Lower East Side Tour: Immigrant History and Food Tasting
4.8
37 Ratings
New York
Discover the rich immigrant history of New York's Lower East Side on a guided tour. Sample delicious food from famous eateries and explore landmarks that tell the story of this unique neighborhood.
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Lower East Side - 2 hour walking tour of the Lower East Side
  • Museum at Eldridge Street - Eldridge Steet Synagogue
  • The Pickle Guys - Pickles
  • Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys (LES) - Bialys and bagels
  • University Settlement House - A settlement house that helped shape the neighborhood
  • Economy Candy - The most famous candy shop in Lower Manhattan
  • The Angel Orensanz Foundation - A former Synagogue and current art space
  • Katz’s Delicatessen - New York’s most famous deli
  • Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery - A Lower East Side staple
  • Essex Street Market - New York’s Most Historic Market
What's Included
  • Local guide
What's Not Included
  • Entrance to the Eldridge Street Synagogue Museum
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Audio Guide ( that translates the tour)
  • Gratuities
  • Entrance to the Tenement Museum
  • Snacks
Additional Information

The Lower East Side epitomizes the essence of immigrant communities. As a favorite settling point for immigrants arriving in New York since the 1840’s, it has been home to substantial immigrant populations from Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. Join us on a historic exploration to identify the reasons immigrants flocked to this region and why they moved on. Experience the taste of renowned local food joints and visit places of significance that narrate the distinctive narrative of this neighborhood. This tour is a perfect fit for gastronomes and history buffs of all age groups!

  • Operates rain and shine; please dress accordingly
  • Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour’s designated start time. The tour departs promptly and no refunds will be given for guests who miss the tour due to being late
  • If canceled because of dangerous weather, you will be given the option of an alternative tour date or full refund
  • Involves a good amount of walking
  • Food vendors are not guaranteed
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough guests to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
  • We reserve the right to deviate from the route of the tour in the event of marches, parades, and circumstances beyond our control.
  • Once the tour begins, if you make the decision to not follow the guide or their instructions, we cannot guarantee we can reunite you with the group.
  • Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age.
  • Food is not included. We suggest bringing $20-$30 cash per person.
Location
Museum at Eldridge Street
Eldridge Street
The tour meets in front of the Eldridge Street Synagogue at 12 Eldridge Street. The guide will be outside, so do not enter the building. Our guide will be there to greet you 15 minutes before the tour, which begins promptly at 1:00pm.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(37 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Mmeparker
May 6, 2024
Good taste of lower east side - Lots of fun - the right length of tour with some delicious stops along the way. Gabbi was a food lover with lots of good insight- and the pickles were a real highlight.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Allaert
May 2, 2024
Food is good tour - Enthausatic and friendly guide! Knows a lot of the area and helped us to find the best spots for food! We enjoyed her company and her story’s..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
979judithv
Apr 23, 2024
Surprising tour - Had a great tour with Liz. She showed us places we normally would have passed by. Tried some nice food which was also affordable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C135rvvanessar
Mar 29, 2024
Fab tour and fab tour guide - We met our tour guide Liz who is very knowledgeable and such a lovely person. We had lots of stops along the way and there was so much variety, my personal favourite was the food market but we had lots of delicious food along the way. My daughter enjoyed the sweet shop! Liz took us to lots of local businesses who have been around for many years and we learnt so much history. This tour was definitely a highlight for our trip. Liz you are so kind and helpful. Thank you so much, Vanessa and Megan from Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G6360arjeroenb
Mar 14, 2024
Mouthwatering tour in unknown area - Amazing tour, Gabi our guide was brilliant. Fantastic food-stops with good recommendations on what-to buy. Great information about the neighborhood and it's people
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julian
Feb 24, 2024
Lower East Side Food, Fun and Culture. - Gabbie did a great job within our small Group of 4 today. Lots of fun, learnings and very good tasting food. Definetly recommending this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
706ruip
Nov 16, 2023
Percy was great - Percy was friendly, funny, personable and very informative. It was only our group and we did have a great time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Footprints59111
Oct 26, 2023
Informative and yummy - Gabby was wonderful. She had a lot of knowledge about the area and the food stops were all different. Thank you so much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
377irenejk
Oct 2, 2023
Very good and chill experience! Absolutely recommend. - At first we were a bit reluctant to take the tour, as it seemed to only cover East Side, and not "everything" like some other NYC food tours claimed they did. However we're very glad that we went in the end! Liz was very nice and she explained a lot about history of different neighborhoods and places. We went to many different stops and they were all special, including Malasia jerky, soda shop, Pickle Guys, Essex street market, Kosshers bagels & bialys and some special bakeries and of course Kat'z deli. All in all a very thorough experience and we'd recommend it to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inna_o
Sep 18, 2023
Jewish heritage alive. - We had a great time, thank you. The tour was informative and interesting. We all live in NY for a long time, but have never seen a lot of places we were shown. The guide had a way to make the history alive. We were so inspired, that decided to take another tour - tenements visit - in the nearest future.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
minimum 2 guests
-
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
May 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today