A Very Important Report: SusanSez NYC Walkabouts ... R.O.C.K! Oh, you thought efficient, informative, and hilarious tour-guide was impossible? Yeah, no. It's this Susan. I checked. Well, technically Kathleen D, Ashley S. and I checked, after we spent one short Sunday afternoon in Manhattan's East Village - A farm to fork, delightful walking tour, with Susan. But if you're in the Big Apple, you should probably triple-check, just to prove us right. History & culture "evolution" briefs, tasty traditional samples, great walks -- the list of why you should do a tour with SusanSez goes on and on. From a phenomenal hearty Dijon Brussel Sprouts and Parmesan Artichoke Hearts from Westville, to Moishe's sugar kichel (flat sugar cookies), to amazing & authentic Pierogies, and incredible beignets by Ray's Candy Store and much more, the tour was the way to go! Just plan a short "FUN" tour. You deserve it. Short notes: - If you spot a bubbly lady with red hair and purple glasses, then Bingo! you found Susan. - It is 2:30-3 hours tour. - Reasonably-priced tour. - Beware, the tour do NOT end where they starts, so plan accordingly. Four Yelps and a round of applause. read more

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Susan was a great guide for my first visit to the East Village in recent memory. She easily hosted a group of ~15 people and walked us through the rainy and chilly streets of the Village while sharing bits of history along the way. Keep in mind this tour is mostly outdoors. You may want to consider going on a nice day. You'll have small bites from a cooler (not inside restaurants) and a healthy picnic in Tompkins Square Park as part of the tour, but if you tend to get really hungry around lunchtime, maybe consider having a good-sized breakfast before the tour. We also received a sample from a health foods/vitamins/lotions store. I forget the name of it! This is a fairly long tour -- just under three hours -- but is worth it if you're interested in learning more about the specific area. Susan also hosts tours throughout NYC, including the Bronx and Queens. read more

I was born and grew up in the Bronx but there was so much I didn't know until I took Susan's Belmont walkabout. We met at the MetroNorth Fordham stop and walked over to Arthur Ave. Stopped in every possible shop and everyone was happy to see Susan and her group. Samples at every stop and Susan packed brown bag typical snacks that we ate in a park. Can't wait to see the next place she's touring. read more

Took a "tasting" tour of Belmont, aka The Bronx's Little Italy. Started with a burek, ended with pizza. Tour included a demonstration of fresh mozzarella (and many iterations) making at Mike's Deli in the Arthur Avenue Market, complete with various samples. Freshly filled cannoli, bread and other tidbits rounded out the day. As did a special liquid surprise! Oh, and a bit of history (and humor) thrown in. Schedule a tour - you'll be glad you did! read more

Took the Astoria Tour with the boyfriend this past weekend and had a really nice time. Susan is very knowledgeable about the history of Astoria as well as the different cuisines that can be found within the neighborhood. We learned a lot, tasted a lot, and have many more reasons to visit Astoria more often! Quick Tip: wear ankle supporting shoes. Walking/standing for 2 hours in flip flops really wore my ankles out! read more

I took the Astoria/Queens tour and it was the perfect way to learn about the neighborhood! Susan knew a lot of local history and took us to all of the best shops and restaurants. My friends described it as an eating tour, so there was a little more walking and standing than I expected. But it was worth it to meet so many local business owners! I really got a good sense of the character and people of Queens. read more

Susan Birnbaum, hosted a tour for me and a small group of friends and colleagues yesterday. We toured the Mott Haven section of the Bronx and had a marvelous time! Susan was knowledgeable, personable, funny, and just plain awesome. I plan to book tours with her on a regular basis. This was a great way to learn the history of my borough! thank you SusanSez. Shebrelle H. read more

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Take a bow - you deserve the applause. The multicultural Astoria "walkabout" tour and tastings was very informative and delicious. Having lived in this neighborhood between 1950-57, you accurately captured the dynamic flow of different cultures of Astoria plus I learned a lot from your mix of important historical info and fun trivia. Our 3 continent tour in 2 1/2 hours was most enjoyable for me and my son, who gave me this tour as a gift for my birthday. read more

I have been on quite a few food tours, and this was the best by far. Not only is Susan extremely knowledgeable, but we never felt rushed and the food selection was amazing. I even posted some pics on her facebook page - check em out! https://www.facebook.com/SusanSezNYCTours?ref=ts&fref=ts The Chilean hotdog was my absolute favorite! I've already been back to get another! read more

Susan is a great guide and clearly loves NYC! Not only is she knowledgeable, she's creative and flexible, depending on what the group is interested in seeing. Experience NYC like you've never seen it before with Susan! read more

I went on the Lower East Side tour and although I've lived in NYC my entire adult life, I learned so much! I especially enjoyed how Susan's knowledge base allowed her to weave the historic past with the trendy present. We sampled delicious foods that represented the ethnic cultures that have made and still make the LES such a special and uniquely NYC neighborhood. After the tour I was motivated to research some of the places and events Susan told us about. I will certainly come back for the restaurants. The little community gardens, the farmers' market, Tompkins Sq Park...it's hard to choose a highlight I liked best. I would definitely go on any NYC tour with Susan. She's got tons of NYC info to impart and she clearly loves her job and the City. read more

My colleague and I took the Farm to Food tour and it was great! Susan is very knowledgeable about the history around east village and it was so educational to see the unfolding of all the histories NYC provides for every part of the world. We ate lots of really yummy local sourced food and walked around Tompkin Square Park. I came out full and with a big smile on my face :) Thanks again Susan and Kate for a wonderful tour! read more

I always wanted to go to Arthur avenue but wasn't sure about going by myself Susan's tour was informative, fun and yummy. I now know how to hit the best shops for the best products thanks to Susan read more

Had such a great time on the Arthur Avenue tour! Susan was warm, knowledgeable and good at wrangling all of us to keep the tour moving.

Susan Birnbaum is a great tour guide who combines the talents of a historian, storyteller, and serious foodie. I loved her Arthur Avenue tour. She's clearly done her research into the neighborhood's past and into the best small shops and market stalls. Susan's warmth and good humor are matched by her deep knowledge and clear love of the Bronx. She's also a consummate professional. The seamless way the generous samplings of food seem to just appear--the pizza and the prizewinning eggplant parm hot, the cannoli's freshly filled, the burek fresh from the unassuming spot that the local restaurants get it from, have to be the result of careful planning. read more

We took Susan's tour of Arthur Avenue in The Bronx and found it to be one of the best food tours we've ever taken. She is very knowledgeable about the area....not only with its history, but, also, she clearly has a warm rapport with the shop owners, many of whom are 3rd and 4th generation. The "tastes" were varied, generously portioned, and delicious. Highly recommended for an introduction to this special neighborhood. read more

Just took a food tour of Astoria, Queens with Susan. She was fun, informative, and she gave us samples of some of the greatest food I've ever tasted! I even went back to a lot of the places to take yummy things home! Excellent tour guide, highly recommended! read more

I've been on two walkabout tours with Susan Birnbaum now, the Arthur Avenue and Astoria. Both were terrific. So many fun stops, with ample samples of food all along Susan has a nice easygoing style that encourages great conviviality among the group. I went by myself both times and never felt alone. read more

Susan Sez's Astoria food tour was one of the best I'd taken while on a month-long holiday in New York. It was fun, informative and very reasonably priced ($25 per person including all samples). By the time we were done, all of us were quite full from having sampled different foods from Greek to African to Chilean and many more. She also gave us a list of restaurants we can try on our own. If you're first-timers, do check out her Facebook page for special discounts. read more

My husband and I had a great time last weekend on the Arthur Avenue tour! Susan brought us to some great spots where we got to try lots of delicious food and learn about the culture. Her husband even went ahead of the group to make sure we had our tasting/demonstration in a timely fashion. We really enjoy the experience and recommend it to others! read more

SusanSez NYC Walkabouts offers food and walking tours all over New York City. Come well rested and come hungry. You will be treated to a fascinating informative belly-filling tour. We participated in a Lower East Side Immigrant Experience Tour which took us from Straus Square at the Intersection of Broadway, West End Avenue and 106th Street to Katz's Delicatessen at 205 E. Houston Street. However, this is just one of several tours SusanSez offers, and they also do custom tours. On our tour the sites we saw included The Forward Building, The Essex Street Market and the Hotel Blue Moon. Among the delicious foods we sampled along they way were knishes, pickles, dumplings, donuts and several different types of candy. We would not recommend one of Susan's tours for young children who will probably get bored or anyone who gets tired easily or has trouble walking long distances. Older children, however, would probably enjoy it especially all the taste testing particularly if they are open to trying new foods. We tried everything and even the pickest eaters in our family had their palates pleased with this tour. read more

this was our second time going on a the same tour with susan, she is a lovely, vibrant lady. it's a casual walk around to all the different places, not to hear people say "hey susan" when you walk into one of the stores or the market place. It's a very organized, well planned tour. When we went into two places, they were expecting us with a sample and a demonstration, so it was planned in advance. I would love to see susan write down more information, she seems to learn more information from her group each time, so there could be even more information. It's a really lovely day and she does a wonderful job of giving information, describing things we see, organize the tastings, and there are plenty of those. We went with another couple this time and this was something on her bucket list. So it couldn't have been a better way to cross that bucket list item off for her. Susan is a gem in the bronx! read more