Rum & Blackbird Tasting Tours

This food tour far exceeded my expectations. Jody was hands down the highlight of our trip to New York! We were lucky to have a private tour with just the three of us. We had such a great time tasting the best treats in Hell’s Kitchen area and learning so much about not only the food but the history of the city itself. HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone considering a food tour as part of their NYC experience! We will all be dreaming of those empandas until we meet again!

We had a great time on our food tour! Jody was very knowledgable and passionate about the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. He showed us some hidden gems, shared interesting facts and took us to some amazing mom and pop type establishments. The tour included 5 tastings which left us both full and happy. I will be returning to many of the places we visited. We have taken many food tours throughout New York and other major cities. This was a great way to spend our afternoon and I highly recommend it.

What a fantastic experience! Jodi our walking tour guide was absolutely fantastic and his enthusiasm for Hell’s Kitchen was contagious. We learned so much about not only the food, but also the people and the history of Hell’s Kitchen. From beginning to end, Rum and Blackbird accommodated us (one member of our group was 90 years old) and we felt like we really were part of the neighborhood by the end of the tour. The food tasting was fantastic! When I return to NYC at the end of the month, I will definitely be going to at least one of the restaurants we visited because I simply cannot get the taste of the Greek spanakopita out of my mind (mouth?)! I highly recommend this tour with NO reservation… it is worth every dollar and more!

Great introduction to cheap neighborhood eats in the Hell’s Kitchen area. I’ve ended up there sometimes before or after shows and now have a few new spots to grab a delicious bite to eat. The guide was super friendly, pointed out other areas of interest in Hell’s Kitchen while walking, and was up-​beat despite the horrible weather and large group. Definitely worth checking out as a tourist or local new to the area.

my girlfriend and i live in new york, and we took her mother on this tour last fall. unanimous thumbs up. we went to a large number of places i would otherwise never know of. gives you a very rich perspective from which to view hell’s kitchen’s development in terms of both food and community.

We heart Melanie.
She came out on a crappy, drizzly, slushy, almost-​but-​not-​quite-​freezing February day to give two of us (yes, only TWO OF US) the most wonderful tour we’ve been on in quite awhile. We’re in the city annually for about ten days but hadn’t yet made friends with the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood — boy, were we missing out! So, I was very happy when Rum & Blackbird popped up on my radar screen with a Hell’s Kitchen tasting tour.
We started off in the warm cocoon that is Empanada Mama. I haven’t been near an empanada since about the time of my first boyfriend (his mom was from Colombia and made the bestest empanadas…), and oh boy it didn’t disappoint. I tend to prefer flour over corn in most culinary arenas (tortillas, empanadas, etc.) but we tried a traditional Colombian style ground beef in corn that was seriously delicious. And when we added the two sauces (one red and one green, if memory serves) I was blown away.
Don’t want to give away the rest of the tour (as you MUST go take it yourself. Now. Go.) but we tried some of the most delectable little bits all about the Hell’s Kitchen area. In addition, we learned a lot about the development and history of the neighborhood, and why you’ll never see a building above 6-​stories in parts of the city.
Overall, a wonderful tour and we’re already looking forward to the next one (hint, hint) that R&B might offer!

We highly recommend Moira Campbell’s Rum & Blackbird taste tour of Hells Kitchen. We found it to be an unusual, off the beaten track tour with a homey and personal touch. Moira, a professional chef, chose small mom-​and-​pop eateries that we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. They were all delicious, inexpensive, and highlight New York’s unique ethnic and creative character. Moira is well-​versed in the history of the area, so we received an interesting, educational tour as well. We especially recommend taking the tour at the beginning of your trip, so there will be plenty of time to return to favorites later on. Susan & Meena

Wonderful food, interesting locations, fun facts and a terrific guide… I can’t imagine what else you could want from a tour like this. They’ve selected a great assortment of restaurants, shops, and markets, mostly of the sort that you could ordinarily walk past without a second glance. The dishes we got to sample were both varied and excellent and came with interesting (but never excessive) histories about the eateries themselves as well as the surrounding areas. Moira, the guide, was friendly and engaging and well-​informed about both the food and Hell’s Kitchen itself. My girlfriend and I were the only two on our tour and it felt like we were being shown around the city by an old friend. I also think it would be a great idea for a group activity. Overall, I strongly recommend this tour for anyone who likes good food and fun, unique city experiences (but especially good food!).