Private Walking Tour: Jewish Lower East Side

Johnathan was a great guide, full of knowledge and has a lot of patience. Had a great tour, and learned a lot about the Jewish history in the lower east

Starting us off with pickles, a bagel and a bialy, our guide, Barry, gave us one fantastic tour of the Lower East Side. He was extremely personable and articulate and his historical knowledge was extensive. We really appreciated Barry’s insight and enthusiasm for his subject.

Jonathan is wonderful, knowledgeable and a great guide. I highly recommend him

Jonathan is an interesting, knowledgeable yet easy going tour guide. He catered to our group's needs on a very hot and humid summer day by putting us in AC or shade and delivering the different food to us. Excellent customer service and communication to a group of 50-something women. Thank you and I hope to attend future tours with Jonathan

Our group of 14 women had an unforgettable experience touring the Lower East Side with Jonathan. We were captivated by the rich Jewish history he shared, making each stop deeply meaningful. The food tour was a highlight, with delectable noshes from iconic spots like Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters, Economy Candy, Michaeli Bakery, Pickle Guys, Kossar’s, and Yonah Schimmel’s—all beyond delicious. Jonathan's friendly demeanor, patience, and extensive knowledge made the day both interesting and fun. We are already looking forward to planning another tour with him as soon as possible. Highly recommended!

Jonathan was our tour guide and he was a wonderful guide to have. It was a really hot day and he managed and guided us to be in the shade and stay cool. The history explanation was comprehensive and enjoyed it all. I look forward to signing up for another tour with him in Brooklyn!

This was an absolutely lovely and delicious experience. No stone was left unturned. We learned so much history and were able to taste the many Lower East Side Jewish delicacies. Jonathon was fantastic and knowledgeable.

Jonathan was a wonderful tour guide. He knew our area of interest and really focused on that. He was very easy to understand, came well prepared and really took good care of us. I look forward to our next tour with him!

We had a great time and learned quite a few things we weren’t aware of. I highly recommend Jonathan! Very knowledgeable and pleasant to be with

Jonathan is such a great guide. Knowledgeable and kind. Just a great guy full of fascinating info. Type of tour where you can’t believe how much you didn’t notice until you visit places with a guide.

BEST TOUR EVER! This was probably the best tour I have been on ever! If you are in New York, you must go on this tour with Jonathan Goldstein. He is very knowledgeable, friendly, has the behind-the-scenes stories, and shows you all the hidden gems. Getting to understand the history of the Jews in the US, the when, the how, the why. Regardless of being Jewish or interested in Jewish history or not, this is a tour you must take while visiting New York. Even for a local, this tour would be magnificent. .

I have been to the Lower East Side many times throughout my life ( over the last 4 decades), yet there are still so many hidden gems. Our guide was super knowledgeable, articulate, and projected well on the noisy streets. Lots to see and learn, the 2 hr length was perfect. Go on this tour before even more old landmarks get demolished!

Loved the tour. Loved hearing about all the history. Jonathan pointed out details that I knew nothing about. The food choices were delicious!

Jonathan is a great guide and gave us a wonderful experience. He is personable, funny, and knowledgeable. He does a great job of weaving together the small details with the larger historical forces to paint a vivid picture of the LES both now and in the past. Highly recommended.

Jonathan is a wonderful guide. He was funny, personable, and knowledgeable. From small details to the big picture, Jonathan weaves it altogether to give a sense of a place that has always been (and continues to be) in transition. Highly recommend.

Loved this tour – a really fun mix of fascinating history, culture and food. Amazing tidbits (see where Trotsky hung out before the Bolshevik revolution!) and snacks from longstanding establishments like the famous Russ and Daughters. The guide, Jon, is super friendly and accessible and seems to know just about everything.

My family scheduled a tour of the Lower East Side for my birthday, and we were lucky to have met Jonathan as our tour guide! Despite the freezing temperatures, Jonathan created a remarkable experience from the first moment, as the group gathered, waiting for everyone to arrive while enjoying a variety of pre-cut slivers of doughnuts! Jonathan created a well-timed, organized, multi-sensorial experience (tasting the foods from famous Jewish Delis in the area). He shared his knowledge of the history of the area in a great way, balancing interesting information without making it too much, and happy to provide more detail when asked. His general demeanor was both authentic and upbeat, and it was a pleasurable experience all around! My family and I thoroughly recommend booking a day with Jonathan!

Walking around the Lower East side we could feel the history of Jewish New York, enjoy the remnants, and taste the pickles :-). This was an entire new experience for me and our guide Jonathan was the perfect guide to deliver a wonderful knowledge based experience. If you are interested in Jewish History, or history of immigration to the US via the Jewish experience you won’t be sorry if you take this tour.

John is so nice and you can really tell that he loves what he does. Very informative and knowledgeable. I enjoyed the tour tremendously.

We had the most delicious and insightful walking tour with Jonathan! He engaged our young teens, which is not a simple task, with interesting facts and beautiful sights. Our teens learned an incredible amount from Jonathan and even spent their remaining time together on the bus talking about the buildings they saw and wondering if their ancestors had come through and seen what they got to see. We cannot wait to spend more time learning from Jonathan!

This an excellent experience in every way you hope a food tour would be! I am local to NYC, but still learned a ton about the neighborhood and the city. And it was couples with some amazing food (and no lines!) at some of the most classic spots in the Lower East Side. The guide is a treat — extremely knowledgeable, fun, and thoughtful. You can be sure this is a great way to learn about and see on the city’s premier neighborhoods.

Loved coming back to the LES with Jonathan! This tour packs in so much fascinating history plus great food to nosh on while exploring this incredible corner of NYC

Loved this tour. The guide was super knowledgeable - I've been living in NYC my whole life and left with lots of great history that I hadn't known before. We also did the food tour which was delicious - highlight was pastami at Katz's deli.

Jonathan, our guide is very communicative, knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. He was really able to deliver the LES experience to our group. We have made the right choice by booking this tour with him!

I didn’t know walking around the Lower East Side could be so fun and educational! I had seen movies that captured this neighborhood and the immigrant era of the early 1900s but to really see it and hear all the history painted such a vivid picture. I brought a middle school group and I was worried they wouldn’t behave but the tour guide Jon was so comfortable and friendly, answering all our questions and including us in the tour, relating to our own family history. I’m telling all my friends and teaching colleagues - regardless of their religion - to take this tour. Even with masks on it was such a pleasure to be out and about with such a nice tour. A New York experience not to be missed!

Jonathan was an excellent guide. He kept everyone involved- all ages since we were there with our grandchildren. He has a vast amount of knowledge. There were food breaks too. The best bagels and bialys. Incredible pickle shop with so many varieties. Jonathan was smart, patient, kind and funny. Could not have asked for more.

The Immigrant NYC walking tour with Jon was fantastic. With his impressive background knowledge and genuine enthusiasm, Jon is able to curate a rich experience that brings history to life in the streets of New York. This is a great tour to take, whether you are brand new to NYC or have lived in the city your entire life!

Lovely private guided tour. Jonathan is a wonderful and engaging guide, and we all learned a ton! Even the kids had a ball, especially at the amazing candy store!

We had an amazing private guided tour of the Lower East Side with Jonathan. We had a mixed age group, with participants as young as nine and adults as old as 56. Jonathan was able to engage all of us and keep the young ones entertained. We all learn lots of new things and truly enjoyed spending time with Jonathan. He is friendly, knowledgeable and super easy going. We look forward to taking another tour with Jonathan when we’re back in New York!