Lower East Side: Historic and Modern Culture Tour

Explore the Lower East Side’s rich history and flavors on a pay-what-you-wish food tour. Savor pickles, knishes, and more with generous portions.

Duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Sara D Roosevelt Park - This is the venue for the introduction. Adam Sandler was once spotted playing basketball here!
  • Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery - Visit this historic bakery, over a century old, and indulge in a savory knish or the famous doughy cheese pretzel! Water, coffee, and soft drinks are available for purchase.
  • **Russ &…
What's Included
  • Guide Fee included in tour cost
What's Not Included
  • Food and drink are not included. You choose which items, and how much of it you want.
Additional Information

Discover the rich culture of the Lower East Side, from its historic roots to its modern-day charm. Indulge in the delightful pickles from a street that once boasted over 100 pickle carts, or savor the flavorful knishes that are sure to please your palate!
This pay-what-you-wish tour offers generous portion sizes. The guide will provide tips on how to…

Location
Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery
East Houston Street
We will meet at Yonah Schimmels knishery one block away from the 2n Avenue Subay Station with the F and M train line.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(5 Ratings)
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Ls830
Jun 12, 2025
Fabulous Food tour! - This was such an amazing walking tour! Jon is a wealth of knowledge and so personable. It was a highlight of our trip to New York. We’ve done all of his Food tour‘s and one is better than the next! We especially love this one because Jon included so much historyas well as unique places to snack. Thank you, John!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Glenntn5593ak
Jun 12, 2025
Lower East Side Food Tour with Jon. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had an amazing time exploring the Lower East Side with our tour guide, Jon. He knew all the best spots to visit—from hidden neighborhood gems to iconic landmarks—and brought the rich history of the area to life with fascinating stories and insights. What really made the tour stand out was Jon’s incredible sense of humor—he had us laughing the entire time! If you’re looking for a tour that’s informative, engaging, and a whole lot of fun, Jon is the guide you want. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Avivit
May 29, 2025
Special Food and experience - Great tour, Jon is a great tour guide. Took us to special food experience. Highly recommend. We stopped at places that I’ve never heard of and loved the experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Antrrat
Apr 24, 2025
If you what to experience local food and culture this is 5 stars - Wow what walk we had today with John. The food was local, excellent and cheap. We learned so much about the lower east side including culture, history and architecture. Well worth going.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karengk3865ev
Apr 7, 2025
Make sure you come hungry! - We took this tour with John on Thursday April 3, 2025 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We had a small group of 4 that day so it felt almost like a private tour. John was engaging and very knowledgeable and he made some great food suggestions at each stop. We particularly liked the interesting information and the history of every establishment we visited which stories were interwoven with the history of the neighborhoods we walked through. The story about how a statute of Lenin ended up on top of a building in the Lower East Side was especially fascinating for us since we were born in the Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union. The food stops were also diverse and the offerings were delicious. We really liked the mix of sweet and savoury options and would highly recommend not eating before coming on the tour. You will not leave feeling hungry. All in all, you will not be disappointed by this tour if you are visiting NYC! . Thank you John!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $35
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).