Athens food tour - which to choose?
 

I want to take a food tour while in Athens. I've found several possibilities but am having difficulty deciding which one is best. Does anyone have any personal experience with any of these?

Athens Walks, 4 hours, 50 euros, http://www.athens-walks.com/#!athens-food-tour

Athens Walking Tours, 3:15 hours, 48 euros, http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/Athens-Food-Tour

Context Tours, 3 hours, 70 euros "plus additional costs" (which I assume means you have to pay for the food you try), http://www.contexttravel.com/city/at...tour-of-athens

Culinary Backstreets, 5.5 hours, $135 (not euros), http://www.culinarybackstreets.com/c...-walks/athens/

I think all include the costs for the foods tasted, except I'm not sure about Context Tours, which might be the exception to that.

Are the more expensive tours worth the price, or should I just pick one of the cheaper ones? I'm not opposed to a higher cost tour if it is significantly better than others.

I can only comment on the first one (Athens Walks) & I highly recommend it. You get to see some really interesting places, various tasting opportunities & the chance to purchase things to take home, for yourself, or as presents. As this is outside of the main tourist area you get to see where the locals shop.
I did this a couple of years ago before I moved to Athens & now use some of the places to shop as a resident! I love Evripidou Street & the spices, such a variety & cheap too :)

The owner of the first one, Athens Walks, is a former Evzone (Presidential Guard) and has received awards for the excellence of his tours. Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AthensWalksTours

Helpful information, artsnletters, we will be making our first visit to Athens in October. Bookmarking. Deborah

Yes thanks for the information...we will be making our trip in October as well.

Heimdall, I think this is the award you mean?
https://www.facebook.com/AthensWalks...type=1&theater
Best local operator sort of answers the OP's question I think, great award for the company!

Hi yiassas,
Yes, that's the award I meant. :-)

We had a tour with Eating Athens Food Tour. Although we are local Athenians, after watching Eating Athens Food Tour starred on TV we thought it would be a great adventure for our Saturday morning.
George our host was very knowledgeable passionate and friendly. The food was delicious while the price of 36 euros affordable even for locals. But this was no the core of our experience. The fact that as a group we felt like we were so intimate and friendly was the key that made the whole experience memorable.
It worth's noting that these days eating Athens food tours do run for both locals in Greek and travelers in English.
For more infos Have a look at their page http://www.eatingathens.com/?page_id=1678&lang=en or check some of their reviews.- http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...ns_Attica.html.

I have done the AthensWalkingTour.com twice in 2013 and 2015. I enjoyed it both times. Some of the shops were the same, but there were enough additional ones, that it expanded my knowledge of what to taste in Greece. I have met one of the owners, Despina, and she is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable.
In 2015, they also arranged a free wine tasting as a promotion that had very generous samplings of great Greek wines.
I have not used the other companies and cannot comment on their expertise.

I don't understand your comment on the COntext tours, the page clearly states that it is 75 euro pp or $85 and the additional costs are quoted exactly at the bottom of the page as $17.

Christina, perhaps the web page has changed in the two years since the original post was made.

Our morning touring with the owner of Athens Walks( Costas?) was memorable. It is truly a local tour with a native Athenian. We went to so many special providers as well as the large fish and produce markets. It was a second trip to Athens for us and we wanted to explore the city more. We highly recommend this tour, a highlight. And it was a private tour too.

OP here. I ended up taking the Athens Walks tour. The price is per person based on the size of the group, and the price for a solo person is for a solo tour. So I had the guide (whose name I no longer recall) all to myself. It was a wonderful time. I tried lots of delicious food and bought some olive oil, a huge package of Greek oregano for a ridiculously low price, and a little box of saffron (about the size of a travel packet of kleenex) for a price so low I probably should have bought more for everyone I know who cooks. I think it was about 3 euros.

Christina, I think the web page has changed since when I was researching food tours back in 2014.

Indeed vasiapapadopoulou, we tried Eating Athens food tour during our visit to Athens. The weather was great, George was fun and passionate and the food delicious. We really found the several stops really different and versatile giving us a great perspective of food and markets. Finally the dessert was glorious. A memorable experience both for me and my wife during our honey moon that would definitely recommend.
- For Extra Info www.eatingathens.com

Hmmm......two people who joined Fodor's to make one post recommending the Eating Athens food tour, and helpfully providing links! If I had a suspicious mind I would think it is self-promotion!

Vasiapapadopoulou and nickjonases, I eagerly await future posts from you on other subjects. One-time posters who never return to Fodor's lack credibility.