San Francisco

Chinatown Food Tour

Explore the oldest Chinatown in North America with awesome food and amazing stories from the neighborhood's best restaurants.

Explore North America’s Oldest Chinatown with Awesome Food and Amazing Stories at the Best Restaurants

You Expert Avital Guide will lead you through Chinatown visiting 3 of the neighborhood’s best restaurants with a sprinkling of fascinating stories and history in between. You’ll enjoy both classic Cantonese and innovative fusion dishes, from dim sum to spicy noodles and more.

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1-100+ Guests
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From $99 Per Person
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3 Hours
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3-4 Restaurants
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4 Courses & 3 Beverage Pairings (Optional)
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Public or Private Tour

How it Works

Food Tour Infographic on How a Food tour works

What’s Included

  • 3-Hour Walking Tour (approximately 1 mile) 
  • Expertly Trained Avital Guide 
  • 4-Course Meal with Appetizers, Entree, and Dessert 
  • 3 Alcoholic Beverage Pairings (optional upgrade) 
  • Delightful Sprinkling of Culinary Stories and History
  • Team Building Games (complimentary, optional upgrade)

Example Dishes & Drinks

Our San Francisco Chinatown Food Tour includes 4-courses–two appetizers, one entree, and one dessert–with a sprinkling of culinary history and stories in between. Plus an upgrade option to include 3 carefully curated beverage pairings. We focus on quality over quantity, but we promise you won’t leave hungry! Here are some possible tastings to satiate your curiosity.

beef tenderoin cubes from begoni bistro in chinatown

Tender cubes of beef with mixed mushrooms and rich black sauce

Shrimp Fried Rice with Black Truffle

Shrimp fried rice with black truffle from one of best new restaurants of 2025

“Three Treasures” with Shrimp Paste & Black Bean Sauce

Trio of tofu, eggplant, and hot peppers, stuffed with house-made shrimp paste and served in a savory black bean sauce

seafood claypot served during chinatown food tour in san francisco

Seafood claypot with bean curd from locals-only spot

Girardelli Chocolate XLB

Chocolate xiao long bao (soup dumpling) filled with warm Ghirardelli chocolate

hands toasting aperol spritz cocktails during north beach food tour

Variety of craft cocktails, beer, and wine

Example Restaurants

We’ll visit 3-4 of the best restaurants in San Francisco’s Chinatown, featuring hot spots (Avital guests skip the line) and hidden gems. All of our restaurants not only serve outstanding food and drinks, but they also have a rich story to discover and numerous awards (think James Beard Nominees, Michelin Plate, and Eater’s Top 38).

begoni bistro in san francisco's chinatown
Begoni Bistro

Family-owned restaurant with exceptional Hong Kong dim sum 

great eastern restaurant exterior in sf chinatown
Great Eastern Restaurant

Cozy, locals-only dim sum spot

z and y peking duck restaurant in san francisco chinatown
Z & Y Peking Duck

USA Today’s 10 Best New Restaurants of 2025

fusion dumpling restaurant in san francisco chinatown
Fusion Dumpling

Chinese regional fusion at OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice

r and g louge in san francisco chinatown
R&G Lounge

Gayot’s Best SF Chinese Restaurants

avital chinatown food tour guests tasting tea
Vital Tea Leaf

Visit a family-run tea house modeled after a wine bar. The family travels to China to source their teas directly.

Example Neighborhood Stops

San Franciso’s Chinatown is full of incredible history and stories. Beyond the restaurant stops, your Expert Avital Guide will take you to some of the most interesting landmarks with colorful commentary and fun facts along the way.

san francisco's portsmouth square
Portsmouth Square

Learn about the oldest park in San Francisco named for the ship that conquered San Francisco for California

fortune cookie
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

Visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (the last remaining location to make fortune cookies by hand)!

group standing in front of ross alley during chinatown food tour with avital
Ross Alley

19th-century alleyway located in the heart of Chinatown, known as historic hot spot for brothels, gambling, and crime 

“Excellent tour. Did the China town walking food tour. Guide was very knowledgeable and the food was excellent.”

 

Kristina. via Google
Chinatown Food Tour

Where is it?

Begoni Bistro

Begoni Bistro, Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA, USA

Great Eastern Restaurant

Great Eastern Restaurant, Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA, USA

Fusion Dumpling

FUSION DUMPLING, Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA, USA

Z & Y Peking Duck

Z & Y Peking Duck, Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA, USA

R&G Lounge

R & G Lounge, Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA, USA

Portsmouth Square

Portsmouth Square, Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA, USA

Vital Tea Leaf

Vital Tea Leaf, Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA, USA

Ross Alley

Ross Alley, San Francisco, CA, USA

Our start location varies; you’ll receive your exact meeting location after booking.

Run of Show

avital guide holding sign to start sf food tour
1: Meet Expert Avital Guide & Introduction

Guests meet Avital Guide at pre-determined location. Kick off the tour with fun introductions!

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2: 1st Restaurant for Appetizer & Optional Beverage Pairing

Arrive at the first neighborhood restaurant and sink your teeth into a delicious appetizer with a carefully curated alcoholic (or non-alcoholic if you prefer) beverage pairing.

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3: Visit Iconic Landmark

Head towards your next restaurant destination, but on the way discover unique murals, historic statues, or hidden curiosities with rich commentary from your Avital Guide.

women sitting and eating during sf food tour
4: 2nd Restaurant for Appetizer & Optional Beverage Pairing

Enjoy your second small plate appetizer with another delicious beverage pairing as you hear stories about the restaurant, culinary scene, and the people who make it all possible.

restaurant owner telling neighborhood story during food tour
5: Discover Neighborhood Story

As you walk to your 3rd restaurant destination you’ll continue your journey through the neighborhood with more awesome storytelling and fun facts.

group sitting and drinking cocktails during sf food tour
6: 3rd (or 4th) Restaurant for Entree, Dessert & Optional Beverage Pairing

Indulge in your main entree course with another incredible beverage pairing as you chat, enjoy, and connect with your fellow diners.

Then enjoy a scrumptious sweet treat for your final tasting. Your Avital Guide will wrap up the tour, answer any final questions, and can recommend other awesome places to visit next time!

The Essentials

Availability

Private tours are available any day of the week, at any time! Public tours are available on Saturdays at 10am.

Distance

The San Francisco Chinatown food tour is a flat route, approximately 1 mile. 

Group Size

Private tours don’t have a minimum or maximum number of people. Ask your private curator for minimum spends.

Alcohol

Guests over 21 years can add the alcohol pairing upgrade which includes 3 carefully curated drinks.

Gratuity

Gratuity is included in your package price! 

Lead Time

We can accommodate Private Bookings in advance or rush. Start your booking and we’ll get back to you right away!

Private or Public Tour

You can experience Chinatown via a public food tour or you can book a private experience just for your group.

Private Tour

A private experience, just for your group. Great for team building, client entertainment, birthday parties, and large groups.

  • Request Your Preferred Day & Time
  • Any Group Size, Best for 5+ People
  • Private Avital Guide For Your Group
  • Customize Your Package
Public Tour

Join other foodies on this regularly-scheduled experience open to the public. Great for couples, solo travelers, and small groups.

  • Pre-Scheduled Tours
  • Purchase 1-4 Tickets
  • Join Other Foodies (Capped at 12 Guests)
  • Prix Fixe Menu with Optional Alcohol Pairing Upgrade

Upgrades & Add-ons

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Add 3 Alcoholic Beverage Pairings
$35 / Person

Curated cocktails, beer, or wine enhance your dining experience.

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Add More Food for Heartier Meal
$30 / Person

Perfect for dinner-time tours. Available on private tours only.

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Team Building Games
Complimentary

Booking this tour for a team building activity? Add 1-2 of our quirky-and-classy games for added fun and connection. In between courses, your Avital Guide will lead your team through fun and interactive team building games. Games last about 10-15 minutes each.

Dietary Restrictions

One of our core values is #BreatheCuriosity. We enjoy introducing you to new foods and old favorites in new ways. We very much encourage guests to be adventurous and try something new – we’ve even had an 80-year old man try his first oyster with us! Thus, while we love the diverse ways our guests choose to eat, we can accommodate some restrictions on public tours and many restrictions and preferences on private tours. You will be asked for your dietary restrictions during your booking process.

If you are unsure if we can accommodate your restriction, please email us at info@avitalexperiences.com. Please note that this tour may include nuts, dairy, seafood, spicy food, and pork. We can accommodate the following on public tours:

  • Vegetarian
  • Pescatarian
  • Gluten-free
  • Pregnant Guests
  • No Pork
  • No Seafood

Why Choose Avital for Your Chinatown Food Tour in San Francisco?

  • Expertly Guided: Our Chinatown Food Tour is led by a trained, expert Avital Guide. You can sit back and enjoy as your host takes care of all the logistics with rich storytelling and group engagement along the way.
  • VIP Experience: No waiting in lines and each course is served seated at a reserved table. Tours can be an intimate, small-group experience yet still have that same VIP feeling for large groups.
  • Experienced Team: A full support team to ensure a turnkey booking and seamless experience from start to finish.
  • Dietary Restriction Friendly: We understand dietary restrictions and want everyone to leave feeling cared for and full! We’ll ask for your restrictions after booking.
  • Taste The Best: Instead of visiting a whole bunch of average places with tiny toothpick bites, we visit 3 incredible restaurants that not only serve steller food and drinks, but are passionate about storytelling and the guest experience.
SF Food Tour FAQs

How to Book Your Private Tour

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1: Explore Packages

Download the PDF proposal to view packages and pricing for each experience. Still have questions? Schedule a call with your Culinary Curator.

 

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2: Start Your Booking

Submit your event details to get started. Upon submission, you’ll also have the option to make an initial, refundable deposit to reserve your date right away.

 

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3: Finalize Details

A real human will be in touch to finalize your event details, like confirming your package, how to submit request for dietary or alcohol accommodations, and when your final headcount is due.

Psst! Looking to join a public tour? You can buy tickets here!

Start Your Private Booking


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