The North End Food Tour
A tale of two peninsulas, told through lunch.
3 hours
Leisurely walking tour
4 blocks
All within the North End
Full meal
Progressive Italian lunch
3 North Sq.
Meeting point, Boston MA
Welcome to a very special experience.
This tour is a celebration of the food, wine, history, culture — and most importantly the people — of one of the greatest ethnic neighborhoods in the United States: Boston’s historic North End.
Although we never leave the neighborhood and only walk four blocks, we metaphorically travel up and down the peninsula of Italy, exploring the foods of its regions so proudly represented in the largest Little Italy in the United States. If you love neighborhoods, food, culture and wine, this tour is for you.
We never leave the neighborhood.
We travel all of Italy.
Four blocks on foot — and the length of a peninsula on the plate. Follow the route from the deep south to the great islands.
Le tappe — the stops on the map
I — Sicilia: Arancini, panzerotti & blistered Sicilian pizza.
II — Napoli: Certified Neapolitan pizza — with a detour to Sorrento for gnocchi alla sorrentina.
III — Umbria: The secrets of olive oil — real extra-virgin, and the fakes.
IV — Modena: Twelve-year aged balsamico, the dark gold of Emilia.
V — Parma: Prosciutto di Parma — the finest outside Emilia-Romagna.
VI — Sardegna: Aged sheep’s-milk pecorino, in the city’s best market.
Between the stops: a neighborhood enoteca, a centuries-old spice shop, an artisan bakery — and the espresso, cannoli & gelato trifecta to finish.
Course by course, region by region
I.
The Deep South: Sicily, Naples & the Amalfi Coast
Our journey begins in Sicily with regional delicacies — arancini, panzerotti and Sicilian pizza. We push up to Naples for authentic Neapolitan pizza baked in the only certified oven to come from Italy, then detour to Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast for gnocchi alla sorrentina.
II.
Wine, and the ambiente that makes it
At a beloved neighborhood wine shop you’ll learn how wine is made — the influence of soil and weather the Italians call ambiente — how wine gets its color, and how Italians drink it with a meal. You will never think of wine the same way again.
III.
Secrets of the Mediterranean: oil, balsamic, Parma & Sardinia
Inside the best Italian market in the city, we unlock the history of olive oil — and how to buy real extra-virgin versus the fakes exported to unassuming masses. Then on to Umbria and Modena for 12-year aged balsamic, next door to Parma for prosciutto, and across to Sardinia for a special sheep’s-milk cheese.
IV.
Back in time: the spice shop & a 160-year-old dough
We step into a coffee and spice shop that takes us back in time — the oldest retail shop still standing in the city — then meander down a back alley to an artisan bakery whose starter dough came all the way from Naples, alive for over 160 years.
V.
The trifecta: espresso, cannoli & gelato
Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, we end at Paula’s personal hangout — a caffè — with the trifecta: the best espresso, cannoli and gelato in the neighborhood. We hope to leave your belly, heart and mind full.
A Tale of Two Peninsulas
The North End’s hyper-localism mirrors Italy’s hyper-regionalism. Both are peninsulas, conquered and re-shaped by waves of peoples across their histories. The North End has always been “separate” from Boston — bounded by nature, and for decades by the elevated expressway that balkanized the neighborhood until the Big Dig and the Greenway reopened it.
Italy, at the crossroads of three continents, is the most invaded country in history. Geography, history and food play equal parts in our exploration of two great peninsulas.
EVERY TOUR, LED BY PAULA
The tour is so personal that Paula conducts every single one herself.
My name is Paula Taylor, and I’ll be your guide.
I started this tour in 2012, before any other food tour of this kind existed in the neighborhood, building it on relationships formed over twenty years with the North End’s family-owned businesses. I’m not technically a native — I like to call myself a NINE, a non-indigenous North Ender.
I’ll never forget my first visit as a teenager from a small New Hampshire town: passing under the imposing green highway and coming up on the other side felt like leaving Boston altogether and landing in Italy. The narrow winding streets, the musical language on the corners, the butcher shops with red awnings, artichokes and tomatoes piled high, hand-painted marzipan in the pastry-shop windows. It was Italy, it felt like Europe — and it was still distinctly Boston. I was in love.
I’ve spent countless hours interviewing North Enders and reading everything I can find. My training in art history at Boston University and frequent travel to Italy shape how I see the context of events — but it’s living and working in the North End that gives this tour its authenticity.
When you’re choosing an experience, read the reviews. I’m proud of the feedback and of the guests who keep coming back — and who bring their friends and family with them. It is a privilege to share this incredible community with you.
Come hungry.
Public tour dates book quickly — reserve your spot, or make it private.