Welcome to Columbus Food Adventures.
Excerpt from a past edition of OhioTraveler.com by Christine Bryant
A Columbus tour group is hoping to satisfy the tastes of local food lovers.
Whether it’s exploring the city’s stash of taco trucks, or browsing delicacies at some of the capitol’s finest restaurants, Columbus Food Adventures takes visitors on five different food tours throughout the city.
Bethia Woolf, owner of Columbus Food Adventures, says the tours aren’t just for out of towners, though.
“I think they have something to offer people who live in Columbus because it’s a way of trying different restaurants in one day,” she said. “It’s a great way to explore and find new places.”
Woolf, a food blogger, got the idea of running a food tour company in Columbus after hearing about successful tours in New York.
“I think Columbus has a lot of great food and we started the business because we wanted to really show that off,” she said.
In the summer of 2010, Woolf began offering culinary tours, which typically run three to four hours in length.
“We take people to the places with the most interesting stories or who are doing special things,” she said.
Group tour and private tour options are available for any of the five tours: The German Village Tour, the Alt Eats Food Tour, Short North Food Tour, the Taco Truck Food Tour and the All Food Dessert Tour.
Tickets range from $50 to $60 and include all the food on the tours, transportation and the guides. Two of the tours – German Village and Short North – are walking tours.
German Village Tour
Lined with historic brick homes, the streets of this Columbus neighborhood located just south of downtown are home to some of the city’s most famous restaurants.
Stops on the food tour include Lindey’s, G Michael’s Bistro, Pistacia Vera and Barcelona. Also on the tour is Harvest Pizzeria, known for its gourmet Neapolitan-style pies, and Katzinger’s, a deli featured on the Food Network.
The German Village Tour begins at 2 p.m. on Saturdays from March through December.
Alt Eats Food Tour
The Alt Eats Food Tour takes visitors on a tour of the world by including Somali cuisine, Vietnamese sandwiches, Mexican baked goods, Nigerian food and Southern Indian delicacies.
The tour takes place in ethnic neighborhoods near North Cleveland Avenue, and visitors will travel in a 14-passenger van to each destination.
Tours typically run beginning at 6 p.m. on Fridays.
Short North Food Tour
The Short North is one of Columbus’ most popular neighborhoods. Located just north of downtown, the Short North includes boutiques, an arts district and quaint bars and restaurants.
Woolf says the Short North tour is designed to show off some of these features, beginning with the North Market, a public farmers’ market that operates year-round. The tour includes a history of the building and allows tour goers to meet some of the market’s local food vendors.
The tour also includes another five to six stops, including Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, which has been featured on the Food Network.
The tour is a walking tour, and kicks off at 11 a.m. – just in time for lunch.
Taco Truck Food Tour
Scattered throughout the west side of Columbus are some of the city’s best Mexican dishes served in taco trucks.
Tour goers will board a passenger van and travel to five of the most popular trucks. Each stop includes a tasting of each individual truck’s specialty.
The most popular tour Columbus Food Adventures offers, the Taco Truck Food Tour also gives visitors insight into how to order at a taco truck, meat choices and the history of some of the different dishes.
This tour runs from April to the end of October.
All Dessert Food Tour
A popular choice among sweet lovers, the All Dessert Food Tour visits some of Columbus’ best sweet spots.
The tour begins at Pistacia Vera in German Village and includes Sugardaddy’s in downtown Columbus where tour goers will sample the store’s famous brownies. The tour also includes a stop for artisan roasted coffee at Café Brioso, baked goods at Pattycake bakery in Clintonville and a frozen treat at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.
Mixologist Cris Dehlavi will create dessert cocktails for the final stop at M Restaurant. There also will be non-alcoholic drink options for those who are not of age or do not want to consume alcohol.
The tour begins at 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
Woolf said Columbus Food Adventures also can arrange a special gluten dessert tour for groups of eight or more.
To order tickets for any of these tours, call 1-800-838-3006 or go to columbusfoodadventures.com.
By Christine Bryant
