taste carolina gourmet food tours

We took the Hillsboroug tour and it was absolutely worth it! Tourguide Kelly took very good care of us, providing an excellent balance of historical overview, local food, talking and walking. Taste Carolina really means the promise that tour takes place in any weather, so extraordinary icy roads luckily did not stop us. Excellent choice if you are looking for a guided local tour with taste sensations.

I was roped into this food tour by my parents when they came down for a visit. I had never been to Hillsborough before, but it is a beautiful (and historic) part of town that charmed us completely. We plan on returning to several restaurants featured on the tour. It was the highlight of my parent's visit.

We had previously gone on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro tour and had so much fun, we wanted to try another. We took our daughter and her boyfriend this time, and weren't disappointed. Luckily, we had the same terrific guide as before, Susan. A lot less walking was involved on this tour than the other, which was a good thing as it was a bit of a rainy day. We visited:* Saratoga Grill-- some very good coffee, the most delicious scone I've ever had, and some chicken salad-- and also enjoyed talking with the gracious owner about her experiences starting and running a restaurant.* Eno River Farmer's Market where we had some excellent fig chevre and fresh mozzarella from Hillsborough Cheese Co, cookies from Queen of Tarts, and flatbread crackers from Accidental Baker.* Wooden Nickel Pub was the biggest surprise of the day. We tried a beer but Im not really a beerdrinker. But the special that day was goat and tomato stew on a sweet zucchini bread topped with a fried egg. Absolutely one of the most amazing dishes ever.* Matthew's Chocolates where it was great fun learning from the owner about how the chocolate is made and how the molds are used-- the spicy thai peanut bark was excellent and we bought a bag of goodies to take home too!!* At Cup A Joe we also were pleasantly surprised, not by a cup of coffee but by a kind of tea and vanilla milkshake which was delicious, and a tremendously charming proprietor.* Panciuto. Wow. Definitely somewhere we'll come back to for a real dinner. The owner was so passionate in talking about his food and his restaurant-- and it showed in what he prepared for us. We had some homemade pasta with cheese and eggplant, yum, everyone practically licked their plates clean.* Finished up with some Pinot Noir at Hillsborough Wine Co...We also had a bit of a historical walk around a few blocks of town learning about various buildings/homes.Can't wait to try some of the other tours as well-- definitely one of the best ways to spend an afternoon no matter if you're a tourist or a local.

You may think that a food tour in Hillsborough is something to save for when family or friends come into town. Don't wait! This food tour is well worth it. We were amazed at the high quality and wonderful diversity of locally-sourced food in downtown. My wife, daughter and Mother had done a Taste Carolina tour in Chapel Hill/Carrboro and were worried there would be less of interest here, but that worry is unfounded. All the restaurant owners/operators were very friendly and open; they readily shared their pride in their establishments. Our tour included the Saratoga Grill; the (Eno River) Farmer's Market where we were treated to three separate vendors' wares; The Wooden Nickel; Matthrews' Chocolates; Cup of Joe, Panciuto, and Hillsborough Wine Co. (We also got an "off tour" treat of some pizza pie from The Pie Pushers who had their pie truck parked near the Farmer's Market) The tour took a bit over 3 hours and also included some historic sites around downtown.This tour would not interest younger kids. Teens who like the Food Network or other cooking shows will like it, however. This is a relatively new tour, but our guide was knowledgeable and friendly (although being a new tour, she did have to reference her notes from time to time, but that is fine.) Be advised that the tour does involve some stair climbing; not all placed looked like they had handicap access.