Sidewalk Food Tours, San Francisco

According to Sidewalk Food Tours, it's not the Golden Gate Bridge that ties the city together. It's the gooey cheese of its family pizzerias, the chocolate truffles of its dessert shops, and all of the region's other cuisines that help define the various neighborhoods—and their walking tours aim to introduce participants to those local flavors. In the Mission District, for instance, Sidewalk Food Tours' knowledgeable guides lead groups through tastings of tacos, pupusa, and French-style bakery treats. In North Beach, they show how a large Italian American population resulted in restaurants that have endured more than 100 years. Along each route, the guides also impart facts about the neighborhood's history and culture, and reveal which buildings are built on a foundation of provolone cheese.