15 Food Tours in Charleston Worth Booking

1.Charleston French Quarter or Brunch Food Tour with 7+ Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,853 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $108Our pick

Choose a French Quarter tour with chicken bog, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, and benne wafers, or an Upper King Street brunch with biscuits, quiche, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, and banana pudding. Guides such as Robin, Perry, Nathan, and Crystin add Charleston stories and keep the small group moving at an easy pace.

“Nice mix of different foods and we left stuffed. The history and info about the area were great too. Sydney was a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. We would recommend this tour!”

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2.Downtown Charleston Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,376 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $110

Spend 2.5 hours walking Charleston’s French Quarter and Market area, stopping at four sit-down restaurants for Lowcountry dishes and dessert. Guides such as John, Simon, Dana, Georgia, and Amelia blend food with local history. The servings usually add up to a full meal, and groups are limited to 12 people.

“Georgia was very knowledgeable historically and culinarrilly (sp?)! Excellent tour: great food with small group of 6 on rainy day”

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3.Savor the Flavors of Charleston Walking Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 881 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $110

Walk Charleston’s City Market and French Quarter with a small group of up to 12. Over 2.5 hours, guides such as Diane, Jade, Fran, and Faith pair generous tastings with local food history. Expect grits, barbecue, hush puppies, pralines, collard greens, and other Lowcountry favorites, with several restaurant stops and about a mile of walking.

“Faith was a great your guide! Her stories and knowledge were awesome and the food was excellent! I would highly recommend.”

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4.Charleston’s Historic Downtown Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 349 reviews · from $110

Walk Charleston’s historic district with a guide such as Paige, Jeff, or Emerson, stopping at four restaurants for a full lunch of local dishes. Expect she-crab soup, rice, barbecue, dessert, and stories about French, African, Gullah Geechee, and pirate influences. The route lasts about two to two and a half hours.

“First of all the tour guide himself was very kind had some fun facts for us along the way, and I believe he made the best of a very awkward situation. From the start, the tour was a disappointment and did not reflect the online description in our opinion, the tour was noRead more”

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5.Charleston Brunch Food Tour: Biscuits, Shrimps, Grits and More

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 239 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $108

Spend about three hours walking from Upper King Street to Cannon Street, stopping for warm biscuits, shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, sweets, tea, and prosecco. Guides such as Perry, Sydney, Nathan, and Jesse have led the tour, which blends Charleston food with stories of architecture, railroad history, and the city’s past.

“Terribly overpriced for what you get. Just a bunch of snacks. The breakfast pizza was just OK. The banana bread was really good. Te remainder of the food was forgettable. Waitied a LONG time at some places to get the food - it was not pre-ordered as we would have expected. Guide "Jesse" was definitely the bright spot, but he wasn't involved with the food selection. Do not go on this tour. Felt ripped off.”

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6.Private Charleston Walking Food Tour at the French Quarter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 201 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $370

Explore Charleston’s French Quarter with a private guide such as Kelli or Hannah, tasting chicken bog, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, benne wafers, and more. The 3.5-hour walk links the Custom House, City Market, and Dock Street Theatre. Confirm dietary needs before booking.

“Hannah, the guide was a pleasure and the information on Charleston that she provided was the highlight. The food was ok to good, not great. One dish was a standout. Much better exceptional food options in the city.”

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7.Charleston Upper King Street Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 200 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $110

Spend about 2.5 hours tasting your way through Charleston’s Upper King Street area with a city-certified guide. The route visits four restaurants in Cannonborough, Elliotborough, or Radcliffeborough. Guides such as Mimi, Summer, and Charley are known for linking local food with Charleston history. Food tastings form a full meal for most people.

“While there was nothing wrong with this food tour, it definitely felt like a tour of restaurants that happened to partner with this company rather than a true reflection of the Charleston food scene. Our guide was nice, but I left without a single restaurant that I would go back to so for that reason I would not recommend this tour.”

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8.Charleston: Small Group Food Tour – Savor the Flavors

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 169 reviews · 2h 30m · from $110

Meet your English-speaking guide at Bulldog Tours headquarters on Anson Street for a 2.5-hour walk through Charleston’s food traditions. Sample stone-ground grits, benne wafers, pralines, collard greens, Lowcountry barbecue, sweet tea, and more. Guides such as Jade, Dena, Faith, and Blake bring personal stories and strong food knowledge to the route.

“Best thing we ever scheduled was this food tour. Becca at the front desk was so sweet and accommodating to explain everything to us. Then our food tour guide FAITH was an historian-foodie-cultural maven all rolled up in one. With sweetness and patience on the side. Seriously. People on the tour kept asking if she was an historian because she knew so much - not just about the incredible food we tasted on the tour- but about the people, cultures, and origins of all manner of things. Our 2 hours wasn’t even enough. She could have given us a 6 hour tour! Really phenomenal experience.”

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9.Charleston’s Savor the Flavors of Upper King Street Walking Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 130 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $110

Spend about 2.5 hours walking Upper King Street with a local guide such as Gordon, Nancy, Fran, Blake, or Zach. Expect five or six seafood-heavy tastings, including Lowcountry favorites such as shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, cornbread, and pimento cheese. The leisurely route begins near The Charleston Museum and ends at Hotel Bennett.

“Blake Mims was our tour guide. He did an excellent job of sharing the history of Charleston and he loves to cook himself so he had wonderful southern recipes to share.”

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10.Charleston Farm-to-Table Food Tour and Chef’s Challenge

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 110 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $190

Pick fresh ingredients with a featured chef at the Veggie Bin, then explore Charleston’s Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood with a city-certified guide. While you walk, the chef prepares a multi-course meal from your choices. Finish at a downtown restaurant with a relaxed farm-to-table brunch. Friday and Saturday only.

“The food was amazing and portions were very generous! It was fun choosing the ingredients for the chef to use to prepare our lunch. Jess was an amazing guide and so knowledgeable. We saw a part of Charleston that we hadn’t been to before but will definitely visit again.”

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11.Tastes Through Time – Charleston’s Best Food & History Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 95 reviews · 2 hours 10 minutes (approx.) · from $94Best value

Walk Charleston’s Historic District with local guide Page, also listed as Paige, stopping at three restaurants for Lowcountry food, drinks, and a final sweet treat. Along the way, learn about the city’s first shopping district, its oldest congregation, Gullah Geechee culture, architecture, and the forces that shaped Charleston cooking. Expect a full meal, not just tiny samples.

“She was very knowledgeable about the history of food and where everything originated from. Quite interesting to learn about. Very friendly to wait staff and overall great experience.”

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12.Charleston: 3-Hour Secret Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 89 reviews · from $117

Spend three hours tasting Charleston with an English-speaking local guide in a group of no more than 10. Expect South Carolina barbecue, She-Crab Soup, seafood, handmade ice cream, a Secret Dish, and stories about African culinary influence. Guides such as Robin, Crystin, Hanna, and Nathan have led recent tours.

“Crystin was the most amazing host for this food tour. Personality plus, knowledgeable, kind, funny. It would not have been the same without her! Food was great too!”

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13.Charleston: Historic Downtown Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 67 reviews · 2h 30m · from $111

Eat your way through Charleston’s Historic District with an English-speaking guide such as Paige, Jackson, or Emerson. Over 150 minutes, you’ll visit four restaurants, sample hushpuppies, she-crab soup, oysters, shrimp and grits, and dessert, then walk about a mile past the Old Exchange and Waterfront Park. Portions add up to a full meal.

“Paige was a wonderful guide! We thoroughly enjoyed the history and food tastings. Highly recommend!!”

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14.Charleston: Downtown Culinary Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · from $99

Walk Charleston’s French Quarter and City Market with an English-speaking guide, stopping at at least four well-known restaurants for low-country tastings, drinks, and dessert. Guides such as Mimi, John, Dana, Simon, and Jessica add local history and food context. The 2.5-hour tour ends near its starting point, and the portions can equal a full meal.

“John was so awesome, knowledgeable, and answered all questions. Well worth the money and would highly recommend. Food was just enough to be filling and the variety was great. 10/10 would do this again.”

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15.Charleston Private Brunch Tour: Biscuits, Shrimps, Grits and More

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $370

Walk from Upper King Street through Charleston’s historic districts with a private guide such as Perry, Nathan, Beth, or Robin. Expect biscuits, banana bread, shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, prosecco, and a secret dish, plus stories at landmarks including Aiken-Rhett House, Marion Square, and the Charleston Music Hall.

“The walking talking eating was the perfect combination of just enough food with exercise and information...a great beginning to peeling away the many layers of charleston”

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