The tour of a lifetime is here! The Murder Mystery Cocktail Tour merges a progressive dinner, craft cocktails, history & intrigue and brings an actual unsolved murder to life. There are no actors, no costumes and definitely no bologna! This tour takes you to some of the best kept vintage restaurants & culinary gems where we pair a decadent meal and mind-altering drinks with some of the darkest stories of old New Haven.
New Haven, 1880s: The scene of a murder. A fisherman finds a young woman’s clothed body floating lifeless in the constant ebb of the summer tide, a life taken too soon, but as evidence reveals, a life taken by force. Her plight from a frolicking dame enjoying the revelries of youth to the twisted thoughts of the person who cast her earthly twinkle into the great abyss, detectives begin a wide search for a vicious murderer . But the prime suspects hide behind lie after lie, witnesses go missing and a team of high profile lawyers and powerful businessmen push the case and the people around it to the edge. In a series of twists, this Victorian murder proves to be one of the longest and most infamous mysteries in New Haven history. But we may uncover the truth, if we put our minds together!
The culinary trial starts with a selection of charcuterie & cheese along with a palette cleansing Aperol Spritz at the chic 9 Squared inside the new Cambria Hotel. Deliberations continue at the storied Old Heidelberg in the Graduate Hotel where we examine German style brats and Bavarian pretzels filtered with an Old Fashioned for the ages. Our next culinary crime scene takes us to the legendary barroom at Ordinary where we investigate a succulent grilled cheese, skillet seared cheeseburgers & a masterfully crafted cocktail. The final verdict shall be read out loud at the Anchor Spa with popcorn, pumpkin cheesecake & the rum based drink Yale Beets Harvard drink, because there’s always a winner and a loser in a murder trial!
-tours are rain or shine, last 4-5 hours & are a mile walk total
-includes a progressive meal & 4 cocktails
-historical narratives & characters are based on real events
-incomparable to other murder mystery events (due to mysterious circumstances)
-led by Taste of New Haven founder, historian & author Colin M. Caplan
Pasta lovers unite on our Pasta Tour in the heart of New Haven’s Little Italy along Wooster Street! This indulgent walk takes guests to some of the best spots for pasta paired with wine and sweets to help it all go down smoothly. One of the best known Italian foods, pasta comes in myriad shapes and with a variety of sauces, and is best enjoyed with others!
The tour starts us at a fan favorite with Zeneli Pizzeria e Cucina Napoletana for the simple but savory Cacio e Pepe spaghetti paired with a smooth Campanian red wine. We then cross the road to Pasta Eataliana for the famous Paccheri alla Siciliana paired with a robust Tuscan red wine. To please your palate we visit the state’s oldest pastry shop, Libby’s, for some fresh Gelato and an espresso, followed by a walk around the block to digest and make more room. We finish our pasta adventure at the historic Consiglio’s Restaurant for delectable Cavatelli with marinara, home made Limoncello liquor and top it off with a slice of succulent Tiramisu! And at that we say “Basta!”
-Tour lasts about 4 hours and is rain or shine
-We walk about a quarter of a mile total
-Come hungry since we will serve a plenty of pasta and accompanying food
Join New Haven’s longest running and most acclaimed pizza learning & making experience with 5th generation pizzaiolo Jimmy Ormrod of Zuppardi’s Apizza & pizza guru, author & tour guide Colin M. Caplan. This 3 hour pizza class will give the novice to the advanced home pizza maker a hands-on, up close experience where we learn the steps from dough production, forming & stretching to pie decorating, baking & slicing. Each participant will be able to watch, learn & try the techniques used to make New Haven style apizza from one of the most established & renowned pizza families in the country.
-classes are in person & limited to create intimate learning experience
-dress casually since you will be working with ingredients
-includes a meal with a variety of pizza & beverages
-appropriate for ages 13 and up
-take home your own rolled dough balls & baked pizzas
Take an epic pizza journey deep within one of New Haven’s major pizza neighborhoods as we venture to some of the best pizzerias and indulge in their award winning pies. This expert led walking tour brings us to one of the oldest pizzerias in the country, as well as some more recent standouts in East Rock and Jocelyn Square.
Our journey starts at Michelina’s Apizza for their wood fired pizza including a mozzarella pie, a classic white clam pie and a cauliflower crust bacon & onion pie, as well as a local craft beer. Next we head over to the legendary Modern Apizza for their brick-oven, oil-fired apizza including a plain tomato pie, a mozzarella pie and their famous meat-lovers Italian bomb pie, along with local craft beer. We finish our tour with the wood-fired Next Door for their charred offering of a plain tomato pie, a mozzarella pie and a mashed potato, bacon & caramelized onion pie, along with a local craft brew.
-tour lasts 3.5 hours and is rain or shine
-we walk about a half mile total
-soft drinks are offered at each stop
-please consider bringing cash for your tour guide ($15-$20 per person is customary)
Pizza people will love finding some of the most amazing variety of pizza in Downtown New Haven! This tour takes you to some of the best central spots featuring long-standing pizzerias as we stroll through historic Yale University and its Gothic campus. This epic journey features nine different slices and a beverage at three stops, as well as a about a mile walk total.
The tour starts at the high Pizza at the Brick Oven featuring their wood-fired thin crust a mozzarella pie, margherita pie & white pie with shrimp & garlic, topped with a beer. Next we hit the road and walk to the always popping brick oven BAR where sample their super thin mozzarella pie, plain tomato pie with garlic & their famous mashed potato bacon pie along with some tastes of their house craft brewed beer! We finish with a nice walk and prepare our stomachs for the last stop at the legendary Yorkside Pizza for a Greek style mozzarella pie, a gyro, feta, tomato & onion pie & a feta, tomato & zucchini pie, as well as a beer or glass of wine.
-soft drinks are offered at each stop
-bring some extra cash to tip your tour guide ($15-$20 per person is customary)
-we walk about 1 mile total
-tour is rain or shine so please dress appropriately
The side dish takes the main stage on this epic epicurean adventure through Downtown New Haven. Fries Around Town focuses on the delicacy known as French Fries, Frites, Chips, Spuds and more. We visit four highly rated & diverse restaurants who happen to produce amazing fries which, incidentally, pair very well with beer!
We start with a taste of Ireland at The Trinity Bar for freshly fried fish & chips as well as a proper pour of Guinness. After this fill we amble through historic Downtown & Yale to the colorful Indian flare of Sherkaan for savory and crispy okra fries & Taj Mahal beer. Next we dive over to Three Sheets for superb Belgian style frites, pickle fries & a local brew. Our final stop takes us to the renowned & sophisticated Union League Cafe to sample the truest French fries paired with, you guessed it, a delightful Belgian beer (alternative last stop is Atelier Florian for Belgian frites & a beer, wine or cocktail)!
-1.5 mile walk through Downtown New Haven
-can easily accommodate gluten free & vegan diets
-convenient parking
-all food & drink tastes included in tour cost
-tour guide gratuity appreciated!
Westville is one of New Haven’s most artsy neighborhoods and is also host some amazing tastes and history. It’s also where founder Colin M. Caplan started the whole Taste of New Haven culinary walking tour business way back in 2011. This tasty forage brings guests to new and old restaurants in one of the most creative and diverse neighborhoods in New Haven. We’ll start strong with the new version of the old Delaney’s Tap Room for their famous and delicious chicken tenders with Buffalo and honey bbq sauces, a salad and a New England Brewing Co. Sea Hag IPA, followed by some baklava from their neighbor Pistachio, then dive into Poke Ole for Hawaiian poke bowls and a boba tea taste. Next we flock to Manjares for a taste of Dominican and French pastries paired with mimosas, then head to Rawa for a pita based leek pizza & half a dozen Middle Eastern dips and fire roasted fresh pita bread paired with Lebanese red wine. The tour concludes at the lively Camacho Garage for authentic Mexican tacos and margaritas and perhaps a cheer with famous chef Arturo Franco Camacho! Your Westville Tour will change your world!
Pizza lovers and beer buffs will love this history-laden walking tour featuring 12 pizzas from some of the top-rated pizzerias in the country. Get your walking shoes on and don’t bother eating breakfast! One of the only US pizza tour outside of New York, Boston or Chicago, we skip the lines and bring the pizza and pints rolling! On this 6-Hour Pizza Lovers Tour we start at the legendary Sally’s Apizza for a plain tomato & garlic pie, mozzarella pie & a mozzarella, potato, onion rosemary pie. After a healthy walk through Wooster Square, the historic Green & Downtown we head to the popping brew pub & pizzeria BAR for a tomato & garlic pie, mozzarella pie & their famous mashed potato bacon pie. Next we amble under the elms and ivy of Yale University to hit the rockstar place Modern Apizza on State Street for tomato & garlic pie, mozzarella pie & the decadent Italian Bomb pie. Our last leg is a stroll back over to Wooster Street for the oldest and most famous at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana for a tomato & garlic pie, a mozzarella pie & the original white clam pie. At the end we take a tally where you get to be judge of your favorite pizza!
-All food and drink tastings are included in the ticket price.
-Guest get special access to reserved seating, behind the scenes kitchen & oven viewing.
-We walk about 4 miles total, rain or shine.
-Tour guide gratuity is not included in the ticket price ($20-$25 per person is customary)
-Tour may last longer depending on restaurant timing so please plan accordingly.
This amazing forage into the world of pizza in the heart of New Haven’s Little Italy on Wooster Street takes you to some of the top-rated pizzerias in the country. We focus on pizza, history and pizza (did we mention that?) with a little stroll, and some beer and wine. The 3-3.5 hour tour visits the iconic Sally’s Apizza from 1938 including a plain tomato pie with garlic, mozzarella pie & white potato pie paired with their own Sally’s Apilz beer. After a digestive and historic walk we enter the welcoming Zeneli Pizzeria for their Neapolitan pizza including a pizza marinara & pizza margherita along with Italian beer or wine. We scooch over to GIOIA Market for a Sicilian style Margherita & a Potato pizza where we get a chance to purchase Italian specialty products. Finally, we head back to New Haven style apizza at historic Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana from 1925 for a plain tomato pie with garlic, mozzarella pie & white clam pie along with some Genesee lager. All-in-all you will try 10 different pizzas, have options for wine, beer and soda, and then get to vote on your favorite pizza of the day!
-tour is rain or shine, lasts 3-3.5 hours and about 1/4 mile of walking
-guests will be sitting inside in two stops but there are two standing stops with limited or no seating
-there are no gluten-free pizza options on this tour
-please consider bringing some cash to tip your guide ($15-$20 per person is customary)!
-parking is free on Wooster Street or in a pizzeria parking lot
Our Taco Tour is packed full of Downtown New Haven’s tastiest tacos! This traditional Mexican snack has reached the top of the food pyramid for many and we are going to town to find the best. To wash it down we pair these savory treats with refreshing margaritas. To accomplish all this we visit an array of restaurants that serve these corn or flour tortilla wraps and sweet and sour cocktails to perfection.
Our tour starts at the Argentine spot Viñas Tapas for a birria and chicken tacos plus a house specialty margarita. Next we head to the authentic taqueria Tacos Los Gordos for a freshly made taco, from the Mexican ground corn down to the masa tortilla, your choice of an al pastor or nopal taco. Then we head to the legendary Geronimo Tequila Bar for a carnitas and vegetable soft corn tacos and a choice of a cucumber or spicy margarita. We finish our journey at Pacifico for a strip steak soft corn taco and a zesty mango margarita. Your stomach will be eternally happy achieving this level of taco heaven!
-Tour is 4 hours long and about a mile of walking
-Guests who consume alcohol must be 21 and over with a valid ID
-Margaritas can be made with no alcohol on request
-We may not be able to accommodate some dietary restrictions due to our strict taco regiment
-Tour guide gratuity is greatly appreciated ($15-$20 per person is customary)
