led by a local as passionate about food as Batali himself – but also well-versed on the history of the area, so you’ll learn a lot as you eat and explore.
Traveling in small groups of only 15 people or fewer, the perfect group size to sit at a table together, you’ll find it easy to interact with your guide. You’ll also have plenty of time to chat with your fellow foodies, so your experience will be more like a lingering lunch with friends than a traditional group tour. We promised you an Italian meal after all, and no Italian meal is complete without great conversation.