The Solo Traveller
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Food and wine
There’s no better way to be introduced to Munich, Germany, than with a giant pretzel. Image courtesy Secret Food Tours.
From backstreets to the ‘Best of the Best’: the rise of Secret Food Tours
By Tiffany West
Briefly …
Behind the rankings and awards lies a simple idea: that food remains the most human way to understand a place. For solo travellers seeking connection without crowds, Secret Food Tours’ landmark year highlights why neighbourhood-led food experiences continue to resonate.
At first glance, it looks like a list of accolades – rankings, awards, and very impressive numbers. But behind Secret Food Tours’ record-breaking year is a quieter story about scale without dilution, and growth that hasn’t come at the cost of intimacy.
In 2025, the global food tour company found itself named among the UK’s fastest-growing private businesses, ranking #14 on The Sunday Times 100 and #18 on Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50. It also secured a place on the For Entrepreneurs, By Entrepreneurs (FEBE) Growth 100, a list that celebrates Britain’s most dynamic entrepreneurial ventures. These are the kinds of achievements typically associated with tech start-ups and financial disruptors, and not slow-burn, story-led travel experiences rooted in neighbourhood bakeries and backstreet kitchens.
And yet, that’s exactly the point.
While Secret Food Tours has been scaling at speed, it has continued to do something increasingly rare in global tourism, which is deliver deeply local, human-scale experiences that travellers actively love. That balance was underscored by TripAdvisor’s 2025 Travellers’ Choice Awards, where three of the company’s tours were ranked among the best food and drink experiences in the world.
Montreal’s Mile End food tour, a celebration of Jewish deli culture, immigrant foodways (the culinary traditions, practices, and foods that migrants bring, adapt, and integrate into their new country), and neighbourhood rituals, placed #12 globally. New York City followed closely at #13, while Paris, explored through Montmartre and Notre Dame, secured the #18 spot, proving that even in one of the world’s most toured cities, there are still secrets worth tasting.
Left: Bakers always begin their day early in Le Marais, Paris. Photographer: Sandro Cenni; and Macaroons! Le Marais, Paris. Photographer: Geri Chapple.
For co-founders Nicolas Jacquart and Oliver Mernick-Levene, the dual recognition matters. Business growth is one thing. Guest connection is another. This year’s honours, they say, reflect years spent refining a simple idea, which is that food is the most accessible way into a place. Taste cuts across language barriers. Stories shared around a table travel faster than guidebook facts, and curiosity, when handled with care, opens doors that tourism often leaves closed.
Brussels, Belgium. Image courtesy Secret Food Tours.
Founded in 2013, Secret Food Tours now operates in more than 100 cities, offering over 200 experiences worldwide. In 2025 alone, the company is on track to host more than 400,000 guests. Yet the premise remains unchanged – small groups, local guides, and neighbourhoods chosen not for their fame, but for their flavour.
For solo travellers especially, that philosophy resonates. Food tours remove the awkwardness of dining alone while preserving our independence. They offer context without crowds, companionship without obligation, and a sense of belonging that comes not from ticking off landmarks, but from being invited in.
From Street Food to fine dining, Secret Food Tours cover it all. Image courtesy Secret Food Tours.
As travel continues to reshape itself, Secret Food Tours’ landmark year offers a quiet reassurance – that growth doesn’t have to mean homogenisation, and that the most meaningful travel experiences still begin with something simple: a shared table, a local story, and a secret bite that stays with you long after the city fades from view.
To learn more, visit Secret Food Tours here.
Tiffany West is The Solo Traveller Group’s Editorial and Pictorial Assistant Lead.