Charleston Culinary Tours

Charleston is known for its culinary prowess. Its dishes have benefited from the city’s geography, extensive history, and rich cultural traditions. Regional favorites include shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, pickled okra, she-crab soup, frogmore stew, and so much more. Culinary experts point to the 1970s as the beginning of Charleston’s rise to food fame; at that time, the city began to receive an influx of visitors from the U.S. and abroad, which forced restaurateurs and chefs to step up their game. 

The city was already poised to make a culinary stir. Its location, surrounded by green fields, forests, rich estuaries, and the ocean, allow for a diverse range of ingredients. The city itself is also a mélange of cultures with distinct cultural heritages, from those of African descent to French Huguenots. Charleston’s Lowcountry dishes reflect the expertise brought by enslaved people and the availability of local ingredients.

One of the best ways to appreciate the whole range of cuisines in this Lowcountry city is – you guessed it – a walking food tour. Many of Charleston’s tour groups offer culinary tours in which participants can taste the offerings of many different restaurants in just a few hours. 

Undiscovered Charleston offers a culinary history walking tour with a cooking demo and a lunch and wine-tasting experience. Chef Forrest Parker will start by taking you on a 90-minute walking tour where you will get to understand the culinary influences that shaped Charleston into one of the world’s top food destinations. You’ll end the tour by enjoying a delicious 4-course meal at Bistro A Vin prepared by Chef Parker himself. Immerse yourself in the world of true Southern fare while learning about the history of Charleston’s most popular dishes!

Another walking food tour option is that of Charleston Culinary Tours. It has general downtown tours and tours of historic districts, as well as specialty tours. One such tour is Dessert with Death, which combines the city’s spookiest stories with traditional desserts of mourning. Another is the Historic Charleston Supper Club, a five-course meal held in the dining room of the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. There’s also a walking Pubs, Taverns, and Taprooms Tour, a three-hour extravaganza perfect for the over-21 crowd. These tours range in price from $25 to $125. 

No matter which culinary tour you choose, you are sure to have the opportunity to try some of Charleston’s classic food. From benne wafers to barbeque to collard greens, there are dozens of unique Lowcountry dishes. A walking food tour is the best way to experience the city and its award-winning cuisine at the same time. 

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