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Santa Monica Food Tour: Diverse Culinary Delights
4.5
14 Ratings
Santa Monica
Discover Santa Monica’s culinary gems on a walking tour, savoring diverse flavors and rich history. Perfect for foodies and culture enthusiasts.
Discover Santa Monica’s culinary gems on a walking tour, savoring diverse flavors and rich history. Perfect for foodies and culture enthusiasts.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hotel Casa del Mar - Established in 1926, this hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was restored in 1999 and updated in 2008, evoking the “Gold Coast” era, a former nickname for Santa Monica.
- Historic Belmar Park - This park honors the historical African American community in Belmar and nearby Santa Monica…
- Hotel Casa del Mar - Established in 1926, this hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was restored in 1999 and updated in 2008, evoking the “Gold Coast” era, a former nickname for Santa Monica.
- Historic Belmar Park - This park honors the historical African American community in Belmar and nearby Santa Monica neighborhoods. Many African Americans were displaced during the “Build America Better” initiative aimed at “cleaning up” Santa Monica in the 1950s.
- Bruce’s Beach - Once owned by the Bruce family, African Americans who relocated to California during the Great Migration, this city park became a recreational spot for African American families in the 1920s. In 1927, the land was seized through eminent domain, and the structures were demolished. The Bruce family pursued legal action but received only a modest settlement. In 2021, the property was returned to the Bruce descendants, who later sold it back to the county for $20 million.
- Tongva Park - A city park dedicated to the Tongva people, who inhabited the Los Angeles region for thousands of years.
- Original Muscle Beach Santa Monica - This site features gym equipment installed near the Santa Monica Pier by the Works Progress Administration (a Federal New Deal agency) in the 1930s. It was frequented by renowned bodybuilders of the era, including Joe Gold, the founder of Gold’s Gym. The original Gold’s Gym is located in nearby Venice.
- Third Street Promenade - A bustling shopping district in downtown Santa Monica, offering a variety of shops and dining options.
- Santa Monica Pier - One of the few remaining historic recreational piers in Santa Monica and neighboring Venice. It includes a small amusement park (Pacific Park), concession stands, fishing areas, and stunning views of the beach and oceanfront.
What's Included
- Food Tastings
- Guide (English)
- Food Tastings
- Guide (English)
What's Not Included
- Gratuities (Tips) for Guide
- Alcoholic beverages
- Gratuities (Tips) for Guide
- Alcoholic beverages
Additional Information
Discover the lively beachside city of Santa Monica with Delicious Dish Tours. Relish the stunning views of the ocean, mountains, and the iconic pier while savoring some of Southern California’s finest cuisine. Between tastings, gain insights into the history of this trendy seaside resort town from a knowledgeable guide.
During this tour, participants…
Discover the lively beachside city of Santa Monica with Delicious Dish Tours. Relish the stunning views of the ocean, mountains, and the iconic pier while savoring some of Southern California’s finest cuisine. Between tastings, gain insights into the history of this trendy seaside resort town from a knowledgeable guide.
During this tour, participants will:
- Visit 6-8 highly-rated dining spots
- Taste distinctive dishes beyond the usual tourist offerings
- Indulge in a playful adventure on Santa Monica Pier
- Learn about the 1970s drought that led to the birth of modern skateboarding culture
- Enjoy soup from the most succulent Chinese dumplings
- Discover where Old Hollywood stars secretly drank during Hollywood’s Golden Age
- Explore the origins of SoCal’s fitness culture
Ideal for food enthusiasts, beach lovers, and anyone eager to experience Santa Monica’s unique mix of relaxed coastal atmosphere and refined culinary delights.
- The itinerary is not fixed because we will visit different eateries depending on operating hours and availability of menu items. We will visit about 6-8 each tour.
- The total time for the tour includes the time spent at eateries and the time to walk between them.
- Not recommended for travelers with serious food allergies
- We can accommodate some dietary requirements, including vegetarian and pescatarian. Please indicate your requirements when booking. If we cannot accommodate them we will fully refund your booking.
Location
Tongva Park
Ocean Avenue
Meet in front of the large "TONGVA PARK" sign outside the park entrance on Ocean Ave.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(14 Ratings)
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Connector35758653303
Jan 23, 2026
Amazing food, tour, experience! Do it! - What a great gift! Delicious food! New places I’ll definitely go back to! And a local history lesson by the amazing Niall! What a great tour guide! A variety of food and everything was a gastronomical treat. It was in my neighborhood even and I learned so much. I got this as a gift and now I’m going to give it - to pass it on. This is experiential and social - more of what we need in the world these days. I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jean
Nov 23, 2025
Fun walking tour - Denisse was a wonderful guide. She was fun, knowledgeable about the food and history of the food, and got us to try new items! Everything was delicious!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caroline2650
Oct 18, 2025
Great way to spend an afternoon and sample lots of great food! - We had a wonderful time wandering Santa Monica with Niall and trying amazing food. I think we had six stops in total. We never felt rushed, Niall provided great history of the city and interesting facts about the food and restaurants, and thoughtfully answered all of our questions. All of the food was included in the tour price, and we could purchase beer/wine at most of the stops. The croffle (croissant/waffle) was incredible, and we were definitely full by the end of the tour. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Klmsilver
Aug 20, 2025
Very Delicious! - Denise brought us to some excellent places to try things we’d never tried before. Food tours are such a unique way to learn about a city!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
311adriannm
Jun 20, 2025
Good food and conversation - Good food and portions. Guide had many local and historical facts. She also had other food recommendations worth trying.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z4174jubrittanyb
May 27, 2025
Great experience - Aphrodite was amazing and explained the history of the city well. She fit right into our family and was willing to make some modifications due to allergies. Would definitely recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Go63140714688
Apr 30, 2025
An evening of fine food in Santa Monica - Good interaction with our guide Penelope, excellent range and choices of restaurants. Gained an overview of the culture and history of Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maps804493
Aug 5, 2025
Good introduction to Santa Monica food - It's not fair for me to rate the food since we had so many eating restrictions that the company created an itinerary for us that isn't what they normally choose. The food was good; the most excellent thing we ate was the squash blossom taco at The Curious Palate. Our guide, Aphrodite, was full of information and a lot of fun! She gets 5 stars for sure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lana
Nov 16, 2025
Great guide. Less than stellar food stops. - Our tour guide Denise was fabulous. Kind and friendly. Our gripes are with the company. The restaurants chosen are chains and should not be part of a food tour. Also the description of the tour should be updated as it does not reflect the spots visited. Finally, none of the cultural bits of the tour were incorporated. No discussion of speakeasies. No skateboarding culture. I would not recommend this tour, though i would recommend this guide for maybe a tour of Venice or downtown LA
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_t
Jul 29, 2025
DO NOT Recommend - I want my money back. I do food tours when I travel for work and this was the worst experience. I am extremely disappointed, definitely not worth $140. We got lost a lot. She didn’t know where any locations were. She said this was her first one in this area. What I don’t understand is why you couldn’t have prepared ahead of time? I cannot believe I spent $140 on this and I am so glad that my coworkers that I tried to get to come with me could not change their flights. I changed my flight just so I could go. Also, this was supposed to be something fun, I did not want to spend my fun time talking about crime in the area as relates to her other job. Now every time I book through this site, I will question whether it’s worth it to book and whether to risk bringing others with me. When we were at the lobster place, she went on to tell me how she doesn’t eat lobster because it’s horrible how they’re kept alive on display and how they’re cooked. That was not what I wanted to hear while I was eating it. There were many other examples like that throughout the tour.
Review provided by Viator
