One challenge of visiting a sprawling food market is having more things you want to eat than time to figure out where to start. That is especially true somewhere like Seattle’s Pike Place Market, where hundreds of vendors, restaurants and food stalls are packed into a relatively small part of downtown.
Tripadvisor’s pick for the best food tour in America offers one way through it.. The Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market ranked No. 1 in Tripadvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best awards, ahead of food tours in New Orleans, Charleston, New York City and Boston.
Tripadvisor’s 2026 rankings put a chef-guided Pike Place Market tour at No. 1,
(Stephanie Gravalese)
The annual rankings are based on the quality and quantity of Tripadvisor reviews and ratings collected between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, along with an editorial review process. Tripadvisor says Best of the Best winners rank among the top 1% of listings on the platform.
Pike Place Market experience takes the top spot
The Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market is No. 1-ranked experience is a chef-guided food tour of the market, giving visitors a way to explore that food culture with someone who can provide context along the way.
(Stephanie Gravalese)
Pike Place Market is already one of Seattle’s most recognizable food destinations, with fishmongers, bakeries, produce stalls, specialty food shops and restaurants packed into and around the historic market.
Over the course of two hours, guests sample food from nine Pike Place businesses while a Seattle chef leads the way through the market. The lineup isn’t fixed, with guides choosing from a larger group of participating vendors depending on the day. That means the experience can range from well-known stops like Beecher’s and Pike Place Chowder to smaller shops visitors might otherwise pass by, with the chef adding context about the ingredients, vendors and how they personally navigate the market.
I was at Pike Place recently, and even without taking the tour, it’s easy to see why the market lends itself to this kind of experience. Opened in 1907 and one of the country’s oldest continuously operating public markets, Pike Place’s historic significance is almost overshadowed by how much it packs in.
More than 200 vendors sell everything from seafood and produce to prepared foods, flowers and gifts, serving both Seattle locals and the visitors who stream through the market each day.
That also makes it easier to see why a chef-guided tour has found an audience. Pike Place can be a lot to navigate on a busy day, especially for travelers with limited time. Having a chef cut through some of that abundance and guide visitors toward a handful of tastes offers a way to experience what the market does best without trying to figure out the whole place at once.
Seattle has two food tours in the top 10
Pike Place isn’t Seattle’s only appearance on Tripadvisor’s list. Seattle’s Sweetest Food Tour, focused on donuts, beignets and other sweets, ranks No. 9, making Seattle one of the few cities with multiple experiences in the national top 10.
The rest of the ranking spans some of the country’s best-known food destinations, including New Orleans, Charleston, New York City, Chicago, San Diego, Nashville and Las Vegas.
GummyBone via Getty Images
Over two hours, guests sample food from nine Pike Place businesses while a Seattle chef guides them through the market. Stops vary by day, mixing familiar names with smaller vendors and giving visitors a more focused way to experience the market.
The 10 best food tours in America, according to Tripadvisor
Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market (Seattle, Washington)
New Orleans Food Walking Tour of the French Quarter (Small-Group) (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Charleston French Quarter or Brunch Food Tour with 7+ Tastings (Charleston, South Carolina)
Greenwich Village Food Tour | Tasty Tours NYC (New York City, New York)
Boston Sweet Treats Food Tour: Fresh Donuts, Cider & Much More (Boston, Massachusetts)
Nashville: Authentic Food Tour with 5 Tastings of Local Dishes (Nashville, Tennessee)
Chicago Favorites Ultimate Food and Walking Tour (Chicago, Illinois)
Taste of Little Italy in San Diego (San Diego, California)
Seattle’s Sweetest Food Tour: Delicious Donuts, Beignets, & More (Seattle, Washington)
Las Vegas: The Strip’s Celebrity Chefs Tour or Downtown Food Tour (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Dining and Cooking