Meet the first Northwest Philadelphia food and culinary tour since 2011, Chew Philly. With tours led by the lovely Elyse Castillo, these tours aren’t just for tourists. You can discover one of the many cultural gems and neighborhoods Philly has to offer. Perhaps you enjoy sampling delicious ethnic foods in historic neighborhood or want a taste of that perfect tomato pie, dip your tongue into decadent cappuccinos or lick ages old ice cream from the best specialty shops in Philly. The walking tours make you feel like you can eat more while you learn about history and architecture while enjoying a scenic stroll.
Castillo’s family moved back to the Northeast in Manayunk as a great place to raise their family. But Chew Philly Food Tours “aren’t about me – the heros are the many deserving eateries featured as our tasting locations,” she said. “I’m proud to say that I was chosen as Philadelphia Family Magazine’s Community Builder of 2017, which was truly an honor. In our 6th season of operation, many of the owners and restaurateurs on our tour have become friends of mine, and I feel well integrated into the threads of the Manayunk & Chestnut Hill districts of Philadelphia. Living AND working in your community makes it feel like home, and I feel very fortunate to have found this with Chew Philly.”
Chew Philly is in its 6th year of operations and have led over 13,000 participants on our food tours with over 400 positive reviews on TripAdvisor, from locals as well as visitors from around the world. They also donate a percentage of all sales to The Food Trust, a Philadelphia non-profit that works to ensure availability of healthy foods for all in our city. And, if you don’t enjoy your tour – we’ll buy you another. Learn more about our tours here, or sign up for our email list on the home page to instantly receive an exclusive subscriber discount. Just to be sure, we went on our own food tour in Chestnut Hill to explore for you!
We begin our Chew Philly Food Tour with some words of advice.First stop, McNally’s for a Philly favorite.A typical Irish style pub in Chestnut Hill without the boring bar fare.Just so we knew what we were getting into…And there it is in all it’s glory the Schmitter tasting as good as it looks.Always a delicious sight for sore eyes, a cheese list.This darling little Chestnut Hill cheese shop has everything you could want.Just looking down the street in Chestnut Hill is lovely.We get prepped before entering the cheese shop and enjoy some humor on the sidewalk sign.All the cheese, please!Goat cheese paired with wine samples was divine.Truffle cheese was a close runner up with red wine.Blue cheese is just too strong for my tastebuds.The cheese blocks and their paired wine.Olive oil and vinaigrette awaits below in the shade.A Taste of Olive and more for sure up ahead.The store itself is adorable and makes for great gifts.Delicious olive oil straight from Italy is available to taste and purchase.Some of the many flavors.Iron Hill Brewery was up next for what else… some beer!We tried an award winning brownie with the wheat beer and IPA, always a classic.During the walking tour, a picturesque church caught my eye.The park in Mt. Airy is lovely and picnic perfect.One of the best bakeries in Philadelphia is Bredenbeck’s.One of the cleverly decorated Philly cakes at Bredenbecks with all the icing is my kind of cake.Or go with a traditional wedding cake.Some Phillie’s ice cream with graham cracker crunch on pound cake and whipped cream hit the spot in the heat.
