Food is an intrinsic part of experiencing a new place. The Goan fish curry rice is as important an experience as lounging on Baga beach or exploring the flea market of Anjuna. Can you imagine a trip to Mumbai without tasting their famous pav bhaji, or visiting Lucknow without eating kebab? Food is intertwined with a place’s identity, and meals are like little plates of history—they have interesting origin stories that tell us more about the people there than even the built heritage sometimes can.
Going on a food tour with a local travel company is one of the best ways to get a close look at the culinary heritage of a destination. Here are six travel companies and their food tours that will make you drool.
Check Out These Top Food Tours In India
Old Delhi Food Tour, Delhi Food Walks
Delhi is a melting pot of diverse cultures, each adding to the city’s rich culinary tapestry. Its food heritage is unmatched, rooted in history and bursting with flavour. From the bylanes of Old Delhi to the newer enclaves in the National Capital Region of Noida and Ghaziabad, you will find good food wherever you go. Delhi Food Walks will give you a taste of everything from delicious kebabs, nihari, and piquant chaats to lip-smackingly good momos and unique fusion dishes like butter chicken pasta. The walks are highly immersive, and participants get to taste the food and understand the stories behind the dishes and the communities that created them. They offer a variety of walking tours covering areas like Old Delhi, Majnu-ka-Tilla, and New Delhi. While all of them are enjoyable, the Old Delhi Night Food Walk is a classic.
Contact: foodwalk@delhifoodwalks.com | +91 9355534180
Best Of Mysore, Gully Tours
While this experiential travel company offers tours in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Coorg and Kochi, their Mysuru walk is a standout. This tour has all the right ingredients – history, food, culture and fun. Learn about the opulent lives of the maharajas and how one of the world’s then-richest men lived. Explore a century-old market, the plaza around Dufferin Clock Tower where the locals gather, and the evening bazaar. Best of all, taste the delicious Mysore pak, Mysore masala dosa, and the churumuri – the list of gastronomical delights the city offers is endless.
Contact: explore@gully.tours
Khau Gully; And Kabab And Curry Walk, No Footprints
No Footprints shares the stories of the communities that have made Mumbai their home over many decades and centuries, from the Bohris and Parsis to the East Indians, Kolis and even Jews. Their tours are varied, but their food walks stand out. The ‘Khau Gully’ walk is focused on Mumbai’s famous ‘veg’ street food. You get to savour many interesting tales along with the food, like how the odd working hours of thousands of textile mill workers resulted in a street food revolution, which contributed to the creation of the pav bhaji.
The ‘Kabab and Curry’ walk takes you to the nerve centre of non-vegetarian street food – Mohammad Ali Road and Bohri Mohalla. Along with tales of the Bohra Muslim business community, you get to taste quintessential Bohri dishes like the 12 pot curry, sherbets, chana batata, boti kebab and seekh kebab. You will get to visit hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are more famous than some Michelin-starred restaurants! You will also be able to taste myriad sweets along with numerous meat delicacies.
Contact: info@nfpexplore.com | +91-96197-05954
The Secret Food And Tavern Trail, Soul Travelling
Been There Doon That (BTDT) offers numerous walks through historic Dehradun, a city that tourists unfortunately see as a quick stopover to the more sought-after hill stations. It provides fascinating heritage walks like Ruskin’s Dehra and Kipling Trail. Few associate Dehradun with a strong food culture, but travellers are in for a surprise. The two-hour food walk is perfect for every foodie as they get a taste of Pahari, Afghan and British delicacies, along with the more earthy dishes of the plains on a walk through the Paltan Bazaar.
Contact: mail@beentheredoonthat.org | 9837069248
Soul Travelling offers walking tours and days that focus on the different aspects of Goa that tourists do not explore. It is like peeking behind a curtain at a hidden Goa that is out of reach for those visiting the state just for a few days. Their culinary tours take travellers on a delicious journey through Goa’s rich food culture. The three-hour Secret Food and Tavern Trail of Panaji takes travellers to secret food locations in the city, where the Soul Travelling Ambassador will share little-known stories about the food, people and city.
Contact: sales@soultravelling.in |+91 95294 90245
Jodhpur Heritage Walk
Local residents run the Jodhpur Heritage Walk, which offers walking, food, and photography tours about local interaction. The travel outfitter provides morning and evening heritage walks that take travellers through the labyrinth lanes of the old city. Visitors stop at temples, shops, and even a local home to get a cup of tea and talk to people. The highlights of the tour are the stops at the local snack shops to taste delicacies like gulab jamun and ghee ki kachori.
Contact: info@jodhpurheritagewalk.com | +918005867492
