Spice of Life Tours

Mohamed, the owner of Spice of Life Tours, contacted me after my previous review of his Chinatown tour and asked for a second shot. He very generously offered a comped experience of his Little India tour. He is outstanding and incredibly knowledgeable. His personal story, why he knows so much and is so passionate about educating people might be the most interesting but I won’t give any of that away.
We loved this experience because it was so informative. We learned a lot about the area (Devon), its history, culture and pace of life. We experienced the food, art, clothing, language and religion.
Part of Mohamed’s mission is that people will come back to the area and not be intimidated; know where to go and what to order. We will definitely be back sooner rather than later!

My family (my wife, 18 year old daughter, and I) experienced a delightful Mediterranean food tour in early June, 2015. Our guides, Mohammad and Wahiba, gave us an authentic taste of the history, culture, and flavors of the Albany Park neighborhood. Their love of this community showed through in their enthusiasm. I’ve eaten a lot of Mediterranean food in my lifetime. This was hands down the best. The restaurants were comfortable and the cuisine was authentic, delicious, and plentiful. We sampled both Lebanese and Persian dishes. Mohammad gave us a tour of a specialized local grocery where we watched pita being made from scratch. We stopped by an interesting hookah shop, and tasted delightful desserts at a neighborhood pastry maker. Wahiba gave us amazingly intricate, beautiful, free hand henna tattoos as a finale. We all enjoyed every minute of this 3 ½ hour tour and plan to take the Little India tour on our next visit to Chicago. If cultures interest you, or if you like good food, don’t miss this tour.

Great food, culture and conversation! Come extra hungry and ready to learn as well. Mohammed is a history and anthropology teacher who grew up along Devon. I had a great afternoon with old friends on the Spice of Life Devon Avenue tour. The area is very diverse and we ate really an excessive amount of delicious foods, had henna art, tried on traditional clothing (I plan to bring back my daughter to the shops) and much more. My personal favorite was visiting the Sikh Temple, as I find world religions so interesting. Of course they fed us more and gave us much welcome Chai on a cold wet day. Highly recommended!

We’ve lived in this neighborhood for 35 years but really never indulged in the culture. When we had family coming from Pennsylvania, we thought, how fun to expose them to the culture of our neighborhood. «Spice of Life Tours» was more than we imagined. Mohammed Ali, (yes his real name) opened our eyes to the foods and flavors of this very diverse neighborhood of Chicago. Our family was so intrigued they went out on their own the next day to get more food to take home to Penn. While Mohammed himself is almost the star of the tour, you’ll also enjoy the food, stores and the interesting history he brings to the experience. Be prepared to walk, maybe 8 – 10 blocks back and forth, and be prepared to taste all the different flavors of this little“Spice of Life”.

Recently joined the Chow Chow Chinatown tour from Spice of life and was not disappointed! Dim Sum-​yum!
Not only did we get to try some delicious, weird, yummy food from restaurants that would otherwise seem intimidating to the non-​chinese, but we toured the neighborhood and some of the shops. As per usual for spice, the tour takes about 4 hours-​super worth it. Favorite (other than those yummy soup filled dumplings): snack shop! Pick up some unusual crunchy, nutty goodness. Would definitely recommend.

I sooooo enjoyed myself on this culture and food tour! It was a chilly fall afternoon but a great experience emerging ourselves in the culture of India and the food was delicious!!! I got to taste things I would never order and it was Devine !! Our guide was super nice and an expert, so knowledgable !! Can’t wait to go back Devon Ave and enjoy everything again!

This was amazing! Mohammad is an inspiring man with a beautiful life story who is here to change the world one tour at a time. This tour not only had great food and an amazing culture but the people were all so warm and welcoming. If you have an open mind going into this adventure, it will be well rewarded with much insight into another world far familiar from our own. Some times we become complacent and chauvinist, this tour will challenge that seemingly comfortable mind set and make you appreciate the simple things in life once again. Anyone that has taken this tour will tell you that it is an unforgettable beginning to a life changing journey because you will think differently about a few things ones you are done.

We had an absolutely wonderful tour of the Indian/​Asian neighborhood of Chicago. Our tour guide, Ali, was generous with interesting information and delicious food. We absolutely got much more than we expected. Trying on a sari, getting a henna tattoo, visiting a Sikh temple all were a part of this outstanding tour. The blending of history and culture was great. Take this tour — you won’t regret it!

The Spice of Life Tour with Ali was wonderful! Great antidotes about the area, interesting history, and amazing food!
I’ve lived in Chicago for 10 years and I was pleasantly surprised by how much new historical and cultural stories I learned. Spice of Life Tours also takes you to the very best restaurants on Devon Ave (Little India), allowing you to sample cuisines from all areas of India! Come hungry!!! Ali arranged for the food to be warm and fresh at every stop!
I am hard pressed to think of a better way to spend an afternoon in Chicago. We enjoyed trying on Sarees, we all received henna, played traditional Indian games a and even visited a sheikh temple! How amazing is that!
Ali was an excellent tour guide who kept us intrigued and well-​fed. I highly recommend this tour. It’s well worth the cost and time! You’ll be suggesting it to your friends for years to come.

What a great experience! I have lived in Chicago for 8 years but never been to Devon ave because I had no idea where to go or what I would order when I got there. All that is changed now. We tasted (lots of) foods and spices from different regions of India, played a traditional Indian board game, got henna tattoos, tried on saris, visited a Sikh temple, and learned the right way to eat a number of delicious snack items. Our wonderful tour guide took us to the best of the best Devon has to offer and provided a lot of insight into the history and traditions. This tour is definitely worth your time and money!

Loved this tour. So much information, so much food, tons of fun. Mohammad Ali (the tour guide) is fascinating in and of himself. Add the delights of Devon Avenue… it’s definitely an afternoon well spent. Do it!

The Spice of Life tour of Little India was so much more than a simple tour of a place. We learned, we touched, we smelled, we TASTED (a LOT of food and drink), we listened, we experienced such richness. Everything from amazing food from all Indian regions, to trying on Indian clothing, to visiting a Sikh temple… it was a wonderful, kaleidoscopic journey that was the next best thing to actually going to India. Mohammad was a perfect host.

Fantastic food and culture tour! I was looking for a fun adventure for my mom and I to have while back in Chicago for the holidays and booked us both tickets on the Spice of Life Tour. I have done a few food tours in Denver and was excited to spend an afternoon out on Devon Avenue. I knew we would be sampling Indian food and learning more about the culture but we truly received a wonderful education and new appreciation for this area of Chicago that often times go overlooked. Muhammad was patient, very informative and very generous with his time as we were his only guest on the tour. We both left very full (be prepared to eat!) after eating delicious Indian Food and are excited to bring other people with us to introduce them to this fabulous tour.

We had soooo much fun on this tour! We’ve been to Devon street before but always felt a little unsure about where to eat and shop. Now we feel like we could go back and shop and eat with the residents of that neighborhood!
I can’t even pick out one favorite thing about the tour — we got to try on traditional clothes, I got a henna tattoo, we visited a Sikh temple and learned about the religion, explored different shops including a grocery store where we learned a bit about different spices, and we ate so much good food!
Our guide and the owner of the tour is intelligent, fun and excited to share with you all that he knows about the neighborhood and Indian, Pakistani and Persian culture.

Summary: This is the best food tour I have been on — a great combination of great food and learning about Indian culture.
I’ve been to Devon Ave a couple of times for Indian food and it’s fun but I never really know which places are really best to eat or shop at and would never have the courage to try on a Sari or get a Henna tattoo. The Spice of Life Tour experience was like going to Devon with a good friend who knows the area and is showing you the best there is.
The day we went there was a bad storm the day before so due to traffic lights being out, it wound up being only the two of us with our tour guide Mohammed Ali. He said typically there are about 8 people to a tour and he was not discouraged but excited to show us around the place he grew up.
He said he changes up the restaurants and food a bit, but for us the first stop was at the India Book Store with vegetable samosas (so flaky and great flavor), aloo tikki (like a potato pancake), panipuri (round hollow crisp that you fill with chick peas, potatos and onions and put a sauce on — fun to eat and delicious), sugar cane water, and little donuts with honey and coconut. He gave us a little bag with some incense and bottled water (which wound up being very helpful). We then went to Sahill to see Indian clothing and try on Saris. From there we got a Henna tattoo which I have always wanted to do (and it’s temporary). We then went to Tiffin where we had lentils, butter chicken, saag paneer, and chicken biyriani (with naan of course), some wine to pair with the food, and some rice pudding with pistachios and almonds and those honey donuts to finish it off. We wanted to buy some tunics so he took us to a place with more reasonably priced, simple tunics and he waited while we tried on and picked out some tunics. We saw someone making the sugar cane juice on the street and stopped at a grocery store. We had some Pakistani BBQ which consisted of beef and chicken Kabobs with some chicken and corn soup to start and some Pakistani cream soda to drink. At this point given there were only 2 of us and there was so much food we actually had to cancel the last tasting which would have been an entire dosa with masala (I really wanted to try it but maybe another time). So he improvised and instead we had a dessert drink called falooda which was very creamy and refreshing at the same time (it had vanilla ice cream, rose syrup, milk, falooda, and some spices). We were so full but we think if there were more people we would have had smaller portions earlier on (I started with an entire samosa because I was hungry) and we would have been able to finish off with just the right amount of food.
My favorite part of the tour was learning about the culture — all of the history and stories were so interesting. I learned about the differences in Indian food in the North, South, East and West, the different ways women in India wear Saris and why, visited a Sikh temple and learned a little about Sikhism, and learned how Devon Ave became to be what it is today (it wasn’t always «Little India»).
Mohammed Ali showed us the grocery store where he shops, gave us tips on what to buy and how he uses things (what stores are best to buy clothes and which are best to buy trinkets, why you should buy meat at Devon Ave, good additives for tea, which brand of masala he buys, and much more).
After the tour I feel much more comfortable going to Devon Ave to eat and shop. If you are interested in Indian food and culture I would highly recommend this tour. I will be buying my parents tickets and will recommend to all of my friends. I know the price may seem a little high but it really is worth the experience.

GREAT! AWESOME! INFORMATIVE! DELICIOUS! I had a BLAST on the this tour, each stop just kept providing me with new life! Muhammed Ali is so friendly, warm, and informative. I could tell he LOVES what he does. By the end of this tour he felt like a friend of mine, taking around his old neighborhood. I just wish it was a little closer to where I stayed I come back time and time again to keep experiencing the culture. Don’t sleep on this tour, get it and you will love it as much as my Fiancé and I did.
P. S. Come hungry, you will eat, and eat, and drink and leave happy and stuffed!

Very interesting afternoon. Mohammad is an excellent tour guide and incredibly knowledgeable. The food was varied as were the stops. While we have eaten on Devon many times, even at some of the same establishments the tour visited, we tried new dishes and gained a better understanding of the regional differences in Indian cooking. We highly recommend the tour.

Wow. I’ve been going to Devon Street for several years and thought I knew everything about… ok, somewhat. I joined a friend for the Spice of Life Tour and found that there was much more than I expected.
The group met at a Book/​Media store that gives you the option to get an idea of Indian/​Pakistan culture. The tour guide, Ali, gives a brief taste of some food and drinks. My friend received a Henna Tattoo, which was really cool.
The tour goes through a few restaurants to sample various foods. I love Indian food and not afraid to try something new. However, if you’ve never had it before it can be rather confusing on to try. Ali was very helpful on explaining what some of the foods were made of and how they were prepared. It’s an excellent chance to find out what you like, so when you go to any of the restaurant you’ll be able to order like you’ve been eating for a long time.
We also visited a temple, which I had walked by many times without realizing what it was. I’ve never been inside one. There are rule to follow! No shoes and hair must be covered. Unfortunately, the service had ended before we arrived.
Also on the tour, you’ll stop in a few clothing stores. Don’t expect to find blue jeans and tennis shoes. You’ll learn about traditional Indian/​Pakistani clothing. One of the women on the tour was fitted in a Sari to demonstrate Indian fashion. The clothing for men and women is quite interesting.
Overall, I learned about odds and ends that I just never crossed my mind. If you want to learn/​experience Devon Street, I would highly encourage you to join the tour.
Thanks Ali!

Had Such an AMAZING time! The food was amazing!!! I will be back for the Butter Chicken and for the Samosas. The tour started with Samoas and this refreshing Mango Lassi and Sugar Cane drink.
Two of my friends did the henna tattoos, So PRETTY! I loved the Gluten Free options as well. The wine was great with the Masala Dosa. I will definitely be back on this tour.
If you love FOOD then this tour is for you!

WOW!!! great tour. I have eaten on Devon before but this tour gave me so knowledge of Indian & Pakistani food which I have never known. As a foodie it was all interesting. I never knew there’s a restaurant on Devon which sell organic food. Not just there’s plenty of food on this tour there’s a good variety of it. Also, you’ll learn a lot about culture and indian spices. Its worth every penny of it. Even though its not a private tour but Mr. Ali will answer all your questions in right amount of details.