Arizona Food Tours: Eating Your Way Through Old Town Scottsdale in a Fun, Flavor-Packed Adventure
- Keller Keller
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Story by Christene Meyers
Photos by Bruce Keller
"The Carpe Diem Kids"
If you believe the best way to understand a destination is through its food, then Scottsdale, Arizona, is about to become one of your favorite cities and Arizona Food Tours is your golden ticket.
This isn’t just a walking tour with a few bites tossed in. It’s a deep dive into local flavor, history, and personality, served one delicious plate at a time.
Scottsdale may be famous for its luxury resorts, desert sunsets, and art scene, but there’s a culinary heartbeat here that often surprises first-time visitors.
Arizona Food Tours captures that energy and translates it into an experience that’s equal parts tasty, educational, and wildly fun.
Think of it as a progressive dinner with an engaging storyteller, a local insider, and a passionate foodie all rolled into one.
A Local Company with a Big Appetite for Storytelling
Arizona Food Tours was created with an ambitious and powerful idea: support local enterprises, celebrate culture, and eat well while doing it.
The company focuses on independently owned restaurants, local chefs, and neighborhood gems that you might otherwise walk right past. This isn’t about chains or trendy-for-five-minutes spot it’s about food with roots, heart, and fun stories. The Mission, for example, is elegant and bold, full of memorable touches and fine Latin inspired fare. Each stop has unique and memorable qualities in this well designed tour.
From the moment the tour begins, you realize this is not a scripted, cookie-cutter experience. Guides are knowledgeable, personable, and enthusiastic about Scottsdale’s food scene. They don’t just tell you what you’re eating, they explain why it matters.
You’ll hear about family-owned kitchens, immigrant influences, desert ingredients, and how Scottsdale’s culinary identity has evolved far beyond its cowboy-and-steakhouse stereotype.
Old Town Scottsdale: Where History Meets the Plate
Many Arizona Food Tours take place in Old Town Scottsdale, a charming blend of new and old with a distinctive western flourish. It was our choice on a recent visit.
We walked the charming gallery area, admiring art shops and boutiques -- and an impressive concentration of great restaurants.
Our stroll between stops passed historic buildings and sculpture, including a bronze of Scottsdale founder Winfield Scott and his wife, Helen. We stopped to study public art, paused in shaded courtyards, learned fascinating tidbits of the history of this 48th state, the last of the mainland to be admitted to the union.
All while working up an appetite for the next course.
Zach kept the pace lively without rushing us. He is proud of Scottsdale's agricultural beginnings (Mr. Scott raised lemon trees, Zach explained.) He also described how Scottsdale attained international fame as a sophisticated dining destination. We learned a lot between bites, without ever feeling we were in a classroom.
The Food: Diverse, Surprising, and Generous
We arrived hungry, with only a sparse cereal and fruit breakfast. So we were happy to have generous portions at our stops. From a hearty mac and cheese to a fabulous taco, huge meatball, a tasty roasted kale salad and terrific ice cream, we were completely satisfied at tour's end.
No mincy “sample bites” to leave us hungry an hour later. Portions are ample, beautifully presented and between walks and talks, create a satisfying meal.
Expect variety. One stop might highlight bold Southwestern flavor -- chilies, spices, and Sonoran flavors-- while another could lean to Mediterranean, modern American, or globally inspired cuisine. Scottsdale’s dining scene is wonderfully diverse, and the tour reflects that.
You may find yourself tasting:
Handcrafted tacos with unexpected and flavorful fillings
Local beers and wines
House-made sauces deserving of marketing on their own.
Comfort food, like our tasty mac and cheese, worthy of note because of the pleasingly rich cheese blend.
Sweet finishes that make you seriously consider dessert-first lifestyles
As part of the registration, we were asked dietary restrictions and one of our group of 10 was very happy with her vegetarian options. Requests are handled with care and Zach even arranged non-alcoholic beer as one of the liquor options for a non-drinker.
Guided food tour Scottsdale: It’s a Social Experience
One of the most delightful surprises of Arizona Food Tours is how social it is. Groups are small enough to feel personal, and by the second stop, conversations are flowing as easily as the drinks.
We met interesting fellow travelers, snowbirds, locals, and food lovers from all walks of life. Sharing a meal dissolves barriers quickly.
By the end of the tour, we had exchanged business cards, swapped recommendations, shared travel stories, and planned to meet up again with a couple we connected with.
Arizona Food Tours is a fantastic introduction for visitors, but locals shouldn’t overlook.
Many Scottsdale residents take the tour and are genuinely surprised by how many restaurants they hadn’t tried or even noticed. I lived in Scottsdale for a decade and learned about new places -- and places I'd passed by without stopping.
Scottsdale Old Town is also a great location for:
Weekend getaways
Girls’ trips
Couples looking for something different
Solo travelers wanting an easy way to connect
Corporate outings or small celebrations
If you’re visiting Scottsdale for the first time, this tour can set the tone for your entire trip. You’ll leave with a mental list of places to revisit, dishes you’re craving again, and a better understanding of the city itself.
Supporting Local Never Tasted So Good
One of the most meaningful aspects of Arizona Food Tours is its commitment to the local community. By choosing this experience, you’re directly supporting small businesses, local chefs, and the creative culinary ecosystem of Scottsdale.
In a travel world increasingly dominated by mass experiences, Arizona Food Tours feels refreshingly personal and purposeful. It reminds you that food isn’t just fuel. It is culture, connection, and memory.
Why Arizona Food Tours Belongs on Your Scottsdale Itinerary
Scottsdale offers plenty of other things to do: spas, hikes, shopping, golf, art walks.
But Arizona Food Tours stands out because it combines many elements into a single experience.
You’re walking, learning, tasting, laughing, and connecting -- all in just a few hours.
You don’t just leave full. You leave informed, inspired, and planning your next meal. If you’re a traveler who loves to eat like a local, hear stories behind the plate and discover a city through its flavors, Arizona Food Tours isn’t optional, it's a must. And consider more than a single tour. The menus and stops are changed up day by day.
MORE INFORMATION or to book: arizonafoodtours.com
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This is just what we've been looking for. We go to spring training each year -- baseball nuts and foodies, too. So this is perfect. Thank you. Great idea.
We are getting the heck out of Dodge and heading to Arizona. Enough of this winter crap. You sold us on the food tour!!
Fun story about a fun place. Booked just now for two couples and our Scottsdale host.