Tours and Tickets
Taste of Charlottesville Food Tour
4.5

Taste of Charlottesville Food Tour

By Taste of Virginia Food Tours
Recommended by 90% of travellers
90% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
About
Learn about the culinary history of Charlottesville while sampling delicious food on this guided tour of downtown. Ideal for food lovers who would like to sample Charlottesville’s best restaurants, the itinerary presents a variety of dishes—it’s enough food to add up to lunch. Numbers are limited to 15 participants to ensure a small-group experience.

Ages 0-99, max of 15 per group
Duration: 2–3 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket

Highlights
  • Charlottesville food walking tour with a small group
  • Guide introduces some of the city’s top restaurants
  • Unique way to sample Southern cuisine
  • Learn about history while eating lunch downtown

  • Lunch
What's not included
  • Gratuities


Start:
  • Charlottesville, Charlottesville, Virginia
    I will meet everyone on the east end of the Downtown Mall In front of the Visitor Center. For the lunch tour.
End:
  • Gearharts Fine Chocolates, 243 Ridge McIntire Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA

  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 31652P1

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Walking tour covers approx. 1 1/2 mile. Hard surface, easy walk,but have one moderate incline.
  • Tour are held rain or shine. Wear weather appropriate casual clothing and shoes for walking.
  • Most travellers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers

  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 31652P1

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Itinerary
  • You'll start at
    Charlottesville
    See departure details
  • 1
    Taste of Virginia Food Tours
    Stop: 3 hours
    We start with Draft Taproom- they have 60 beers and ciders available by the ounce, self-pouring system. Next moving down the mall we head to The Whiskey Jar- have their southern dish of fried chicken and collard greens. Next, we head up 20 steps to The Bebedero, here we have a tasting of Brisket Nachos with black beans, house pickled hot peppers, cheese sauce. Now if you want to know about spices this is the place for you The Spice Diva- Phyllis can answer your questions. Moving on to Feast- tasting of local Cheese and various meats. Ask one of feast cheesemonger they have the answer. Now heading West on West Main St. Last but not left behind Gearhart’s Fine Chocolates- tasting of the finest Chocolate in town.
    Read more
  • You'll end at
    Gearharts Fine Chocolates
    243 Ridge McIntire Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
    See address & details
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
  • Taste of Virginia Food Tours
    75
    United States
    Joined in February 2014
  • DrewParagon
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tasty good overview for 1st time visitors
    I'd recommend this tour for 1st time visitors to Charlottesville. Deborah gives you a great overview of the main areas of the city as well as some good eating places off of Main street. My wife especially loved Spice Diva and Feast for their gifts and specialty groceries. She even recommended another food tour (this one in Staunton) that we went on and thoroughly enjoyed as well, so she's a great visitor resource all around.
    Written 24 June 2019
  • 273ellenk
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Food Tour
    Wonderful evening in Charlottesville! Debra was a fantastic guide. The food and drinks were well coordinated. My husband and I enjoyed all the restaurants and their staff. Highly recommend this tour.
    Written 31 January 2019
  • SDS119
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Friday Afternoon Food Tour
    My wife and I went on the Stonefield Food Tour this afternoon with Debra. We have been on food tours before in Denver, Pittsburgh, Asheville NC, Charleston SC, and Richmond VA. We can honestly say this food tour had the BEST food of all the food tours. Our first stop was at MiDiCi, The Neapolitan Pizza Company. Maurice, the owner spent time with us to tell us all about his restaurant and product....a delicious product, I might add! The wood-fired pizza ovens look like pieces of art as do the gorgeous bathrooms. Good thing they let us box up the rest of the pizza because we had lots more food to come. Next, we went to Burger Bach where we had a half of a delicious New Zealand beef burger, salad, and their great french fries. That place was awesome too! Then, we went to Rock Salt and had Oysters Rockefeller at their beautiful restaurant. If we weren't full enough yet, our next stop was at Travinia Italian Kitchen where we were served an outstanding Short Ribs Rigatoni with a creamy cheese sauce that was SO GOOD but we had to end up taking some of it home as were getting too full! Then, on to Duck Donuts where we sampled their fresh cinnamon donuts and took two of them home. Last stop was Bloop Frozen Yogurt where we somehow ate more and completed a perfect ending to our tour. Debra did a great job as our tour guide and was as nice as she could be. I highly recommend this food tour!
    Written 31 May 2018
  • Stacy R
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    #momlife
    We highly recommend debbie to enjoy the experience of learning about cville and what it has to offer. She was very knowledgeable and had a step outside the Box on food and drinks we would have never tried but loved we had a great time and would recommend her to everyone..
    Written 12 May 2018
  • Ladora P
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great food!
    The food on this tour was very impressive. Restaurants were very generous with tastings. We will definitely visit the restaurants on this tour again.
    Written 30 April 2018
  • Kim F
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Highly Recommend!!!
    Took my boyfriend on a surprise mini vacation to Charlottesville. It was our first time visiting Charlottesville and thought doing a food tour would give us some guidance. Boy did it ever! We learned a lot about the area, the mall, and which places to try. Oh yeah! Did I mention the food and drinks were delicious!?! Deborah was an amazing tour guide and gave us ideas for places to go to next time we are in town. I would highly recommend this tour! It was a great way to visit an unknown area.
    Written 27 March 2018
  • Leigh W
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Must-Do!
    Had a great time learning about Charlottesville while enjoying some great food. Tour guide kept us moving--perfect amount of time at each stop. Enjoyed the pictures she took and texted us later. Provided brochure with discounts at each stop to use later in our trip. Highly recommend this tour.
    Written 30 October 2017
  • rosanneq2015
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun way to experience Charlottesville
    This was my first food tour. Deborah knew a lot of history of each place and the local fare. Food was good. Got to experience several different restaurants which was great.
    Written 31 July 2017
  • francalbert
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun way to experience Charlottesville
    I gave this food tour to my husband to kick off a surprise birthday weekend with friends and family. We had such a great time even though the weather was bad. Deborah was a wonderful guide. This is a really fun activity to do with family or a group of friends. It makes a great gift as well.
    Written 23 April 2017
  • BigDawgJohn
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Taste of VA Food Tour
    Deborah was very nice and enthusiastic. Food was very good and was a diverse selection. We've been to several food tours in other cities and the only negative about this tour was that I wish we could have heard more historical references regarding Charlottesville. We heard lots about how Deborah knew so-and-so locally, but we would have preferred more on the history of the area itself.
    Written 14 April 2017
  • PamWatt
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Food Tour!
    This is a wonderful way to sample the cuisine of the Downtown Pedestrian Mall and the surrounding area. We visited six restaurants and sampled various cuisine, everything from appetizers to desserts. Deborah was a wonder hostess, making sure we were comfortable and giving us tidbits of the history of the area without being obtrusive. I only wish we had discovered this tour on the first day of our visit so we could have revisited some of the restaurants. I highly recommend this tour.
    Written 8 April 2017
  • Deborah W
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun time and good food
    My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. It was our first food tour and Deborah was a great guide. She immediately made us feel comfortable and she shared her knowledge of local and Virginia history. We visited two restaurants, a tap house, a spice shop, a deli,a chocolate shop and a bakery. All of the employees and owners we met were very friendly and happy to see us. They shared information about their products and we will visit them again in the future. The number of places we visited and the length of the tour was perfect. I wouldn't change a thing!
    Written 4 April 2017
  • pattflynn
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pleasant Surprise!
    I had never heard of the Taste of Virginia Food Tours until I opened up my Christmas card to find this wonderful gift from my daughter. Today we went, not really knowing what to expect, and I must say I was blown away. I have lived in Charlottesville for 14 years, and to think I was completely unaware of the local establishments and all of the great food and drinks they had to offer was a huge eye opener. We enjoyed great food prepared by chefs using only the best local ingredients, all while learning unique historical facts about our wonderful home! Who knew that eight of our presidents were from this very state? I can honestly say that I have four knew places I will be including on my list of places to eat out, and I probably wouldn't have come across them, had my daughter not given me the gift of Taste of Virginia Food Tours.
    Written 27 January 2017
  • George T
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great value, but fast pace!
    This food tour included 6 stops at local restaurants, cafés, and bakeries and it allowed us to try yummy local specialties including savory breakfast pies, fried chicken and collard greens, and delicious cupcakes. The Downtown Mall and Main Street have a lot to offer in the way of both food and history, and our tour guide pointed out some interesting historical places along our route. We enjoyed the tour very much, but it felt a bit rushed; we hardly had time to finish our samples before we had to head to the next stop. We appreciate that the tour tried to give us the best value for our money by packing in 6 tastings in 3 hours, but maybe it could be tweaked in the interest of a more relaxing atmosphere - either cut out one of the stops, lengthen the allotted time, or cut down on the distance between stops? We love Charlottesville and it was fun to try some places (and foods) we hadn't tried before.
    Written 6 November 2016
  • Kim4088
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great food and history
    Deb gave us a great tour. We went to 6 places and all were fantastic. I was hard pressed to pick a favorite. Deb also gave us a lot of historical and local information. The 2.5 hours went by very quickly.
    Written 9 October 2016
See all 75 reviews
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles22 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
3
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0

georgeg417
Mechanicsville, VA18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
My wife and I took the luncheon walking tour and found it to be delightful. We highly recommend it. Deborah did a great job in taking care of us and everything ran very smoothly. She was knowledgeable about the area, we did not have to wait anywhere we went, the eateries we went to were a good "slice of Charlottesville" and everyone we met was friendly. The food was very good. It is something great to do in Charlottesville.
Written 11 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

yankvol
Rochester, NY85 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
I’ve been on food tours in New Orleans, Charleston and Nashville and and decided to try this as a fun way to explore Charlottesville while in town for a quick trip. Deborah made excellent food selections and shared a bit of info and history along the way. The tastings included a wide variety of drink and food options and just the right amount of each. Everything was delicious! Our favorite stop was Bebedero— it was so delicious! The weather was perfect for walking and since there were only two of us on the tour we ended early, giving us enough time to walk around the Mall by ourselves.
Written 9 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for coming to Charlottesville and spending the day with us! It was my pleasure guiding you around, to the different tastings and sights. So glad you were able to enjoy the walk around the mall by yourselves. Feel free to come back soon. Thanks
Written 11 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TempleBerry
Richmond, VA4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our very first food tour during an anniversary stay in VA. Deborah was delightful and taught us so much about the downtown area. All six stops were well organized and the service we received was top notch. I also loved learning about and eating in a restaurant that you would never know was there!!

An absolute MUST DO in Charlottesville!!!
Written 25 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Temleb, for the lovely review, and choosing Charlottesville to visit. It was my pleasure to guide you around the downtown mall area. Happy Anniversary!! Come back soon.
Written 26 July 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kelsey B
Reston131 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
We have been on several food tours in different cities. This one was good, but the most underwhelming out of the ones we have been on. Overall, I would have liked more history about Charlottesville. I also didn't personally care for the humor of our tour guide. As far as food goes, I liked most of the stops, but for the price I don't feel like we got our fill.

We went to the Draft House on the Downtown Mall and were able to try different kinds of beer, self-pour up to $2.50, which I thought wasn't really a lot of beer. No background from our tour guide, just basically go try beer. Second stop was at The Whiskey Jar for collard greens, a fried chicken drumstick, and a small cup of hard cider. The fried chicken was very good. We went upstairs to Bebedero's for our 3rd stop to have horchata and chicken nachos. This was our favorite spot and we went back on another day to have a full portion of nachos. After that we ventured over to The Spice Diva, which was my least favorite spot. It was mostly the owner trying to sell you stuff from her store. You got two little packets of spices to take home, but you didn't even get to chose them. The 5th stop was across the hallway to Feast! which is a great little shop with fresh cheese, bread, etc. but those portions were extremely small. Finally a walk to a homemade chocolate shop where you get 2 small pieces of chocolate. Honestly, I figured we would get more food. Our tour guide took some pictures along the way, but was eager to end our tour and get out of there. I would have also liked our guide to give us more background on the restaurants/food we were trying.
Written 21 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Timeshare V
Chesapeake, VA513 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
We traveled to western Virginia (where we have been many times over the years). We usually stay in the McGaheysville area. This time we decided to stop in Charlottesville to take this food tour since we enjoy these tours so much and it provides an opportunity to learn more about the community. We have taken food tours that have ranged in price from $59 (this tour) up to $179 (in Maui). At one time, I even pondered and researched starting a food tour business. We have taken tours in Newport, RI (our first), Key West, Hilton Head, Denver, Miami, Maui, Halifax N.S., and the Outer Banks.

There were six of us on the tour. The other group of four arrived late; with the fourth person arriving much later than the other three. We finally proceeded with the tour and the late-comer caught up with us as we were starting the tour late. We visited a pub with beer tasting stations. We each were provided with a $5 card to get a couple of selected pours. The stations are a great concept that we have enjoyed previously. We moved on to a couple of restaurants, a spice shop, a cheese shop and finally to a chocolate shop.

During our tour it began to rain. As we toured and were given tidbits of information while walking the streets, the downpour erupted. Being soaked through and through, and continuing to walk the streets as information about the area was being shared; things became quite a bit less enjoyable.

We have previously been on food tours where the restaurant chef or owner meets with the group for a few minutes to talk about the restaurant and/or dishes being served. This food tour did not incorporate this. At the spice company, we would have liked to have had a few extra minutes to get a better feel of what was offered and made a purchase while there. The same for the cheese shop. We were looking around at the offerings in the shop, but no time was allowed to make a quick purchase. After leaving these shops, we did the walk through the streets in the pouring rain to the last stop, a Chocolate shop. Again, things seemed rushed. But since it was the last stop, we had the opportunity to linger and make purchases after the end of the tour. The handling of the end of the tour was a bit unexpected. The guide seemed to be in a hurry to end things even though it was supposed to be a three-hour tour. There was a late start and the tour ended about 20 minutes before four o'clock. The additional time could have provided an opportunity to do some quick shopping at the last three stops. Again, things seemed rushed. Perhaps this was influenced by the rain. Part of food tours are to promote businesses and restaurants visited. I feel that the spice, cheese and chocolate shops would have better served the proprietors in making sales if tour guests were given a few minutes of time to look around and make purchases.

At the last stop (chocolate shop), which was a good ways from our starting point, we were given some directions to make it back to our vehicles, and then the owner/guide was gone. We normally provide a tip to our food tour guides; however, before we knew it, she was gone.

Perhaps the weather and the late start necessitated a shortened tour, and made things feel rushed on this particular day. After being soaked through and through, and trying to get back to our car, we decided it wasn't worth trying to revisit the shops, pub or restaurants before leaving Charlottesville.
Written 6 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feed back. I run tours in the rain and shine, it states on my website to check the weather conditions the day of your tour and dress appropriately.
Written 11 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Inasso
67 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
My wife and I have been on a few different food tours and this one stood out even in the rain. Debra was great and very informative and she really had a great rapport and understanding of the area and businesses she dealt with. We had some wonderful meals, best one was the Mexican bistro. Atmosphere was incredible even with electricity going out she never skipped a beat. Absolutely a must do.
Written 4 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Inasso, for coming to Charlottesville and spending the day with us! Even in the rain. It was my pleasure guiding you around, to the different tastings and sights. Please come back soon.
Written 13 September 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jonathan M
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Couples
Deborah did a great job. Very interesting and great food and drink on the tour. I liked that the tour was just us and one other couple which made it more quaint.
Written 30 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you, Jonatha we had many laughs and fun. Good memories to have. I enjoyed showing you around our city. Please come back. Be a food lover!
Written 3 July 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

xxsilencerxx
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019 • Couples
Excellent tour for locals and visitors. We are from out of town and enjoyed learning about the history of the city while sampling delicious food from the downtown area. Deborah provides great enthusiasm for the tour guests and provides a thorough back ground of each location visited.
Written 14 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you xxsilenc
Written 20 June 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jessietc11
Henrico, VA6 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Couples
My husband and I very much enjoyed this tour! there was a good variety of food and drinks. Nice to walk around beautiful Charlottesville. Would have been nice to have a bit more included but otherwise was great!
Written 9 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you jessie11
Written 20 June 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Beloved One
Charlottesville, VA1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2019
I went on this tour recently with my wife, her mom & our 6 year old. We enjoyed meeting the other people on the tour and our tour guide Deborah was wonderful! It was a great family experience. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed the tour & meeting the different business owners and chefs that came out. We also liked learning more about the historic nature of the city and architecture as well as the trivia. The food and drinks were great too. Definitely something fun and different to try. Would go again.
Written 15 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Taste of Charlottesville Food Tour provided by Taste of Virginia Food Tours