Triangle Food Tour Raleigh - Review of Triangle Food Tour Raleigh

Pros

• The Triangle Food Tour will help participants discover new restaurants and explore downtown Raleigh.
• The Triangle Food Tour is a great activity to do with friends, family, out-of-town guests, etc.
• Anyone who enjoys scenic walks and/or trying different foods is likely to enjoy it.

Cons

• Bad weather could make the tour much less enjoyable--a lot of the tour is spent walking outside
• The tour time, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon on Thursdays, may be inconvenient.

Description

• The Triangle Food Tour is a three-hour walking tour of downtown Raleigh's Oakwood, Blount St. Commons and Fayetteville Mall.
• Tour participants get to stop at 10-12 pre-selected restaurants and sample featured menu items.
• The Triangle Food Tour's "rack rate" is $38 per person, but special promotional rates are often in effect.
• Tickets must be purchased in advance.
• Triangle Food Tour participants must be able to walk at a moderate to brisk pace and spend about 3 hours on their feet.
• The tour is designed and intended for adults. Therefore, it is not very child-friendly.
• The tour leaves from Raleigh's Capital City Grocery at 9:00 a.m. sharp on Thursday mornings.

Guide Review - Triangle Food Tour Raleigh - Review of Triangle Food Tour Raleigh

My Triangle Food Tour experience began with me shuffling into Capital City Grocery at 8:45 a.m., looking for the tour group. I hadn't had my morning coffee yet, and lacking any clear direction, I decided to have a seat in one of Capital City Grocery's front porch rocking chairs. Once seated, I was able to spot other lost-looking tour participants and invite them to sit with me.

Then, our tour leader Leigh Eckle arrived and, in the blink of an eye, she transformed us into a purposeful, organized group. We set out briskly, walking past Peace College on the way to our first destination, Krispy Kreme Donuts, where we enjoyed watching the donuts being made in the in-store bakery while we sampled them.

Then, we buzzed around the Blount Street Commons and Fayetteville Mall areas, making stops for coffee (Morning Times Coffee Shop), baked goods (The Square Rabbit) and ham biscuits (Mecca Restaurant). Leigh made sure we all got plenty to eat as she regaled us with stories about Raleigh's history, lore, and local gossip. She also made sure to keep us moving right along, despite our rapidly filling bellies: we had a lot more territory to cover.

We stopped at several other restaurants, including local landmarks Big Ed's City Market Restaurant and Cooper's Barbecue.

By the time the tour was done, I had walked at least a mile, and had eaten a donut, scone, ham biscuit, barbecue, chocolate truffles, fine Asian cuisine, collard greens, banana pudding, a corned beef sandwich, and a tuna-salad sandwich.

As is common in the industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary tour for the purpose of the review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy. All prices and offering mentioned herein are subject to change without notice. 05/08