Tour Highlights
- 90-minute guided food tour with 5 generous tastings
- Explore this historic market’s updated facility in the heart of the Lower East Side
- Taste 5 delicious offerings while meeting vendors and hearing their stories
- Learn about New York City’s public market system and food distribution networks
- Tours offered select Sundays at 11:30am
- Walking tour
- Essex Market, Lower East Side, Manhattan
- Private Group Tours available
- Tours support neighborhood non-profits
Join us for an exploration of the Essex Market, a centerpiece of the Lower East Side community since 1940. On this 90-minute walking and tasting tour, we will visit with 6-8 vendors, enjoy generous tastings of their delicious food, and learn about the role the market has played in the evolution of their businesses. We will rotate the featured vendors from week to week, but tastings may include rare farmstead cheeses, fresh-baked bagels and breads, locally-roasted coffee, tacos and tamales, hearty soups, and an expert-led tasting of fine olive oils and vinegars. Along the way, we will also explore the past and present of New York City’s public market system, from open-air pushcart markets, to the retail and wholesale network built by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, to markets’ role today providing quality food to communities and creating opportunities for food entrepreneurs to launch and grow new businesses. We will also look at the historical and contemporary intersections with street vending and the city’s food distribution systems, as we explore the market’s new home on the south side of Delancey Street.
Tour Information
Admission
Public Tours
- General Admission: $75 per person
- Seniors (65+): $67.50
- Students and Veterans: $67.50
- Children (5-12): $37.50
- Children under 5 are welcome to attend free
- Advance ticket purchase is required
Private tours are available seven days a week, depending on availability. Pricing for private tours is based on a minimum occupancy of 6 guests, and a gratuity of 8.5% is added to all private tour bookings.
Menu
This tour includes five generous tastings from different market vendors. This menu is subject to change, but dishes frequently featured on this tour include Mexican tacos, Dominican empanadas, a selection of cheese and charcuterie, Italian meatballs, and a tasting of high-quality olive oils and vinegars.
We strive to accommodate most dietary restrictions and requests, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets, as well as allergies and food sensitivities. When making your booking, please be sure to indicate these so that we can make appropriate arrangements. Our team will strive to accommodate you as best we can, but we cannot guarantee all dietary accommodations. If you have any questions regarding the menu, please contact us directly.
Directions
The Essex Market is located at 88 Essex Street, Manhattan, and tours meet inside the market near Davidovich Bagels, next to the stairs going to the Market Line on the south side of the market.
- SUBWAY: The nearest subway station is Delancey St-Essex St (F,J,M,Z), which is NOT a wheelchair-accessible station. The nearest accessible station is Bleeker St (6) / Broadway-Lafayette (B,D,F,M), approximately 1 mile away. Please visit mta.info for routes, schedules, service changes, and delays.
- BUS: The M9, M14A, and B39 stop at the Essex Market, and all NYC buses are wheelchair accessible. If traveling by bus, be sure to allow plenty of extra time for your trip, as weekend schedules can be unreliable. Please visit mta.info for routes, schedules, service changes, and delays.
- DRIVING & PARKING: The Essex Market is accessible via the Williamsburg Bridge and the FDR Drive (Houston St exit). There is a municipal parking garage on Essex Street just north of Delancey Street; in fact, it is the last remaining city-owned parking garage in Manhattan, and parking rates are exceedingly reasonable ($8 for the first hour, $3 for each additional hour). Street parking is extremely difficult in the Lower East Side.
- BICYCLE: There are bicycle racks on Essex Street and many Citi Bike stations in the neighborhood.
- Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for any additional questions you might have.
Accessibility
We strive to lead the tour over a physically accessible route, but due to construction, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances, we may encounter uneven paths, obstructions, or steep inclines along the tour route. If you do use a wheelchair or have any other accessibility need, please contact us directly and/or include this information when booking, so that we can offer a fully accessible experience.
Please visit our Accessibility Page for the most up-to-date information on all access accommodations.
About Public Markets
Starting in the late 1930s, New York City established a network of city-owned indoor retail food markets, and at its peak, the system had 10 locations. Today, four of these public markets are still in operation, overseen by the New York City Economic Development Corporation: East Harlem’s La Marqueta, Arthur Avenue Retail Market in the Bronx, Essex Market, and Brooklyn’s Moore Street Market. These markets, though small, continue to be vital links in the city’s food system, providing affordable, culturally-appropriate foods to neighborhoods, and offering opportunities for food entrepreneurs to access affordable space to start and grow their businesses.
FAQ
Tours take place at the Essex Market, located at 88 Essex Street at the corner of Delancey Street in the Lower East Side. The market is located on the first floor of a large tower called Essex Crossing. Click here for Google Maps directions or view our neighborhood map.
- SUBWAY: The nearest subway station is Delancey St-Essex St (F,J,M,Z), which is NOT a wheelchair-accessible station. The nearest accessible station is Bleeker St (6) / Broadway-Lafayette (B,D,F,M), approximately 1 mile away. View our map for walking directions from this station, and visit mta.info for maps and service alerts.
- BUS: The M9, M14A, and B39 stop at the Essex Market. All NYC buses are wheelchair accessible, and all accept OMNY with a contactless bank card or smartphone. If traveling by bus, be sure to allow plenty of extra time for your trip, as weekend schedules can be unreliable (visit mta.info for maps and service alerts).
- DRIVING & PARKING: The Essex Market is accessible via the Williamsburg Bridge and the FDR Drive (Houston St exit). There is a municipal parking garage on Essex Street just north of Delancey Street; in fact, it is the last remaining city-owned parking garage in Manhattan, and parking rates are exceedingly reasonable ($8 for the first hour, $3 for each additional hour). Street parking is extremely difficult in the Lower East Side.
- BICYCLE: There are bicycle racks on Essex Street and many Citi Bike stations in the neighborhood.
We strive to lead the tour over a physically accessible route, but due to construction, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances, we may encounter obstructions on the market floor. If you do use a wheelchair or have any other accessibility need, please contact us directly and/or include this information when booking, so that we can offer a fully accessible experience.
Please visit our Accessibility Page for the most up-to-date information on all access accommodations.
Starting in the late 1930s, New York City established a network of city-owned indoor retail food markets, and at its peak, the system had 10 locations. Today, four of these public markets are still in operation, overseen by the New York City Economic Development Corporation: East Harlem’s La Marqueta, Arthur Avenue Retail Market in the Bronx, Essex Market, and Brooklyn’s Moore Street Market. These markets, though small, continue to be vital links in the city’s food system, providing affordable, culturally-appropriate foods to neighborhoods, and offering opportunities for food entrepreneurs to access affordable space to start and grow their businesses.