Mission District Food Tour
Our Mission District Food Tour showcases innovative & trendy restaurants, as well as the classic Latin cuisine this neighborhood is known for – the best in San Francisco! Stroll through this classic neighborhood learning about its culinary history as you hear the stories of chefs, restaurant owners and industry experts. Our progressive meal in San Francisco’s Mission District concludes with mouthwatering desserts near Dolores Park.
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What Is A Progressive Meal and How Is It Different Than a Typical Food Tour?
Our 4-course progressive meal visits 4 restaurants – two appetizers, one entree, and one dessert, with a sprinkling of culinary history and stories in between.
Our Mission District Food Tour focuses on quality over quantity. But we promise, you won’t leave hungry! Our goal is to have you sample the highest quality ingredients – small plates with huge flavor. We strive to shift your perspective of the neighborhood and its food through the story of the chef who made it.
How it Works
Possible Tastings
(Each food Tour Includes 4 courses)
Sample a Cheese Flight at a New York Times acclaimed chic cheese cafe featuring only American artisan cheeses. Learn about the small American dairy movement from knowledgeable cheesemongers!
Savor Tyler’s Pork Belly Breakfast Taco or Hot Churros at a Southwestern Family-owned Restaurant from the winner of Season 9 of the Amazing Race
Sample West coast cult favorite Rebel Within, a cheese and sausage muffin with an oozing soft boiled egg inside, from innovative pastry chef and James Beard nominated, William Werner
Seasonal Sweet Potato Quesadilla from innovative Mexican vegan restaurant
Chicken Verde and Cod Taco duo at trendy Taco bar boasting over 350 different types of tequila
Mission-style Grilled Chicken Burrito at authentic taqueria inventor of the Mission-style burrito. Taste history!
Authentic Pupusas from Family-owned and operated Mission District longtime restaurant
Salted Caramel Ice Cream considered one of the top five desserts in America at the United States’ best loved Creamery. Skip the inevitable line with Avital Tours!
Go behind-the-scenes into a commercial chocolate kitchen to learn how truffles are made and sample your flavor choice of a Gelato Pop and Truffle
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Alcohol Beverage Pairing Upgrade
(Includes 3 Drinks)
Unique dark Belgian Style beer paired with cheeses for incredible pairing unlike any other you’ve ever tasted
A light and refreshing Mezcal Margherita made with Mezcal for Brunch!
Seasonal Michael Lazar-created cocktail featured on 7×7 Magazine’s list of Top 50 cocktails and featured in the New York Times as one of San Francisco’s best craft cocktail programs
A refreshing Golden State Mighty Dry cider paired with the Rebel Within!
Psst! Looking for a Private Tour?
Our private food tours in San Francisco are perfect for visitors, family reunions, alumni groups, mothers clubs, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and bachelor parties. Or just get some friends together and organize a private tour!
Dietary Restrictions
One of our core values at Avital is Breathe Curiosity. 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 the following restrictions.
- Vegetarian
- Pescatarian
- Gluten-free
- Pregnant Guests
- No Pork
- No Seafood
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@avitaltours.com. Please note that this tour may include nuts, dairy, seafood, spicy food and pork.
Why Avital Tours?
Wondering what makes the Avital Mission District Food Tour different from all other tours? Check out our About Us page for the answer!
We live and breathe by our Core Values:
- Breathe Curiosity
- Create Community
- Embrace Quirky
- Seize Ownership
- Build AWESOME Experiences
What's our value?
- Our fun and knowledgeable guides
- Curation of the experience, relationships with high quality restaurants, and dish choice. We eat all of the bad food so you don’t have too – sigh, hard job
- Stories of the restaurant owners, chefs and neighborhood
- Facilitating interactions with the community
- Seamless logistics (tables are reserved, guests are seated and food arrives quickly)
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do I have to purchase tickets in advance?
Yes, advance ticket purchase is required. Tours typically sell out quickly. To maximize your chances of getting the date, time, and number of tickets you prefer, please book well in advance. We recommend 2 weeks notice.
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Do I have to purchase the alcohol pairing in advance?
Our curated alcohol pairing is meant to add another layer and perspective to your culinary experience. Even if you are not drinking on the tour, you will still learn about the pairings, how to pair alcohol and food, and awesome ingredients in the cocktails.
The alcohol pairing is two small tasting sized drinks – we do not want our guests to get drunk or buzzed, so we keep them appropriately sized.
If you purchased your tickets but didn’t add the alcohol pairing, you can email us at LAinfo@avitaltours.com to upgrade before the tour or tell your guide at the beginning of the progressive meal that you would like to add it. Your guide can process your credit card for the upgrade while on the tou
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Can I get a refund or reschedule my ticket?
All tickets are nonrefundable. Consider it like buying a concert ticket – that seat is reserved for you and we will be unable to resell it. As a small business with only 12 tickets per tour, its important that you purchase tickets when you’re sure you can go. If you can’t make it to the tour you purchased, the tickets are transferrable. Post the tickets on Facebook or Craigslist or ask a friend or colleague if they want to purchase your tickets.Tours can be rescheduled with 2 weeks advance notice for parties of 4 or less by emailing LAinfo@avitaltours.com. Please arrive on time as tours depart promptly. -
Is gratuity included?
Los Angeles is an expensive place to eat and drink, so our tour guides appreciate recognition for a job well done, so they can fuel their foodie habits. 15%-20% is customary in the tourism industry. That’s about $15 per person.
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If a tour is sold out, can I get on the waiting list?
Yes, please email us at LAinfo@avitaltours.com
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Do you offer discounts for children and seniors?
We currently do not offer discounted tickets for children and seniors.
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Is this tour appropriate for children?
The tour content is not geared toward children, though many older children may definitely enjoy trying new foods and learning about them! Our progressive meals do allow for children, though the experience requires a good attention span and walking, so the tour may be appropriate for older children. You know your children best and if they’re foodies, curious and excited about learning, they are welcome. Babies are allowed if you are mindful of other guests and pull the baby away if they are disruptive to the experience. If you are bringing a stroller, please give us a heads up by leaving a note in the comments section of the booking process.
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Do you offer tours in other languages?
Currently, we only offer our tours in English. However, if you are reading this, your English is likely good enough to join Please keep in mind, that our value is not in the food, so we recommend having good English listening skills to understand the stories and the industry experts who speak to the group.Also, this is a communal social dining experience, so our guides will not simply have monologues or speeches aimed at our guests. They will interact and ask you questions and hope to get to know you better and provide tailored stories to your interests.
Our most popular tours
Explore Our Restaurant Partners
Our guests often ask, “How do you choose your restaurants?” Well, we eat. A lot! Tough work, right? All this “research” results in curated, Mission District Food Tour featuring the best restaurants San Francisco has to offer, each with a unique story to tell!