The North Beach Food Tour by Local Taste of the City Tours is a three-hour tour led by the lovely Blandina. The day I went, rain showers were in the forecast, so she was decked out in her rain gear. She said that for her, wearing a rain coat brings sunny days, and sure enough, the rain stopped and the sun began to shine before the tour began.
We stopped at several delicious places on our food tour. The first was:
Café Roma, where I got some of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. It was so rich and dark! The café roasts their own coffee as well as the coffee for other neighborhood shops. They have a huge coffee machine up front and different kinds of beans from all over the world. The coffee machine is pretty techie—the owner punches in the percentage of each type of coffee bean he wants to use, and the machine does everything on its own. Of course, he has to wait a whole day for it to roast.
Mulinari Deli was a shop after my Lola’s heart. My grandma and I are salami and cheese lovers, so we filled our shopping bags here! We also tried a really yummy sandwich with salami and pesto.
Viva was one of my favorites. I tried a meatball sandwich that was really tasty.
Stella was awesome. If you go, try the ricotta cheese and the chocolate chips!
Zcioccolato is a child’s dream come true. You can’t really beat a candy store, unless it’s a candy store that also sells fudge. Who doesn’t love fudge?
Cornology isn’t an official stop, but who can pass up popcorn? We sampled some, and the one I liked best was the Chicago mix, a blend of cheddar and sweet flavors. The popcorn bags are 99 cents off after you take the tour, lucky us!
What I loved about this tour was that it not only introduced us to food, but also gave us a tour from a local’s perspective. We were lucky enough to be able to experience not only the area’s food, but also local businesses and buildings! Blandina has lived in San Francisco since the 1970’s, so she know the place and the people really well. She added some extra stops to our tour: a seamstress shop that designs retro clothes for the rich and famous, a barber shop where the walls are made of books, and St. Peter and Paul church, where we met a cool priest who showed us around. It was nice to get to see some of the other sights! Our guide also told us some of the city’s history, like the Santa Con that was held in SF one year. She talked about Lilly Hitchcock’s love of firemen, which inspired the Coit Tower’s firehose design and its dedication to the city’s fire department. She showed us a cool store related to the burning man, and we got to look around and see some of their unique wares. We went past an artsy iron gate with a decorative face in the middle. She told us to rub the head for good luck. No harm in trying, right? I’m hoping for at least seven years of good luck.
The whole tour gave us a great perspective of the North Beach community. It was a great tour, and definitely worth the visit. For $59 you will get a taste of all those delectable and mouthwatering treats mentioned above. How can you go wrong with that?
nice tour. I would love to try a local food tour some time. I am actually planning to host one in my city and your post gave some perspective on how it can be done. Thanks ! 😉
The food is mouth watering! That’s all I can say! Wow, enjoy your stay there. I’ve never been to any country. I wish I could visit any country in the future. 🙂
I love that meatball from Viva. Is there any chance to get a recipe for it? And where exactly is it situated?
Hi its in San Francisco, North Beach 🙂 Super good
This food looks amazing! I’d love to visit Little Italy one day when I’m in the San Francisco area 🙂
I would enjoy the tour just for the fresh roasted coffee. I love her rain gear.
The food looks sooo good, if I ever go to San Fran I’ll make sure to go to little italy!
Wow! That meatball sandwich is not helping with my diet haha. I’ve always wanted to join a food tour, hearing stories about the food makes you appreciate it more.
I love love that last pic!! A saloon with entire book shelves! I would never leave hahah. where is that?
So so awesome.
MMMMmmm that salami & pesto sandwhich looks divine. Think I’m going to make me one now
Whoah! Always so envious of your trips but I pride myself of friends who can tour the world. Your photos take me to various states and help me experience unique things in different countries. Thanks, Karla, and always take care 🙂
That’s a delightful food tour. I will probably enjoy Cafe Roma, Zcioccolato, and Cornology the most. There’s just so much to see and do in San Francisco, it’s really one of the best cities to visit!
Cornology sounds amazing and although it was not an official stop you are right, how can you not stop for popcorn?
That was an amazing tour! I envy you huhu btw i love your photos especially the last one 🙂
Not a bad deal. This kind of tour is perfect if you have limited time in the city. Food is indeed the key to know the place 🙂
Totally mouthwatering food! Sanfo has always been in my travel bucketlist! Oh and I love Chicago mix popcorn, it’s gone really popular.
Having been to the U.S. also myself, I can say it’s pretty difficult to go around without a private transportation. Thus, going on a food tour is truly one of the best way’s to experience what San Francisco has to offer. Anyway, you mentioned that Café Roma offers one of the best hot chocolate you’ve had. I was wondering if they mentioned where they source their cacao beans. Also, I found Zcioccolato pretty cool. I definitely would want to shop for fudges too. Thanks for sharing. -Me-An Clemente
You are making me hungry. My husband would love that meatball sandwich. That has to be WAY better than subway.
The food looks amazing. This is totally something I would do I ever made it out that way.
This sounds like an amazing tour! I could go for a tour of all nom noms Italian. Yumm!
Looks like a great tour!! 🙂 Nice captures!! The food looks so delicious!! 🙂
I love when Cafe’s roast their own coffee beans – it always smells so good!
What a fun tour. Looking at all those food made me hungry.
I love tours like this! You can get a great insight to a culture through their food and they way they interact while eating.
This looks like a really nice food tour and all of the food looks yummy. I will have to check these places out next time I am in the area.
Truly an artistic city! You can see it just by what people wear, and their surroundings. It’s like they really take the time to beautify every little thing. 🙂
I have an uncle in San Francisco! Im sharing this with him
I absolutely love local food tours and truly try and take one in every new city I visit. Everything you tried looks fantastic!
I would so love to visit there. The food looks amazing.
I would definitely have to take this tour. It would be nice to check out all of those unique businesses!
All that food looks so good. The meatball sandwich sounds really good. I’ve always wanted to go on a food tour. I think it would be amazing.
I would love to go to a place which brews their own coffee beans. That would be amazing. I bet it smells a little bit like heaven. Food looks great, too.
The candy store awaken the kid in me, haha! It really is a heaven for kids and kids at heart who want to devour fudges and chocolates.
Such a yummy tour! I could probably spend all day in Zcioccolato! The candy sounds divine!
You took some amazing pictures in you recap I really enjoyed. That meatball sandwich looks delish!
This looks like it was such a fun tour!
Your pictures really do say a lot.
I love great food pics, you took some amazing ones. Makes me want to bite a cunk out of my computer screen.
Blandina is charming! Good to know that the weather cooperated – must have been super fun doing this tour. The coffee, hot chocolate, and those sandwiches … Imma have blast with this tour.
Wow, now that’s something I can definitely get into. I’m a foodie at heart
The North Beach Food Tour would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. You would learn so much and the food looks amazing.
WOAH! That meatball sandwich looks like heaven on earth. lol. I’m craving now.
What a fun and yummy tour! I may be an adult, but I do love candies.
We should do something like that here in the PH! You know how people remember places based on the food they’ve had, right?
Also your post made me hungry. Haha! 😀
We really should. We have a lot of good Philippine delicacies. Hmmm well there is one in Pampanga and in Binondo but yes we should have more of it.
This food looks amazing! Love the sandwiches! I’d love to visit Little Italy, when I’m in the San Francisco area!
WHat a great tour. Wish we had that here in Orlando. Love that candy store. LOVE LOVE LOVE Taffy!
I would love to try a culinary tour. It’s nice to be able to explore restaurants, stores and cafes that the locals frequent.
What a great idea. I don’t often take tours of cities I visited, but it looks like such a neat way to get to know the best that’s offered. I need to do something like your Italian food tour.
Omg now this is definitely my kinda thing!!! The food looks absolutely amazing
I will have to remember to visit Little Italy when I get to visit San Francisco. That would be so much fun! Italian food is just so heavenly!
The place and the foods are great! Especially the foods, I want to eat it now! (from the monitor, LOL!)
The meatball sandwich has me in tears over here. It looks so good!
Oh my gosh that salami sandwich with pesto literally has my mouth watering. That looks so good.
This made me hungry. I wanna try that sandwich too!
Cafe Roma definitely sounds like my type of place to visit. Cornology also sounds like a fabulous place to visit.
Wow! Only $59 for a good sampling of North Beach? I didn’t know that! What an awesome deal! Thanks for the post!
Being a former San Francisco resident I appreciate the virtual tour! North Beach has some of the greatest food. I love Molanari’s deli which has been there for decades.
Sounds like an amazing tour. Plus, the food looks amazing! Would love to do this! 🙂
Now this looks like a trip I could really enjoy. I am all about trying local foods when I go to a new place and all that food looks so amazing.
I was in Italy about 9 year ago and I can’t wait to go back! It was the most wonderful place I have ever been.
Now that is one hecka nice food tour. I love all of your clear and vivid photos, they make me want to take this tour as well. Of course I’d have to be dragged out of Café Roma. Dragged!
Mulinari Deli looks amazing! The picture looks tasty!
Sign me up. I like a good tour adn if food is involved I’m so in.
Wow, lots of food and things to see, I love popcorn so I couldn’t miss Cornology!
That meatball sandwich is mouth-watering! I’m so excited to see more of Italy, definitely a must travel destination! Thanks for the sneak peaks!
What a cool experience! The food looks amazing and reminds me that I’ve been meaning to do a similar one in my city!
this tour looks like a great one to take. what a fun & tasty what to see a city.
Okay, visiting Italy is on the TOP of my bucket list. One of the main things I want to do there is EAT! Thanks for this list.
oh my…everything looks so fun but i have to say that food looks delic. man.
I’m a huge chocolate lover! I would love to go to Cafe Roma!
What a nice way to enjoy the city! I would have needed to be wheeled out from Zcioccolato! I love fudge!
Wow, The food was really looks good! I want to grab it on my screen.
Sounds good to me. Great way to experience a city and culture for a reasonable price
Wow! This food tour looks amazing! I would so love to do this tour and in beautiful Italy! Priceless.
What I lovely food tour, I am loving all the places you went to and glad it was sunny
WOOOOW! what a lovely trip. Love everything about it! I look forward in traveling to SF! 🙁