The Five Best Food Tours in Portland

Tourists come to Portland with high expectations. The City of Roses is known worldwide for the breadth of its culture. The city is known for its rich musical history, for its eco-friendly environment, advanced public transit system and its wealth of world class art galleries. With all this – a weird and wonderful mix of history and hipness, of youth culture and a responsible sense of community – what's the very best way to immerse yourself in the city on a fleeting visit? A good, well-rounded food tour should do the trick. As a visitor or a newcomer to the city, a food tour is the perfect way to get the lay of the land, experiencing the sights and sounds of Portland with the backdrop of a taste adventure. The Portland food scene is so diverse that a huge number of food tours have cropped up to meet demand. So which food tour will suit your preferences – or palate – best? We've rounded up 5 of Portland's best food tours to make your choice a bit easier.

Three hours of food and culture with Forktown Food Tours

Photo via their official FB page.

Forktown Food Tours offer three standard tours whose itineraries vary depending on the season, but whichever tour you take you'll be guaranteed the chance to sample diverse cuisine. Choose the area of the city you want to explore – there's a downtown tour, an Alphabet district tour and a North Mississippi tour – and prepare for a thorough illumination of the district's gourmet culture. Over just a mile you'll sample a bit of almost everything – from the sweet to the savory, from scrupulously local delicacies to international fusion – and you'll learn plenty from the proprietors and chefs along the way.

Portland Food Cart Tours prove that al fresco dining is an art form

Photo by Zolk/Flickr.

Food carts are a significant part of Portland's culinary tapestry, with around 600 throughout the city, and the tour guide at Portland Food Carts is a connoisseur with local expertise. While many foodies might still approach food carts with caution, in Portland the trucks are typically local businesses with locally sourced, quality food and passionate chefs. The cuisine on offer is well worth trying and Portland Food Cart Tours is dedicated to filling a niche that many other food tours overlook. One of the cheaper tours at under $40, for your money you'll get to sample the food and learn lots from an approachable, compelling local expert.

Pedal your way into the heart of Portland with Pedal Bike Tours

Photo via their official FB page.

Portland is lauded for its fantastic cycle-friendly infrastructure and Pedal Bike Tours maximize on this. This tour company offers a rich and diverse variety of cycling tours, like downtown sightseeing tours and coastal tours. The guides are passionate locals who demonstrably love their city, but their interests lie beyond the spectrum of food, so their food cart tour isn't quite as comprehensive as the Portland Food Cart Tours. However, it has the added bonus of allowing visitors and newbies to the city the chance to try first-hand the unique experience of cycling in a city that loves bikes. So for enthusiastic cyclists who want to actively experience the great outdoors and sample authentic Portland street food, this is an ideal choice.

A unique way to drink and drive with Portland's Brewcycle

Photo via their official FB page.

A exceptionally sociable tour, this one involves hopping on an eight- to twelve-person bicycle-type vehicle (think about a tandem bike for your whole family and then some) and making your way around some of downtown Portland's best bars with fellow beer-lovers. Part convivial pub crawl with guaranteed happy hour prices at each stop, and part sightseeing and beer-tasting experience, this is a great way to pass a sunny afternoon. While you won't finish up particularly enlightened on Portland's gourmet scene, you will get the chance to enjoy some locally brewed craft beer in smaller pubs that might otherwise have flown under the radar.

The Epicurean Food Tour is a contemporary gastronomy experience

Photo via their official FB page.

This tour has garnered a reputation as a comprehensive, exciting look at the gastronomic scene of Portland. Tours are hosted by fellow gourmandes with intimate insider knowledge of the city's culinary history and trends – expect to be exposed to local produce, innovative artisanal vendors and some great drinks. The tour changes regularly to accommodate the city's ever-evolving food scene and new must-try spots. You can choose a morning or afternoon tour but pick carefully, as they're both very different.