Amazing tour, great value for money, fascinating experience better than imagined. Mike the guide was tremendous his knowledge and experience enhanced the tour, we would definitely recommend to friends and family. Thank you
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Insider Story from Retired NYPD guides who are NYC Mafia experts.
- The best Sicilian cannoli in Little Italy. Full sized not that crappy tour company cannoli lol
- (Only 11 AM option) Pasta with tomato sauce and a full size cannoli
- Tour operates in ALL WEATHER
Excludes
- Gratuities are not included.
- Drinks are not included, but can be purchased on the day.
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- We will meet in front of famous Mafia restaurant called "John's of 12th Street" 2nd Ave and E 12 street Manhattan and finish in Chinatown.
Return
- Your tour will end on the Corner of Mulberry and Canal Street.
Itinerary
Get the insider's perspective on the infamous Mafia crime families of New York City on this walking tour with a full-sized cannoli not the typical crappy tour company cannoli. Walk through the vibrant and fascinating gangland area of New York’s East Village and Little Italy. Walk where infamous Mafia leaders such as Myer Lanski, Lucky Luciano, Joe Bonnano, John Gotti and others operated their elusive and deadly business.
We begin at 302 E 12th Street at a NYC “Red Sauce Joint” frequented by NYC mafia members. The place where the NYC Mafia began and founded by Lucky Luciano. Here we begin with spaghetti welcome.
We begin the tour in the East Village, where you will learn the complex origins of the Mafia in New York City, and learn the hierarchies within each crime family from the foot soldiers, to the captains and the ‘Boss’. Walk in the footsteps of famed mobsters like Lucky Luciano, Joe ‘the boss’ Masseria, John Gotti – the Teflon Don, “Vinny the Chin” and “Crazy Joe” Gallo, as you hear about their lives, and their crimes.
Explore second avenue's prohibition history as we walk along this famous avenue exploring places most tours miss.
Hear about this amazing urban garden and its connection to the New York mafia.
Hear firsthand accounts of the Gambino crime family and John Gotti who's elusive family business operated out of this social club. I lived in Little Italy from Carlo Gambino through to John Gotti.
End your Mafia experience with a delicious ‘dolce’, a cream-filled Sicilian Cannoli at the best pastry shop in town. Opened nearly 100 years ago our close friends own and operate this gem of a shop most frequented by locals
Enjoy the best cannoli from our close friends who have operated this gem for almost 100 years. We include a large cannoli not the typical mini tour company cannoli.
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Did not meet expectations…tour guide talked too much and too much about herself…
Fabulous trip, Mike was perfect guide, very informative, friendly and funny. Even with the rain we had a great time, everyone on the tour was also nice and friendly and we all seemed to enjoy it. Totally recommend it as a great way to see other parts of New York you may not otherwise see, and learn so much about the mob.
From the start of the tour to the very end, getting immersed in the history of New York’s mafia history within the city was so immersive and brilliantly brought to life by our guide Jay. She took us to the places that both were pivotal to the story and also were brought to life through cinema. The tour exceeded our expectations as wasn’t a stale, pre scripted tour but an interesting take and journey by an ex NYPD officer
AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! The tour was great, very informative and enlightening. Mike was attentive, personable and engaging. It was like hanging out with a good friend!
Mike was a great tour guide, it was awesome to see where mobster history happened. Food to start and end leaves a happy customer! Prepare for walking though!
Good stories from NYPD experience.
Paul was an excellent tour guide- lots of information & stories which made the tour enjoyable. I would highly recommend.
Paul was a great tour guide! I'm from NY so it was cool to see all the places and learn more about the people I have heard about and seen in movies. Not a lot of walking and completely flat. Deff a good tour for locals and visitors alike.
Very knowledgeable guide Paul. Great to hear the history of NY and see parts off the beaten track.
From the moment we met Mike outside Johns he was warm, welcoming and funny. Throughout the trip he made the group relaxed and his humour was good. Loved his stories about his time as a cop and will never forget the “stuck in the window” story. What a legend! His knowledge was great and also his honesty. Mike was a great tour guide and all round funny guy. Thanks for making this tour so engaging. And thanks to Johns for the spaghetti and also to La Bella Ferrara for the super cannolis.
Very informative and funny tour. We highly recommend!
Had a great time today, our tour guide Mike was great, very friendly & informative. Would highly recommend!!
2 london uk.boys didnt have a clue on such a fantastic descriptive tour of the 5 families with added bonus of movie actors and film locations ..you will not read this in the papers ...the papers 😁
Had a great time on the tour, found it very interesting, couldn’t ask for a better guide, absolutely fantastic. Thanks Louis.
My wife and I had the absolute pleasure of partaking in this tour with our guide, Louis. Not only was he knowledgable, he was extremely welcoming and personable, which made an enjoyable experience even better. At no point did we feel rushed or timetabled. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting New York for the first time as it’s absolutely fantastic value for money. My wife and I have been on quite a few walking tours across different countries whilst travelling and we genuinely believe Louis is the best tour guide we’ve ever had. Thanks again Louis!
Awesome your guide - very relatable kind, funny, and respectable. Also knowledgeable about the mob and its history. Thank you and would do it again
Paul was excellent! As a local, I love learning more about my city. It was so informative and Paul had really great stories.
Paul and the tour itself were amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable and funny and we learned so many things. We were lucky to have a great day weather-wise which helped. The spaghetti was great, the cannoli was amazing. Start with a meal, walk it off and end with a sweet moment. Great way to see a lot of the city!
Well done! Information well organized. Guide easy to understand and easy to hear. The lunch was nice and cannolis were out of this world.
It was fantastic!!! The true life stories being told my the retired NYPD, the food, walking to all the locations and being told the history of the mafia was great. My degree is in criminal justice. I read and watch true crime but when you get to experience it in person it’s a whole different experience. Thank you Mike
Our guide was attentive and told some great stories.
Mike was absolutely phenomenal! He was incredibly knowledgeable, and I learned so much fascinating history about NYC crime spanning the late 1800s all the way through the 1980s. My only minor feedback is that the walks between stops were fairly quiet—it would have been great to have a bit more casual banter or quick stories along the way, though I completely understand how tough that is to manage while shepherding a large group of 30 people through the busy East Village. One practical heads-up for future guests (and a small note for the tour organizers): bathroom access is very limited. Restrooms were only available at the initial restaurant stop (spaghetti) and the final stop (cannoli). A bunch of us ladies really had to go during the tour, so that stretch in the middle got pretty uncomfortable. Making a quick midpoint restroom break standard would make this 5-star experience completely seamless. Overall, Mike made it well worth it. Highly recommend!
We really enjoyed this experience. Paul was a knowledgeable and fun guide, and we learned about many mafia whacks!
Mike was an awesome tour guide! Great insight on the mafia. Loved all the stories. Highly recommend!
Mike was a great guide! Authentic Brooklyn accent and great NYPD stories. Saw so much and learned a lot about the mob!
Interesting tour with an entertaining guide. It moved at an easy pace. Glad we tried it.
Mike did an amazing job taking us on the Mafia and NYPD tour. As someone from North Dakota, your accent was awesome. We had a lot of fun learning about the Mafia and how it related to NYPD history. I would recommend Mike on any tour, he’s good at making the crowd laugh and tell a good story.
We thoroughly enjoyed the True Crime NYC Mafia Walking Tour today! Our guide, Louis “Louie Meatballs” D’Ambrosio (a retired NYC detective) was equally informative, knowledgeable & entertaining! Highly recommend!
Louis was an awesome guide. The details of someone who grew up in NYC and a retired police officer added so much to the history. 10/10!
Telling the story of the mafia in NYC could fill multiple books, but this tour distills it all down into an easily digestible serving (much like the mini cannoli you can get at the end of the tour!). Great guide with the booming voice one needs to contend with all of the street noise and a vagrant interloper who attempted to interrupt the tour. Recommended if you're even mildly interested in the history of the mafia.
Genuinely such an amazing experience. Our tour guide Jay was one of the best tour guides I’ve ever experienced. She was so lively and engaging, her stories were so memorable. An amazing experience I’ll definitely remember and couldn’t recommend enough.
Jay is a very energetic and keeps the group up beat. You can tell she really enjoys sharing the information with everyone and encourages additional questions.
Very informative. Jay is a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide. Lots of Mafia sights and history from former NYPD officer. Enjoyable afternoon.
J was amazing! Very informative, electric and fun! Learned so much about the mobs & cops. Loved her love for cops and the city!
The tour was great and J the guide was amazing! I would recommend this to everyone who is interested in mafia history. Best tour in a long time!
Mike was informative and very knowledgeable on our tour. He was a true retired Brooklyn police officer with a great personality. My wife and I had a great meal and delicious canoli. Highly recommend the tour with Mike as your guide.
Mike was amazing!!!! Super funny- knows a ton about the history. Great guy!
Mike was very entertaining. He knew a lot about the mafia and had colorful stories. I would recommend to friends.
This was such a fun way to spend time in the city. Our guide Frank was so knowledgeable. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all his stories. I highly recommend this tour.
Frank was a great story teller. We learned so much from him and had an enjoyable time! Food was good too
Fun day in NYC exploring the Lower East Side, listening to tales from the NYPD and checking out the stomping grounds of the Mafia. Very interesting and BEST cannoli ever!!!
A little food, a little walking and a lot of interesting history. A good experience for adults and the youngest was 11 and enjoyed it as well.
The True Crime Mafia tour we took with retired Detective Lou was GREAT! He was personable, knowledgeable, and made the tour “fit” our tour group. Although I grew up in NY, he provided us with a lot of information, that was new to me. Our group varied in age, citizenship, and interests, but he kept us all engaged throughout. Ending in Little Italy with a canolli was icing on the cake. The on,y thing that was disappointing about this tour was when it ended. I would highly recommend this tour to visitors and residents of NYC.
ROBUST!!! FUGGEDABOUTIT! 🤌 From beginning to end, dis tour was PACKED with New York’s finest flavor, wit a little Mafia magic thrown in for good measure! Madonn’! What a ride! Our guide, the one and only Louie “Meatballs,” brought da enthusiasm, da energy, and da kinda straight-up, no-BS storytelling you just don’t get every day. Hysterical, refreshingly candid, and genuine as they come. Dis guy? THE REAL DEAL, CAPISCE?! If you got a taste for history, mob trivia, old-school New York stories, and a little spaghetti on da side, you’re gonna leave happy, full, and talkin’ about it all the way home. Fuhgeddaboudit — dis tour delivers on ALL fronts! And da value? UN-BELIEVABLE! Your money’s well spent, paisan. So don’t sit there scratchin’ your head, wonderin’ if you should book it. What are ya waitin’ for?! BOOK DA TOUR!!! Five stars, bada bing, bada boom! 🍝🤌
Louie was very personable and knowledgeable. We enjoyed his expertise and hands on experience explaining the mob to us. Louie needs to do more tours.😃
“Louie Meatballs” was so friendly, personable, and full of great knowledge. He also had several interesting artifacts and photos that truly enhanced the tour. The spaghetti and the cannolis were delish! Highly recommend the tour!
Very cool experience, would have been nice to actually go inside more spots like we did at John’s on 12th.
Mike, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable, but was also very funny. He made the stories very relatable. I thought I knew a little bit about Mafia history, but boy, was I wrong. Mike really filled in the history in a very easy-to-understand way. Just be prepared to do a fair amount of walking!
Great guide: knowledgeable, good story teller, funny. Ideal tour for mafia enthusiasts. Good fun walking the streets of East Village on a Saturday morning if you're new to the city.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
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