Off The Eaten Path, North End Food Tour — Local services in Boston

I brought my 18 year old daughter and our 18 year old Italian exchange student on the “Off the Eaten Path” tour. It was truly one of the most awesome experiences we have had. I could tell Paula (the owner) was special and delightful from our first phone call. Paula was willing to give us a private tour despite it being her day off to accommodate our travel plans. Paula is clearly loved by locals as SEVERAL people would stop us along the way in the neighborhood to greet her or to tell us how lucky we were to have the best tour guide (she really was!). As a 20+ year resident of the area, Paula knows the places the locals love to go. She is incredibly knowledgeable of the history and culture of the North End. We knew she was accurate and thorough as she engaged our Italian guest with conversations of comparisons and authenticity to Italy! Our first restaurant stop at “Galleria Umberto” was a hit where we enjoyed fabulous Arancini, Panzarroti, and Pizza! The portions were huge and I was grateful to take our leftovers home as we knew we had several stops to go. We loved “Salumeria Italiana,” an authentic Italian grocery store where we sampled THE BEST Extra Virgin olive oil I have ever tasted. The Balsamic Vinegar, Prosciutto, and Sardinian Tartufo was incredible as well. We learned so much here, and bought some groceries that are definitely not available anywhere at our home in Colorado. At our next stop, “Ristorante Saraceno,” I absolutely fell in love with the ambiance and people. The original owner has the most charming smile and treated us to an impressive flaming calamari- it was unbelievable! We also tasted Caprese salad and pasta Amatriciana, with Montepulciano wine. (Another to go box, please!) Paula shared stories and pictures of her ties to this incredible place as a hostess 20 ago! Ristorante Saraceno appeared to be a quaint place, but Paula surprised us with a grand tour of the huge restaurant of 3 floors including a glass ceiling. (I don’t imagine other tour guides would have this insiders perk!) Next we went to “I am Books” and all of us could have stayed all day perusing the interesting and unique Italian American novels, history and children’s books. At our stop to “Polcari Coffee and Spice” I was sold and ready to move to the North End! This is the oldest grocery store in Boston, and I wanted to buy their buckets of Fava Beans, unique spices and blocks of Almond Paste! Finally, “Caffe Paradiso” was exactly that. We felt like we were in paradise as we enjoyed cannoli, espresso, and gelato. Again, the locals and owners greeted Paula with hugs and stories for us. Today was exceptional, and we could not have imagined a better way to spend it. I highly recommend this unique and special...

Having recently moved to Boston, I decided to take a walking tour to get to know my new city better. I found Paula and her Off The Eaten Path tour by googling and reading lots of reviews and doing my research. There were so many good reviews for this trip and seeing that it involved food, I was sold! I booked it the evening before the trip was scheduled for and Paula messaged me the morning of the tour to make sure I knew where to meet and she was so understanding and accommodating of my dietary restrictions. Right away I knew this was off to a good start!

And I was right! I had the best time on this tour! Paula told us interesting stories about the history of North End interwoven with her personal stories and punctuated with really delicious food! I was so full by the end of the tour but I still wanted more! I discovered so many new places that I know I’m going to go back to and bring friends and family with me to check out these places as well. Any excuse to come hang out in this neighborhood! Paula’s stories and her own obvious love of North End made me love the neighborhood too and appreciate its history, culture, vibrancy, and of course the mouth watering food!

I also met some really lovely people on this tour from around the country. (Special shout out to my new marathon runner friends from Utah! Good luck on Monday!) I would highly recommend this walking tour with Paula to everybody! It’s an experience to have when visiting Boston or even if you’re from here and want to explore the city for a few hours doing something different from the usual and try delicious food while you’re at it, you can’t beat this tour! Highly, highly recommend this tour! Paula and this tour are both absolutely amazing! You won’t regret the time spent...

Had the pleasure of being on Paula’s food / history tour through the North End during a recent weekend trip to Boston. We were visiting from Florida for a concert.. Paula’s tour was the best part of our trip (and we pretty much did it all in Boston) Paula is such a wonderful, delightful person! She is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about Italian culture and food, specifically that charming little area of Boston. We learned so much from her! And it’s obvious from the local business owners that she is a beloved member of that community. We visited so many awesome spots that we wouldn’t have known to go to (as a visiting tourist). All of the food from each place was amazing, from the pizza, pasta, wine, Sfogliatella, cannolis, Italian market delicacies. She has the tour so thoughtfully planned out and organized that we were having some eats here, some there, walking, talking; we never felt too full along the way so we could enjoy each thing.. in the end of tour, we left with completely satisfied, full bellies! This is not your average tour, it’s one-of-a-kind, unforgettable experience that I highly recommend. I came home and bragged about Paula’s tour so much that my husband and kids want to take a trip to Boston just do it! So we will be returning hopefully some time within the year. Thank you Paula for your kindness and just being a...