There is something wonderful about going someplace and knowing it is not just the pretty sights or the grand experience that you are there for. There are places that teem with history, where unexpected nooks and crannies contain some fascinating nuggets of information. Exploring these places is an unmatched experience.
At the same time, there are moments when these places are those that you will pass by on your way to someplace else. You won’t even know their significance until someone points them out to you. This is where tours become really handy. Who knew that this little tea house used to be the favorite meeting spot of prominent mob members? Who knew that this little cafe served the first ever cup of cappuccino in the US?
These are the things that came to mind as I strolled through the path carved by Foods of NY Tours’ “Heart of the Village Walking Tour”. I have previously taken their famed NoHo and Nolita tour, so I kind of knew what to expect. But I was still floored by the level of new information that I received. That and the amazing taste of New York cuisine.
Starting through the Heart
The “Heart of the Village” tour traverses through Greenwich Village, one of the most iconic parts of New York. It is one of the two tours that go through this place, the other being the “Original Greenwich Village Food Tour”. The tours proceed from Thursday to Monday, all throughout the year. It starts between 12NN and 12:45PM, which is just perfect — it’s lunchtime by then, and most people’s stomachs are just about ready to be filled.
The tour can have as much as 16 people, but there were only 13 of us during the time I was there. The tour tackled mostly mom-and-pop-style shops, those that have been handed down through generations. It’s these shops that often prove to be the most resilient, and that’s just what we saw during the tour.
Caffe Dante.
We kicked off the tour by meeting here. It was a 100-year-old cafe, and we were served some sourdough flatbread. We learned that this place served happy hour cocktails every 4 to 7PM. I wondered how it was like to have happy hour at a century-old place, but that was an experience I would have to put off for the moment.
Masala Times.
If you ever fancy some Indian food, this is the place. Just prepare your tastebuds for an explosion of flavor — and a lot of spiciness. The place is very Bollywood — there is even a cute little board off to one side that attempts to differentiate between Hollywood and its Indian cousin.
Porto Rico.
I was quite surprised when we dropped by here. For one, this was not on the list of shops to be toured as mentioned on the website. Second, its official name is “Porto Rico Importing Company” — it sounds too industrial to be part of our tour. However, it serves fresh-roasted and amazingly brewed coffee. It used to be a bakery, but the change of its focus seemed to be for the better.
Walking through the jungle
After Porto Rico, we took a stroll around Minetta street. This was a very curved street, which according to our guide used to be infested with all manners of gangsters and ne’er-do-wells. The place was so unsafe that it used to be likened to Little Africa. But oh, how the times have changed! Right now it’s a beautiful street with the trademark New York character.
Oatmeal.
An establishment owned by a fun guy named Sam, the oatmeal raisin cookies served here are like no other. They are served fresh from the oven, and they are so plump and delectable.
Wrapping up
From a cookie treat, we walked around Washington Square Park. It had a facsimile of Paris’ famous Arc de Triomphe. From here, we proceeded to the last stop of our legendary food trip.
Toloache Taqueria.
To wrap things up, we had a well-wrapped Mexican burrito (see what I did there?). It was very tasty, and the flavors were just right. I absolutely loved it. You can also order Margaritas separately, which we did. It was an excellent pairing, and a perfect way to round up the village tour.
Greenwich Village has a little bit of everything. From Indian, to American, to Mexican, it’s a real treat for the palate. All the trivia bits we learned was just icing on this well-baked cake. And like a perfect tourist attraction, it’s one that makes you want to keep coming back for more.
I wouldn’t mind visiting Oatmeal! My SIL lives there, I’ll have to have her take me!
Those foods are fantastic and look tasty. I really like your food tour, you both had fun for sure.
One of my favorite things about NYC is how you can find so many amazing restaurants and stores just by walking around a neighborhood. You never know what you might find.
All of these foods are new to me. What a fun way to discover new tastes!
Cafe Dante really is great! These pictures are great – I love exploring my city! It’s so fun to find new restaurants, my favorite thing to do!
Wow! Looks like you had a really great time! The food looks so delicious! I’d love to visit Porto Rico Importing Company.
Hope I can travel ASAP to the Greenwich Village . Mouth watering foods indeed!
oh this looks like so incredibly fun! We’re heading to NYC in December but we’ll have 3 very fussy kids with us…I’m saving doing something like this until it’s just me and my husband!
It looks like you all had a great time! The food looks delicious!
what a beautiful place to be! Thank you for sharing this to us it will be a big help and a great to add this on our list! 🙂
That’s my city! I’m glad you had a great time and we do have a lot of great food to offer. There’s so many food tours here, to be honest. I hope you get to try the others!
I love food tours! This one is close to home so I have to check it out.
You had me at flatbread and cocktails at the first stop on your tour! Food tours are a great way to explore a city and get a taste of signature dishes around the place. I’ll have to check this one out next time I am stateside!
Food tours are the rave right now and rightly so. You can really learn a lot about a region and culture from the food that is available around it. I’m a huge foodie so this is wonderful to know. thanks
I haven’t tried a food tour yet, but NYC definitely sounds like a great place to start! Glad to hear that you were happy enough with Foods of NY to tour with them again – I’ll certainly keep them in mind whenever I get my arse back to NYC! PS – that taqueria looks amazing!!!
Sounds like a fun filled food tour! Not only do the sights makes you happy, your belly is also happy, haha! This is such a notable tour. I love food so much and if I were in NYC, I would have taken this tour too.. Plus all the food you posted looks really tasty. Which one is your favorite btw? 🙂
Greenwich Village really does have a little bit of everything – we love basing ourselves here when we visit NYC. So glad you enjoyed your food tour, I find they’re a delicious way to explore and get some great local insight into the neighborhoods 🙂
New york! New york! Yay! Ive always been praying to visit New York because my god mother who is very dear to me and my family is there. Ive have plans of applying for a Visa next year. Greenwich Village seems to be very interesting and those food hubs are quite impressive! Will bookmark this for future reference 🙂
New York always has something new to offer its visitors (and maybe even those who’ve been around for a while too!), and your post right here adds authenticity to that. I feel like you had major fun on hopping around the place! 🙂
I LOVE food tours! They are such a great way to discover a neighbourhood with all its history, character and culture. I don’t know Greenwich Village well but I’m tempted to spend some time there next time I’m in NY having read this, thanks!
I’ve been to NY a few times, but I’ve never done a food tour! What a great way to explore the city! The Heart of the Village tour sounds perfect and will definitely be adding this as a must on my itinerary on a future visit to NY. Thanks for sharing.
Oh no you didn’t. Did you have to share such an awesome food tour when i am STARVING, lol. That looked like an amazing variety of tasty treats. Especially the mexican plate at the end. Do you know if they offer any tours that are tailored to vegetarians or vegans?
This really takes me back! Greenwich village was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in NJ. The food is absolutely amazing throughout the city but the village definitely has a little charm. The Caffe Dante pizza looks absolutely delicious btw!
Coming from Texas I can’t imagine eating Mexican food in NY, especially what from the photos looked like Tex-mex to me. Was it good? The coffee place sounded great. Honestly I don’t know how you could go wrong on a foodie tour in NYC.
We just love foods tours, we did our first tour in Madrid last year and had a great time. The Foods of NY tour looks fabulous. Learning about the neighborhoods and the history of the establishments is a great way to spend a few hours, when we get to New York we will definitely check out this tour.
I am going to Madrid soon and I am planning to take food tours there too.
Gastro-adventures always make any trip extra fun & extra memorable. This food tour is something that I’d definitely enjoy. I love the variety and combination of cuisines that one can experience. I hope to try the Greenwich Food Tour in one of my future trips.
What a delicious trip you have! Food tours are really amazing experience. Thank you for sharing the nuggets of information with us. Your photos make my stomach rumble though haha!
The tour sounds lovely! And I think I felt the descriptions you had on the Minetta Street. And I would agree that even a bad place could turn into a really peaceful one when the right people are involved. Either way, I think i can feel and want to stay on the said street. Looks really cool and quiet.
You’re very blessed to travel these places, enjoying the taste of every flavors on your food and drinks, and there are a lot of choices too. All of those inside the sacks are coffee?
It’s my first time to hear about a food tour and NY is the best location. there is I guess for tours like this one. Reading on the title, Greenwich reminds me of the restaurant chain here in the Philippines named Greenwich, and they offer a variety of Pizza. Im not sure if there’s a connection between greenwich village though. Hehe
You seem to have gone through a tour of different cuisines, which I really like. I haven’t taken a food tour yet, in the proper way but i would love to. I am a big foodie and all these yummy dishes speak to me. 🙂
Porto Rico coffee!!! That caught my eye, a lot of coffee beans! And the walk througb the jungle looks safer now 🙂
Ahh new york. Always lovely in my opinion hehe. Would love to go on a food tour!! Never tried it before hehe.