18 Best Food Tours in London – Chocolate, Cheese, Curry, Cocktails, Markets + More

If you’re going to be spending time in London, then you need to taste and smell London as well as seeing the sights, hearing the sounds and touching the historic buildings. 

The UK has, in the past, had a reputation for poor food, but things have moved on so far since the many choices were simple dishes based on the meat and two veg principle. London is a multicultural melting pot, and the range of cuisine you can now sample in the city reflects this perfectly. 

Whether you prefer cheese to sweets, drinks to desserts, English-style fish and chips, or a spicy Indian curry, there are fabulous food and drinks to be enjoyed all over the British capital. 

This post details 18 of the best food tours in London. Whether you want to find a London secret food tour, see one of the world’s best markets for yourself or sample cheese, gin, chocolate, doughnuts or cocktails, this guide includes all the top London tours for committed or even casual foodies. 

Read on to discover the true flavour of the UK food and drink scene. Some of the best food tours in the world are to be found in London, so here’s a great selection of the top options. 

18 of the best food tours in London

Brunch Borough Market tour

• Duration: 2.5 hours

• Destination: Borough Market

• Meeting time: 10:30

• Meeting point: The Needle Sculpture 

• What’s included: Small group tour, samples, brunch & drinks

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

This semi-private tour has a maximum group size of six, so you’re assured of personal attention throughout. Taking in the famous Borough Market – which is a firm feature of the foodie scene as well as starring in many films – you’ll emerge well-fed as well as educated about British food.

Dishes and morsels you’ll try along the way include a traditional English breakfast, fish and chips (the national dish), British cheeses and the city’s finest sausage rolls. You’ll also discover the history, and see why London now plays such an important role in the global food and drink scene. 

You can also book this tour as a private experience here.

London gin sampling experience

• Duration: 2.5 hours

• Destination: Covent Garden

• Meeting time: 16:00

• Meeting point: Trafalgar Square

• What’s included: Small group tour, 4 gin samples

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

It’s all about gin for many Britons right now and even in supermarkets and local pubs there’s an astonishing array of brands and flavours available. The tour introduces you to the UK’s gin scene while showing off the fine pubs of the Covent Garden area. 

You’ll explore centuries of the history of this part of London as well as the development of the popular, juniper-based spirit. By the end of the tour, you’ll also be pro at pairing gin with tonic, plus which garnish to use for which drink. 

You can also book this tour as a private experience here.

Evening food tour of Soho

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: Soho

• Meeting time: 18:00

• Meeting point: Hippodrome Casino

• What’s included: Small group tour, 5-course meal + wine & beer

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

This tour takes you through the vibrant Soho district in the heart of London. During the evening you’ll visit over five locations to taste foods from all over the world. Your group of six or less will be led by an expert guide.

Typical dishes you can sample include British favourites like fish and chips and bangers and mash (sausages with mashed potato), plus more exotic foods like Indian curry or Chinese dumplings.  

You can also book this tour as a private experience here.

Historic London pubs walking tour

• Duration: 3.5 hours

• Destination: 4 traditional London pubs

• Meeting time: 18:00

• Meeting point: St Paul’s underground station

• What’s included: Small group walking tour

• What’s not included: Food & drinks

Follow in the footsteps of famous authors like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare by taking this London walking tour. Starting out in the city’s historic heart, you’ll end up close to the Strand. 

The walk is two miles long and you’ll visit four historic London pubs, which are the ideal places to sample British brews. The oldest pub visited dates back to the mid-16th century.  

Secret British food tour of London

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: Borough Market & other locations

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Evans Cycles, near London Bridge station

• What’s included: Guided tour, British food & drinks

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

If you’d like to see and sample all the foodie highlights the UK has to offer, then book this ‘secret’ food tour. The first port of call is Borough Market, and you’ll also visit a historic pub, London Bridge, Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast.

Culinary delights to taste as you wander include Cumberland sausage, English fudge, British cheeses, London beers, desserts like sticky toffee pudding and English tea. A secret dish will also be revealed – and sampled – by the end of the tour. 

Cheese tasting walking tour

• Duration: 2 hours

• Destination: Fortnum & Mason, Little Italy, Covent Garden

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Statue of Goddess Diana, Mayfair

• What’s included: Guided tour, British & Italian cheeses, prosecco

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

If you have something of a sweet tooth then this is the tour for you! You’ll visit upmarket food retailer Fortnum and Mason, a London institution. This store has been selling cheese for three centuries and even supplies the Royal households. 

Little Italy is a lesser-known destination and here you can sample cheese served with Italian sparkling wine. After learning all about cheese, your tour will end in Covent Garden.  

Secret Indian food tour

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: Brick Lane

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Whitechapel Art Gallery

• What’s included: Guided tour, a range of Indian foods, wine or beer

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

Indian food is a firm British favourite and many a night out isn’t seen as complete without a visit to an Indian restaurant or ‘curry house’. There are streets lined with Indian eateries in various British cities, and London’s best can be found in the East End.

While touring the restaurants of Brick Lane you’ll sample the likes of spicy, hot or sour curries, fluffy naan bread, crispy pakoras and meats from the Tandoori oven. Soft drinks, wine or Indian beers are supplied to wash it all down with. You can also try Indian sweets and a secret dish that will only be revealed on the day. 

East End food and drinks tour

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: East End

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Shoreditch High Street underground station

• What’s included: Guided tour, 4 foods & 4 drinks

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

This food tour also takes place in the East End but this time it’s focused on British fare. Try Scotch eggs, fish and chips, an English pie and some sweet treats. You can also sample 4 different drinks.

The tour doubles up as a trip around some traditional London pubs, and you’ll visit five of the East End’s best during the tour. 

South Bank & Borough Market tour

• Duration: 2.5 hours

• Destination: South Bank & Borough Market

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Southwark underground station

• What’s included: Guided tour, British food & drinks

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

The South Bank and Borough Market are some of London’s foodie hotspots and this tour takes in them both. Setting out from Southwark, you’ll see Shakespeare’s Globe, the RIver Thames and the ancient Anchor pub before reaching the famous food market. 

Baked goods like scones and pies plus local beers can all be sampled during this tour. During the two-and-a-half hours you’ll stop at some traditional British pubs too.

Downtown doughnut walking tour

• Duration: 2 hours

• Destination: Borough High Street & Tower Bridge areas

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: St. John Bakery near Borough underground station

• What’s included: Guided tour, curated doughnut tasting

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

They’re not donuts in the UK – they’re doughnuts. Whatever you call them, this tour allows you to sample all sorts, including freshly made and glazed or chocolate sweet treats.

The tour allows you to see the area around the famous Borough food market, plus the jaw-dropping Tower Bridge. 

The Full English private food tour

• Duration: 4 hours

• Destination: Borough Market and Thames areas

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Flexible

• What’s included: Private guided tour, British food & drinks

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

The ‘Full English’ private tour lets you experience it all in four hours. During this time you’ll sample all sorts of British foods and drinks, including the likes of fudge, sausage, cheese, Scotch egg, carrot cake and craft beer.

As this is a private tour it can be tailored to your preferences and the meeting point is also flexible. 

10 tastings with locals private tour

• Duration: 2.5 hours

• Destination: London Bridge & Southwark Cathedral areas

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: The Spike at London Bridge Walk

• What’s included: Private guided tour, 10 food & drink tastings

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

Experience foodie London as the locals do with this exclusive, private tour. Your two-and-a-half-hour culinary journey of discovery includes ten tastings with local people.

This one’s not only about traditional British foods like pies or drinks like George ale, it’s about discovering local culture and history too. You’ll explore the areas around Southwark Cathedral and London Bridge during the tour to gain a real insight into London life. 

London Gin Palace & Distillery tour

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: London Bridge & Southwark Cathedral areas

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Leicester Square Underground Station

• What’s included: Guided tour, 4 gins at 4 Gin Palaces

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

If you love gin then you cannot miss this tour! You can sample four different gins, and also visit the City of London Gin Distillery. A London historian will also explain all you’re seeing and tasting as you go.

VIP chocolate tour of London

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: Mayfair area

• Meeting time: Varies

• Meeting point: Green Park Underground Station

• What’s included: Guided tour, 7+ tastings, 10% chocolate discount 

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

Live the high life while taking a chocoholic’s tour of upmarket Mayfair. Perhaps best of all is the fact that your guide will explain the health benefits of the brown stuff as you go!

Some of the world’s best artisan chocolatiers are based here and you can taste their gold award-winning truffles and other concoctions. Two of these even supply the Royal family with their sweet treats. 

Soho food & cocktail tour by twilight

• Duration: 3 hours

• Destination: Soho

• Meeting time: 17:15

• Meeting point: The Spice of Life, Moor Street

• What’s included: Guided tour, 9+ tastings, 5 locations 

• What’s not included: Extra purchases

Take a Soho food tour by twilight and see one of London’s most lively nightlife areas. You’ll also get to try nine different foods at five locations in the beating heart of this vibrant city.

By the end, you’ll know all the best places to eat – or party – in Soho. Secret little cafes and restaurants are visited, so you can try everything from Chinese dumplings to Spanish-cured meats. 

Taste of Britain foodie cruises

Taking a boat tour of London is a very popular way to see the city, and there are plenty of foodie cruises to choose from in the UK capital.

Pick a lunch or dinner cruise or an afternoon tea trip, or enjoy cocktails and canapes during an evening cruise while seeing the city from the water at the same time.  

Which food tours in London will you take? 

So what will it be? Whether you opt to sail along the Thames while sampling afternoon tea, take a walking tour of traditional pubs to sample national dishes or explore Borough Market under expert guidance, there are plenty of ways to taste London during your visit.

Our top tip? Ask your expert foodie guide for their favourite, little-known restaurant, deli or market stall, so you can perhaps return to that later. The British food scene only continues to improve at an incredible pace, so who knows what secret culinary delights will await by the time you arrive in the UK. 

Read next

• London foods – 23 foods to sample in London
• Where to eat in London – Find out our top picks
• 22 Best Afternoon Teas in London – So many to choose from!