Deep dish Chicago style pizza enjoyed on Food Lover's Chicago culinary tour

Chicago Theater seen on a culinary tour of Chicago

Chicago style hot dogs on our Food Lover's Chicago culinary tour

View of the Chicago river on Food Lover's Chicago culinary tour

A view of the elevated train on Food Lover's Chicago culinary tour

Chicago style polish sausage on a foodie tour

Bathroom at the James hotel in Chicago

Bedroom at The James hotel in Chicago

Overview

Food Lover's Chicago

This trip is eligible for our Worry-Free Booking promotion.

When we decided to start offering midwest cooking tours in the U.S. our first trip destination was obvious – Chicago! As a Chicago-based company full of long-time Chicago residents, we know well the culinary delights and amazing this city has to offer, and we decided to start offering these delights to our foodie travelers on our Chicago food tours. Chicago has a plethora of ethnic neighborhoods and local food to explore on our Chicago food tours, as well as many Michelin-star restaurants and boutique eateries; there is a great foodie experience to be found on pretty much every block of the city!

America’s heartland is full of great local food, especially when it has been carefully grown on the local farms of the Midwest. Our midwest cooking tours also offer amazing cultural sites, fascinating cities, and stunning landscapes. Whether you want a short city getaway, or a relaxing stay in the countryside, America’s Midwest has plenty to offer the culinary traveler.

While Chicago food tours with TIK might conjure thoughts of deep-dish pizza, hot dogs (no ketchup!), and Italian beef, it is now one of the cutting edge cities in the culinary world with such restaurants as Alinea, Blackbird, the Girl and the Goat, Topolobampo, and many, many more. You can explore all of these on our Chicago food tours, whether your tastes run toward the big beef sandwich or the most refined composed gourmet plate. We purposely kept our Chicago culinary tour itineraries relatively relaxed to enable you to eat to your own tastes.

But visiting our hometown on our Chicago food tours does not only mean wonderful food and drink. Chicago is one of the world’s leading cultural destinations as well. Take a river and lake cruise and learn about Chicago’s famous architecture. Head to the Art Institute or the Museum of Contemporary Art to see world-class art on display. Expand your horizons with visits to the Planetarium, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, or the Museum of Science and Industry. Take a walk by the lake front, see Buckingham Fountain, visit the “Bean” sculpture in Millennium Park, go to the top of the Sears (sorry, Willis) Tower. Soar over the city on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier.

As you can see, there is more than enough to occupy any traveler on our Chicago food tours!

Latest Review

I gave this trip 5 stars

★★★★★

Sandra

Trip taken October 2017

I just spent four days in Chicago with four 70 year old high school friends. We chose an experience every year and this was an excellent adventure. The cooking class was great fun as Dominic juggled eleven "cooks". Excellent menu and excellent results. The walking food tour included interesting food and drink. We ended the tour at Tapsters and were pretty mellow as we watched the Cubs game on big screen TV. Would certainly recommend this International Kitchen trip to anyone

1 hands on cooking class (either morning or evening, depending on your dates and class schedule)

Itinerary

3 Night Itinerary

Day One

Arrival on your own and check in to the your lovely room.
Time at leisure to explore the city.
Tonight’s dinner on your own, with recommendations from the hotel. (If you’d like us to arrange additional Chicago food tours, please inquire.)
Overnight.

Day Two

Start your day by stepping out of your centrally-located 4 * hotel in downtown Chicago to find a breakfast spot. We can make recommendations, or you can grab a quick pastry and coffee before heading out to explore the city.
This morning might include your hands-on cooking class – depending on the dates, it might be a morning class followed by lunch or an afternoon class followed by dinner. We’ll get your input about what kind of class piques your interest.
Rest of day on your own. We’d be happy to add on additional services: architectural tours, guided city tours, dinner reservations at any of our favorite Chicago restaurants – the options are endless!

Day Three

Breakfast on your own.
Our Chicago food tours will also include a foodie driving or walking tour featuring some of the city’s best food as well as some of its off-the-beaten-path cultural sites. Note that this tour can happen for lunch or for dinner. It features multiple stops and multiple tastings – so come hungry!
Rest of day on your own.

Day Four

Check out and departure. Until next time!

Trip Details

3 Night Details

Included in the 3-Night Trip

Accommodations

3 nights accommodation in 4* hotel in downtown Chicago

Food & Beverages

2 meals, one following your cooking class and one tasting meal during your foodie tour (these can be for either lunch or dinner)

Classes & Instructors

1 hands on cooking class (either morning or evening, depending on your dates and class schedule)

Excursions

One foodie tour (walking or driving)

Transfer Details

Transfers are not included, but Chicago’s downtown is easily accessible via taxi, car service, or public transportation

Accommodation Information

Your 3-night Chicago culinary experience will include accommodations in one of the many superior 4* hotels in Chicago’s downtown, such as the 4* James Hotel. The James is a 297-room hotel located steps from Michigan Avenue and Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Its comfortable rooms feature WiFi, filtered water, 24-hour concierge, room service, and en suite baths. (If unavailable, a comparable 4* will be proposed. Please contact us with dates.)

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Pricing & Tour Dates

3 Night Pricing

Looking for tour date information?

Year-Round Pricing:

3-night Program
US$900 per person based on double occupancy

During peak periods rates may be higher, and seasonal discounts may also apply: please inquire with specific dates for more information.

30% deposit due to confirm booking.

This trip is eligible for our “Worry-Free Booking” promotion*, which means your deposit is fully refundable up to 31 days prior to the trip start date. Questions? Please contact us!

*See our terms & conditions for details and exclusions.

Tour Dates

2021 & 2022

Available any dates you choose for a minimum of 2 people. Please inquire.

Reviews

I gave this trip 5 stars

★★★★★

Sandra

Trip taken October 2017

No rating given with this review

The cooking class was a lot of fun. Great camaraderie and well run. The recipes were very good and not hard to do. The best dish were the mushroom raviolis in vodka sauce. Stuffed peppers were so-so. Our chef's tour was also great. We were lucky to be the only ones on the tour and it was fun trading stories and learning about some iconic Chicago eateries. It was like being in an episode of No Reservations! Dave (Montreal)

No rating given with this review

Chopping Block cooking class was great, Chef tour with Greg was so much fun and we definitely got to see and taste Chicago like we would not have on our own. The hotel was lovely and truly a 10 or 15 minute walk everywhere. Cecelia