Peachtree Food Tours

Wow! What a perfect afternoon we spent with John. We are locals and were amazed how much we learned about our city and added many new restaurants to our list of faves. The drink pairings were great with each food option as well. The stops were all outstanding and the amount of food and drinks were plentiful. John is the perfect tour guide — the perfect amount of history, food/​drinks & fun! He was funny, sincere, witty, knowledgeable and by the end of the tour we felt like part of his family. We cannot wait to take friends and family on this tour. Truly 5 wonderful hours. We do a good bit of traveling and tours around the world and this tour is among one of our favorites and well worth the money. We highly recommend this tour!!! Thanks John for helping to make our Anniversary weekend perfect! Deron & Cheri

This was my first food tour and it was fantastic! I’m a very picky eater and I actually liked a lot of food on the tour. John was a great guide. Would recomnend to any age group!

I enjoyed myself immensely, despite the fact that it poured rain for a portion of our tour — that’s how good the proprietor/​guide John is. He is a wonderful ambassador for Atlanta and its restaurants. It is apparent that he cares about his business and that his guests have fantastic experiences. His groups are small which allows for everyone to join in on the conversation and get all of their questions answered. I enjoyed the food on the tour, but there is more to this than just eating. I highly recommend you begin your stay in Atlanta with this tour. My daughter and I did this on a Friday and then walked to the High Museum of Art after the tour, as it stays open late on Fridays. There is so much to do in Atlanta! I hope I’m not hyping this tour too much, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to family and friends. It’s a quality operation.

John was absolutely phenomenal, to say the least. He was energetic, funny, and professional. John was able to not only offer suggestions on areas of interest, but also encourage us to try new places during our few days in Atlanta. The experience was legitimate. Prior to the tour I thought it was overpriced and wondered what I was signing up for. It was well worth the money. The food was unique, appealing, and most importantly, delicious. I highly recommend this tour, not just for the food, but ultimately for the guide! He followed up same day with unique recommendations for my friend and I. 5 stars, must visit!

I was visiting on a media trip to create content for our family travel blog. John helped me suss out the top sights and tastes for 24 hours in Atlanta… he is the BEST tour guide I’ve ever had, hands-​down. He even went out of his way to make sure the restaurants were prepared for people in our group who had allergies and certain food intolerances.
If you’re traveling without little kids and have a free afternoon, you should definitely join one of his tours (some of the restaurants serve alcohol or are in more upscale locations, which is why I personally wouldn’t bring my toddler or preschooler). If you’re pressed for time or have wee ones along for the trip, it’s worth a call to ask if he can create a private tour for you. The man is charming and filled with historical knowledge, and was absolutely one of the biggest highlights of our trip. Thank you, John!!!

Where to begin… John is an excellent host/​guide with a wicked sense of humor !! Who knew Atlanta had so much history, very interesting. The food stops were tremendous… a burger with a donut as a bun !! I had such a great time and I look forward to joining him again next trip to Atlanta.

This tour is fantastic and I highly recommend it! It’s so much more than just trying wonderful dishes at awesome restaurants. You will learn some interesting history and facts about Midtown and share some great laughs. It’s worth every penny! The owner and guide, John, is warm, friendly, funny, interesting, and an amazing story teller. He really helped make my birthday one the most wonderful and memorable days ever!

Wow, what a fun tour. My skepticism was that it was going to be a bland tour, going to odd restaurants. But really, the restaurants we went to were great and well thought of. I’m not going to give anything away, but the spots didn’t disappoint. And there was drink pairings in most places we went. John is a great guy, the whole tour was engaging. A must do.

As an Atlanta resident of 20 years I am definitely guilty of having become a little lax in taking advantage of what my city has to offer. Thank you, PFT, for waking me up!
Such a fantastic way to experience Atlanta anew. Spot on restaurant and food selections along a neighborhood stroll filled with historical tid bits shared through the eyes of a true story teller who obviously loves his home. John made us all feel like old friends enjoying a day in the city. I am already making my list of friends and family to bring for next time.
You will definitely get PLENTY of yummy food and drinks so you may want to keep your breakfast light. And be prepared to laugh… a lot!

I’ve been on tours – hundreds, if not thousands at this point – and a few food tours. Peachtree Food Tours is AWESOME! And it’s so much more than a food tour. The groups are purposely small – a more personal experience. The tours are walking – Atlanta is gorgeous on a sunny day! There are multiple stops, each with a bite and a sip – you’re not going home hungry or thirsty! And there’s an informative side – John is a brilliant tour guide… I thought I knew Atlanta pretty well, but he’s a true expert! And he’s delightfully entertaining, too. We did everything from iconic fast food to luxury dining, we toured a church with gorgeous stained glass windows, and we played with Rock Spinner! And I’m told that now there’s a «shopping» component to the tours. Guess I’ll have to go again to find out the scoop on that. This tour is worth every penny and every minute (approximately 4 hours worth!). As anyone in Atlanta can tell you, the food scene is always changing, evolving, following and even creating trends. That’s just to say that Peachtree Food Tours doesn’t have to be a one-​time thing. Chances are it’ll be a unique experience every time. Go! Eat, drink, and make merry on Peachtree Street!

A tour rich in Atlanta history and some awesome eats along the way! Whether you are a tourist or an Atlanta native like me, you will be very happy taking this tour. John, the owner is very personable and a great storyteller. He had some neat inside info that only someone that lived in Midtown for 15+ years would know. The restaurants we stopped at had great food, and some of my favorites were the shrimp and grits paired with a nice riesling wine. Another fav was the fried chicken, collards and mashed potatoes… the restaurant’s motto is «fried chicken and champagne, why the hell not»? I can get down with that motto! I would highly recommend this tour to learn about the city and also get some fantastic food on your stroll!

What a great experience to spend half a day being a tourist in one’s own city. I’ve lived here for a couple of years but was entertained by John and his stories of various parts of the city. I even more enjoyed restaurant-​hopping!
We started at the North Marta station, very easy to locate. Paid parking is not difficult to find across the street. It also is reasonably priced but may be higher on days that the Fox Theater has events. On certain days, parking is free on the street. I’ve had my car stolen in this area before so do not put valuable belongings in the car.
Our group was a perfect size of 7. It was small and intimate enough for people to get to know each other. John made everyone feel welcomed and engaged us throughout the whole trip. He is very personable and a good and enthusiastic storyteller.
We walked at a good pace to several destinations, some to sight-​see, some for interactive fun (spinning rock), and mostly to sample different restaurants. We admired the outside of one Church, got exclusive entrance to another.
Our first food stop was The Varsity. It has been around for so long that it is only right to go there. I tried fried pie and slush for the first time. I am not normally a fan of desserts and sweets but these were not too sweet. As I will find later on, the sharing portions were small/​big enough to give me a good preview but not fill me up.

Next up was Livingston’s restaurant in the gorgeous Georgian Terrace hotel across from the Fox Theatre. The day was nice and it was fun to see the moderately busy traffic around the Theatre and area. John had everything planned out well in advance. The restaurant expected us and we were seated immediately in our reserved table with a view of the Fox. The shrimp and grits were succulent, juicy, and flavorful, and paired well with Riesling wine. I don’t react well to alcohol but a few sips of this was worth it.
We next strolled to Cypress Street Pint & Plate which could easily be missed if one is driving down the main large Peachtree Street. Again, the plate was paired with alcohol tasting (which I don’t do but John was considerate and offered me other non alcoholic drinks instead). I was very impressed with the way they used a donut for «buns» for their burger. The donut added a slightly sweet taste to this juicy burger. Again, it was a nice sampler before moving on to the next. I was a bit worried that I would need to pace myself to not be hungry at the end but I soon found out that there were plenty more stops and samples that I would not be at risk of overstuffing myself or left hypoglycemic.
We went to Villians next and I was a bit doubtful about the place since I’ve tried it once before and was not a big fan. However, we tried their twist of the kale salad and it was the best vegetable dish I have ever sampled! If mom had made these greens, I would come back more often. I was very content and pleased that John was introducing me to new things with twist on old items.
We also took a gander inside Sweet Hut, a bakery with sweets and drinks. Be quick because this is a quick stop. John paced the tour very well so that we wouldn’t be late for reservations.
I was about to see that John carefully picks his restaurants and that I would get to try plenty of «southern food». We went deeper away from the main Peachtree Street to find Max’s wine dive. The fried chicken was so juicy and tender that I could not remember when I last had such great tasting chicken! I was adequately full at this point but could not refuse a little sweet reward at… Café intermezzo!
I think this is worth the price for someone who wants to tour a piece of Atlanta, and who would want to spend half a day on a leisurely stroll, hearing about the history of Atlanta from a charismatic guide. It was great trying different southern foods among some friendly strangers, all bonded by the same goal.

This is, without a doubt, the best food tour I’ve ever been on. However, to call it just a food tour is an understatement. The three hour (beginning at 11:45 a.m.) plus walking tour (about 1 mile and limited to a maximum of 7 people) does include a variety of food and alcoholic beverage samples at 6 different locations, including on the day I went: The Varsity, the world’s largest drive-​in restaurant and a well known Atlanta institution (FO (frosted orange and fried peach pie); the Livingston at the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel (shrimp and grits w/​andouille sausage and wine); Cypress Street Pint and Plate (probably the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten, with fries and a beer sample); Villains (a tasty kale salad and peanut infused bourbon and coke beverage); Max’s Wine Dive (fried chicken, mashed potatoes and Prosecco); and finally Café Intermezzo for the dessert of your choice and coffee. Non alcoholic substitutions can be provided at each restaurant.
But beyond the food and introduction to restaurants, it’s as much a tour of the sights and history of midtown Atlanta. John Hannula, the owner and tour guide, and his wife have lived in midtown for 15 years, and he knows the area and its history like the back of his hand. Never boring, the conversation provides interesting and sometimes funny facts about the area and its residents, both past and current. John’s personality, knowledge of food, restaurants, facts/​interesting stories about the midtown area, and attention to his guests are all exemplary. In addition to the restaurants on the tour, he also identifies other restaurants in midtown and the greater Atlanta area that are worth a trip.
Living in midtown myself, I was a bit unsure as to whether or not the tour would be for me. However, after taking the tour and learning new things about the area, I will recommend it highly to Atlantans and visitors alike and will definitely include the tour on my «must do» list for my out of town visitors.
On first glance, the tour may seem a bit pricey, but compares favorably with food tours in other cities, and is definitely worth every penny!

How well do you know Midtwon?
Did you know Varsity is largest drive-​in in the world? And the folly you see next to the varsity is not really olympic flame?
What was the first high rise building in midtown location?
First doctor to use anesthesia? Did you know who is Phantom of Fox? These are some of the little tidbits I have learnt during our Peachtree Food tours with our fabulous host, John!
Peachtree Food tours is food tour for restaurants in the midtown area of Atlanta! but calling it just the food tour doesn’t do justice to what we have experienced. John has lived on peachtree in midtown for more than 15 years and he probably knows even stories behind every bricks in that neighborhood. He know every restaurant owners by name, history of the building, locations and how it changed over time and even down to who sponsored to build iconical buildings and churches.
The tour started at the entrance of north ave station — and from there John has interwoven narratives, stories and food items and, yes you guessed it, more stories! Our first stop was at Varsity where we were treated with FO (Fresh orange) slush and fried pies! It’s probably one of very few places where you can get fried pies. Very southern beginning!
Our second stop was at Livingston’s restaurant in the famous Georgia terrace hotel. Between varsity and GA terrace hotel there was so many churches, fine examples of high rise architecture buildings. We were treated with shrimp & grits and Riesling wine! I won’t review much about food but lets just say, we generally liked everything we have tasted, throughout the tour. He pointed out ball rooms and the significance of the hotel over several decades and it’s location being right across the street from Fox theater!
Next stop was at Saint mark church and John explained the significance of the church in the community for not being conservative and pushing for progressive ideas. I won’t give much details here, for that needs to be experienced with John explaining it!
Then stopped at cypress street pint & plate joint and we were treated with draft beer and their famous donut burger with bacon and caramelized onions.(Not the whole burger but just a quarter each but given there are other places to taste food at, it’s perfect portion size). If you ever get to the restaurant, it’s a sin if you don’t try that burger!
Next stop was at Villains, where we were treated with one of best tasting kale salad I have ever put in my mouth! And we also had a drink that they call, ‘Forbidden at turner field’. Why they call it, is something you need hear from the bartender herself! Have you ever had peanuts in coke? yeah, I didn’t either!
Then we wandered into Max’s wine dive where we had one of the most succulent and tender fried chicken, paired with prosecco! And our last stop was at café intermezzo for coffee and dessert!
We passed Margaret Mitchell house, spinning rocks, federal reserves and so many old buildings and John had stories about every one of those!
I can’t stress this enough but highlight of the tour is not the food but our guide John Hannula himself! He is full of energy and knows so much information only a keen observant local would know! He is witty, fun and presents his stories in cohesive manner — in nutshell, a great story teller. I bet his grand kids love having him around for that! He even had maps of old Atlanta and pictures of old buildings, it really gave unique perspective to us! The whole 3+ hours flew so fast but never felt rushed!
The number 100 might scare some people off but it was on par with food tours with alcohol pairings in other cities (Not that there are much to compare with, in Atlanta) And We thoroughly enjoyed it! I highly recommend it, especially for travelers from other cities and towns! John will even give suggestions on other things to do in Atlanta!