Local guide · Carmine & Sons, 356 Graham Ave
A guided food and history walk through the Italian side of Williamsburg, with eight stops and six tastings from chicken parm to cannoli. Pick it for the story of how Italian food turned Italian-American, with a New York slice and a Roman-style pizza along the way.
This is a food tour with pizza in it, not a pizza tour. The menu runs to six tastings over eight stops, and two of them are pizza: a New York-style slice and what the listing calls an ancient Roman pizza. The rest is the red-sauce canon: chicken parmesan, pasta carbonara, Italian deli meats, a specialty hero, espresso, and a cannoli or rainbow cookie to finish. Two tastings are sit-down, four are takeout, and the listing promises you will not leave hungry. Reviews back that up without calling it a feast.
The setting is the reason to go. Italians from Nola, near Naples, settled this corner of Williamsburg from the late 1800s, and the north end of Graham Avenue is co-named Via Vespucci for them. Every July since 1903 the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, at Havemeyer and North 8th Streets, has carried a giglio tower over 70 feet (21 m) tall through the streets on the shoulders of more than a hundred men (the feast committee's own history). The guide walks you through restaurants, delis, bakeries and shops that have outlasted every wave of change since, and explains why many Italian-American classics are not served in Italy at all.
Read the diet rules before you book. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and pork-free diets are not catered for, and the listing allows no substitutions on public dates. Soft drinks and alcohol are extra. The walk starts at Carmine & Sons, a pizzeria and sports bar at 356 Graham Ave. Stops can change, and the listing names none beyond the meeting point.
The group gathers at 356 Graham Ave in Williamsburg. Wear comfortable shoes: the listing asks for them, and the tour is on foot for three hours.
The guide sets up the story: what Italian immigrants cooked at home, and what happened to those dishes once they met American kitchens and ingredients.
Two of the six tastings are eaten sitting down. The menu names chicken parmesan and pasta carbonara among the plates.
A New York-style slice and an ancient Roman pizza: the two pizza tastings of the day, and a good way to see how far the slice has travelled from its roots.
Four takeout tastings in delis and shops, with classic Italian deli meats and an Italian specialty hero on the menu.
The tasting menu closes on espresso and a cannoli or rainbow cookie, in a neighborhood where both are still made the old way.
★★★★★Our tour was excellent and we'd highly recommend it. Jessica is everything you'd want in a host and a tour guide. She was friendly, engaging and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the history of Italian immigration to the United States, about Williamsburg and about Italian and Italian-American food. The food choices were delicious and the portions were ideal - not too much to feel stuffed but enough to feel satisfied. [...] It is a terrific way to spend an afternoon.
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Two of the six tastings: a New York-style slice and an ancient Roman pizza. The others are chicken parmesan, pasta carbonara, deli meats, an Italian hero, and espresso with a cannoli or rainbow cookie.
At Carmine & Sons, a pizzeria and sports bar at 356 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211. The walk stays in Williamsburg for three hours.
The listing says no: it is not recommended for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or pork-free diets, and the menu cannot be changed unless you book a private or corporate tour.
Espresso is on the tasting menu. Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are not included and are paid on the spot.
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Six tastings in Italian Williamsburg: a New York slice, a Roman pie, chicken parm, deli meats, espresso and cannoli.
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