Authentic Little Havana Food and Culture Walking Tour

We were in a Lyft on our way to the meeting point and running a few minutes late. Farouk called my cell phone and I looked at the Lyft computer and told him we were 1 minute away. When our driver dropped us off, we didn’t see anyone who looked like a tour guide or a tour group. It wasn’t obvious at all where we were supposed to meet. We thought maybe the driver dropped us off a block early so we started walking. We spent the next 15 minutes walking back and forth looking for our tour. I tried to call Farouk back but my call went to voice mail. Two tour guides from another tour company stopped their tours and graciously tried to help us. At the other tour guides suggestion we called Farouk again and finally he answered. To my complete shock, he started yelling at me about being late, and that I told him we were 1 minute away and that he had already given us the address and finally explained they were inside the restaurant. When we finally found the restaurant and joined the group about 15-20 minutes late for a 3 hour tour, Farouk refused to look at us or acknowledge our presence. It was like we didn’t even exist. Aside from Farouk’s rudeness, the tour was mediocre at best. He didn’t give any information about the food or drinks we were tasting, and he walked by several things without explaining them until someone asked about them (the stars on the sidewalk and the monument about the Bay of Pigs invasion). Farouk didn’t even mention the monument when we walked by it on the way to a grocery store / bakery. It was only after the grocery store when I asked about the monument, and then he proceeded like he was just about to explain it (which may have been true, but he could have at least mentioned that he would explain it later). Although it seems he has made friends with some of the local vendors, he did not seem to have an in depth knowledge of Cuban history or customs or American history for that matter. (He is from Europe). Sure, he has memorized certain facts, but when the questions from the group were more subtle or nuanced, he didn’t add much to the discussion. Farouk has a soft voice and didn’t use a microphone so I was straining to hear the whole time. He had no sense of humor or personality. Perhaps he was having a really bad day, but our experience was unsettling (not being greeted or acknowledged and being reprimanded) and disappointing. We wished we had used a different tour company to explore the charming Little Havana neighborhood.

Our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable of the community, Cuba and the people. Nice sampling of food. I will say it was long, my husband got a little restless towards the end :). Overall great experience.

Notified company two days ahead that we were Covid positive(Omicron, fully vaxxed). No response. Called day of tour asking where we were. Ridiculous no refund policy. Don’t understand why Viator supports this tour.

Enjoyed a great afternoon learning about the food and culture and history of Little Havana. Farouk was fantastic and very passionate about the community and history of the area.

We throughly enjoyed our food tour of Little Havana. Faruk was a great tour guide and shared so much history and perspective for us. The food was amazing too! Highly recommend.

There is a lot of historical lecture on this tour. The meeting spot was a restaurant where we spent the first 50 minutes sitting and listening, including our first food sample. Good to know in order to pace your expectation for walking/moving. It gets the hot spots covered but in a long 3 hours if you aren’t expecting so much lecture per stop.

We had so much fun on this tour. All of the food was fresh and delicious. There was a good variety of items, some you would expect and home for in a Little Havana tour and others that were a pleasant surprise. Faruk was very informative, personable, and funny! We were able to visit a ton of local businesses and shops. He was able to answer all of our questions and give great recommendations of things to do in Miami.

Faruk was very knowledgeable and seemed to know someone at the business at each stop along the tour. Was easy to connect and was a very personable experience.

Delicious food, discussion and demonstrations from artists, hand crafted cigar master and local artisans of authentic Cuban food. All that and an entertaining historic cultural lesson from our guide. Best Miami experience!

Very interesting tour with a great guide, excellent food, and a real sense of the neighborhood and culture. We’ve done these food/cultural tours around the country and each one is different. Farouk gave both an interesting perspective (as a inside/outsider) as well as shared some historical tidbits woven with the opportunity to meet the locals and experience some of the different parts of the Cubano culture. Excellent for anyone wanting a very enjoyable afternoon.