Have you ever taken a moment to be a tourist in your own hometown? Even after growing up somewhere, spending years of your life, it seems there is still the chance to explore someplace new, learn the history, try new foods, take in the architecture and culture. Last week my brother and I had the chance to take a food tour of Chicago’s Wicker Park and Bucktown areas – thanks to Xperience Days and provided by Chicago Food Planet.

The food tour lasted for three hours and included six different stops and about a two-mile walk through two of Chicago’s culturally-rich neighborhoods. I wasn’t sure what to expect of the food tour – other than an interesting experience – but I have to say I enjoyed the entire thing so much more than I expected to, partly because this ended up being SO MUCH MORE than just a food tour.

Our meeting place and first stop was George’s Hot Dogs – one of the oldest establishments selling Chicago style dogs in the city. It’s been in existence since 1948! Beyond eating an amazing hot dog, we learned the history of the seven toppings (and only seven toppings) that belong on a Chicago dog. Those would be…. Relish, onions, tomatoes, peppers, mustard, pickle and celery seasoning. There is NO ketchup so don’t even think about it.

Next we headed over to Mindy’s Hot Chocolate where, of course, we were treated to hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows! The restaurant serves much more than delicious hot chocolate creations it also specializes in the food-to-table movement with a varying menu throughout the year.

We walked over to Goddess & Grocer, which specializes in gourmet foods and sells a number of local, organic and artisan groceries. We ate a fresh kale salad there while perusing the groceries. The shop is adorable inside and out, and will soon be moving to a large location near its current space.

Pieces pizzeria and brewpub was our next destination. This place serves thin crust pizza, not the traditional deep dish Chicago style pizza, and crafts its own beer. We sampled a very fresh pizza and light beer called Golden Arm. I liked this stop!

To give us a moment to digest all the goodness, we took a tiny scenic tour around the area – exploring the different architectural styles in the neighborhood, learning the history of Wicker Park, and so on. Despite the cold temperatures and the occasional drizzle, it was a really cool to learn the historic ins and out of the area.

Sultan’s Market served up a delicious and super fresh tasting falafel sandwich. I need to head back there for some hummus, because it was seriously tasty. They also sell Middle-Eastern shawarma and babaghanoush.

As if all that food wasn’t enough, we wrapped up the event with dessert – as all good meals should end. We strolled over to iCream – a truly cool local invention. Through the technology of liquid nitrogen (that’s the smoke you see in the picture below!), you can customize and instantly create thousands of different icecream, yogurt or sorbet deliciousness.

Are you hungry yet??? The tour was amazing and filling without being stuffing! Along with all the helpful information the tour guide shared about each stop and the history of the area, we were each given a little booklet containing information about our stops, suggestions for other places to try and a map of the city of Chicago. I’d go again in a heart-beat and am thinking these tours could be the PERFECT Christmas gift for that hard to shop for person on your list. Our group of 6 contained 2 foreigners, 2-middle aged suburbanites and the two of us - so it is perfect for both tourists and locals.

This is a review post. I was provided the opportunity through Xperience Days. All thoughts and opinions are my own.