Berkeley Food & Counter Culture Tour
- 2h 30m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
This walking tour reveals Berkeley as the unsung powerhouse of American food and modern politics. We begin in the North Shattuck neighborhood (formerly the Gourmet Ghetto), where culinary revolutions happened simultaneously. You'll discover how Alfred Peet birthed specialty coffee, the Cheese Board Collective popularized the French baguette, and Alice Waters pioneered farm-to-table dining at Chez Panisse. The tour features five distinct food stops, including the Cheese Board’s cult-favorite vegetarian pizza and Gregoire's famous potato puffs. Next, we explore the UC Berkeley campus, passing through the world’s densest grove of Tasmanian Blue Gum Eucalyptus. We'll admire the towering Campanile and architecture. We'll stand by the Mario Savio Steps and learn how this became the epicenter of the 1964 Free Speech Movement. Finally, we head down Telegraph Avenue and grab a sweet treat as we walk by Rasputin & Amoeba Records before concluding at People's Park, a famous protest site.
Inclusions
What's included
- 4-5 food stops
What's not
- Alcoholic beverages are available for you to purchase on your own if you choose
- Parking
- Gratuities
Itinerary
Berkeley gets overshadowed by its bigger neighbors, but a lot of what people love about American food and a fair chunk of modern political life started right here.
Founded in 1868, it’s the flagship campus of the University of California system. It has a reputation for being intellectually intense, innovative, diverse, and highly competitive — often described as having “Ivy League-level academics with public school energy.”
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.3
- 53
- 40
- 30
- 21
- 10
Ratings come from 4 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please meet your guide outside Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen: 1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 12 travellers
- Operated by
- igniTours
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
How it compares in Oakland
- Its from-price is 80% below the median of the 81 experiences we list in Oakland.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 20 of 81.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Oakland
Oakland is a diverse city on the east side of San Francisco Bay, with a lakeside park, an Art Deco downtown, waterfront squares and redwood hills.
Oakland lies across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco, a port city of hills, neighbourhoods and waterfront. Lake Merritt, a tidal lagoon in the middle of the city, is ringed by a path and gardens, and Jack London Square, on the estuary, recalls the writer who spent his youth on these shores. The Paramount Theatre is an Art Deco landmark in the downtown, and the modern Cathedral of Christ the Light stands beside Lake Merritt.
Top-ranked sights in Oakland: USS Hornet (USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum).
