E.B. White wrote, “No one should come to New York unless he is willing to be lucky.” We say, “No one should come to Brooklyn unless they are willing to be fed.” And with the variety of cuisines to be sampled, from Brighton Beach to Smith Street, it’s helpful to have a guide to point out the many high points in the borough. Here are five food tours we recommend.
Ray’s Food & Walking Tours (Flatbush) offers one-and-a-half to two-hour jaunts that include “Classic Brooklyn’s Classic Eats,” covering Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, and “Hip, Hispanic and Hasidic,” meandering through Williamsburg. The cost of each tour is $50 and includes the food.
Damascus Bakeries photo courtesy of Ray’s Food & Walking Tours via Facebook.
Foods of New York via Facebook
Foods of New York (Williamsburg)
This nearly five-hour “Best of Brooklyn” excursion—a combination of walking and driving—starts in Greenwich Village before taking guests to Williamsburg and Greenpoint then onto Sunset Park then back to Dumbo, sampling everything from pierogies to an authentic Cuban sandwich to Jacque Torres chocolates.
Sunset Park taco truck via Levy’s Unique New York
Levys’ Brooklyn Beats & Eats (Ditmas Park)
Taste your way through Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods with a native Brooklyner. This tour ranges from markets selling Italian sausages and olive bread, to a Jewish shop offering smoked fish with a schmear, to a Middle Eastern olive bar, to a fourth generation family-run pizzeria, and to the birthplace of the hot dog—and every taste in between.
Raaka Chocolates | Alexa N. via Yelp
Raaka Chocolate Tours (Red Hook)
Raaka invites guests to discover unroasted chocolate made in Brooklyn. In their 45-minute tours, visitors get to taste raw cacao from different regions and compare how flavors vary across the world. From there, they see what transforms raw cacao to the silky smooth texture of Raaka’s bars. They then end the tour by savoring all of the chocolate maker’s signature craft bars.
Made in Booklyn | Dom G. via Yelp
Made in Brooklyn Tours (Williamsburg)
This two hour tour of Williamsburg’s trendiest artisanal eateries winds from wood-fired pizza and down home country barbecue to Brooklyn-made wine and walnut brittle, with stops at Fornino, Mable’s Smokehouse, Oddfellows Ice Cream, and Mast Brothers chocolates, among many others. Aside from the food, there is much more to experience on the tour.