Jan 11, 2025
A wonderful evening! - Put your feet on the ground and join Soham for an unforgettable experience of a part of Kolkata you won't get on your own. His food/alleyway tour is underpinned by his knowledge, enthusiasm and love of his neighbourhood. When he says you should arrive hungry he wasn't joking. It's a great way to get an insight into a very old part of Kolkata. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 10, 2025
A rewarding experience- dont miss it! - We did the alleyway food tour last night and it was absolutely fantastic. A truly wonderful way to experience life in Kolkata. Soham is so knowledgeable and gives you a great history of the city, the food, the people. He doesn't overload you with information but gives a perfect balance. He is passionate about what he does which is one of the reasons that he isso successful.
The food is wonderful. Make sure you arrive hungry! We adored everything we tried. We got to try local specialities we didn't know existed and we can't wait to have them again.
This was by far the highlight of our 3 days in Kolkata. It is a must if you are staying in Kolkata. Make sure and book early as the word is out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 3, 2025
A neighborhood, a city, a country......and lovely food! - The Alleyway Food Tour was a perfect late afternoon/early evening slice of current life (& past lives...) in a historic Kolkata residential neighborhood. Historic in the sense that it is an old neighborhood with 4th & 5th generations of the same family still living in their family's homes, a time capsule of Kolkata architecture and living. The tour starts, naturally, in front of Soham's family home. From there we wandered the neighborhood lanes & alleys learning the history and stories of this neighborhood, Kolkata and India itself.
I was aware that Kolkata had formerly been the capital of India during the British Raj. And that Kolkata is the intellectual & cultural capital of India....but what that meant in historical terms, not so much. Soham gives fascinating insights into the actions of ordinary Bengalis and the not-so-ordinary Bengalis such as Subhas Bose who pushed India forward towards independence.
But ultimately I came to Kolkata for the food of West Bengal.....one of the major cuisines of India that I hadn't experienced yet. Soham's selection of Bengali street food, whether from a specific vendor's street cart or a historic hole-in-the-wall, was the perfect mix of all types of savory & sweet, veg & non-veg. I couldn't pick a favorite....it was all REALLY GOOD! He has carefully selected his vendors and pays attention to hygiene protocols. (To be blunt, the day after the tour I am no worse for the wear....)
Soham is extremely knowledgeable and has an easy, comfortable guiding style. Every question was welcomed and answered thoughtfully. I heartily recommend this tour to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 27, 2024
Extremely enjoyable & informative! - One hell of a food tour that we’ll be raving about for some years to come
Soham was brilliant, warm and personable, extremely considerate - took all necessary hygiene precautions with thought to traveller’s sometimes delicate constitutions & very importantly, really well informed about Kolkata’s history & culture.
As a Bengali returning after decades, with a group of people from different nationalities, it was impressive how the tour pleased all of us
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 27, 2024
Great tour - Wonderful walking food tour. Soham was very knowledgeable and really considerate of all participants on the tour. Really enjoyable and lots of delicious food along the way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 25, 2024
GOOD FOOD & VERY INFORMATIVE - Soham was very good, his knowledge of the area was fantastic (he is a local boy)
The food......simply delicious.
Tour was very well run...a very good tour that I would recommend to any visitor to Kolkata
Review provided by Viator
Dec 12, 2024
Exceptional human and culinary experience - Wow! What to say? The experience lived next to our guide Soham, is something you can not forget. Calcutta Capsule Food Tour has made me and my wife discover a part of the history of India and Kolkata through memories as a child of Soham, where aromas and flavors are part of his fantastic personality. Walking the streets of Shyambazar is like diving at the bottom of a sea of amazing human beings and must-see places.
What to say? Thank you very much for that fantastic taste trip and culture. Small precision: We are a vegetarian and vegan couple, and Soham has done it in such a way that he has amazed us with all his proposals.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 12, 2024
To do absolutely! - Not only did my husband and I enjoy vegetarian and vegan dishes and desserts, but we also loved listening to Soham Chakrabarty tell us about his childhood memories in this lively and authentic neighborhood and explain some great moments in the history of Kolkata and India. We've learned a lot. This food tour is truly a unique and valuable experience. And today we went back to taste some of these delicious street food dishes again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 11, 2024
The best walking tour I’ve ever been on! - We had the most incredible time eating our way through the streets of Calcutta, a culinary as well as visual feast. The experience was delightfully curated, with Soham a most knowledgeable and charming guide: he opened our eyes to Calcutta’s history, culture, and the stories that have shaped the city, through the lens of food. We did this tour on our first day in Calcutta and now on our way out, still vote it as by far the best experience we had. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it is the best walking tour / food tour I’ve ever done. Would really recommend.
P.S. if you’re worried about street food and food safety, don’t be - Soham ensured at every step that the preparers of the food were taking every caution, from wearing gloves to using mineral water. Our tummies were absolutely fine, apart from being really full with all the deliciousness.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 8, 2024
Fun, delicious and such variety - We loved the food tour with Soham at 4pm yesterday (our third tour with him) and
ate the most delicious Bengali specialities non-stop for 3.5 hours. For someone who never eats street food, I ate everything: chicken kebabs with delicious fine onions, capsicums and spices, mutton (goat) from the city’s famous Golbari, deep fried eggplant and onion in chick pea flour, little newspaper packets of freshly puffed rice with the most delicious herbs and vegetables and a squirt of mustard oil, Indian ice cream made with date sugar (jaggery) and the prettiest cakes from a shop that has been selling cakes for generations that add up to 150 years. Even the street vendor with phuchka - tiny puffed wheat pockets (that he filled with potatoes and chillies and fresh tamarind juice) was third generation and had been selling them for 31 years. Soham managed all but 2 courses gluten free (the fish cutlet and the roll around the egg chicken kati roll) Astonishing! Usually I can’t eat anything on a food tour. The food is totally safe and hygienic. Soham had an arrangement with the charming people at the restaurants, streets stalls, shops that they wear gloves and use bottled water. What a guy. He weaves some fascinating Kolkata history into the food tour.
Soham asked my husband and I what was our favourite tour? It’s so hard to pick one because each one offers such an authentic insight into one of the world’s great cities, Kolkata. Soham’s tours are expansive, mind blowing and totally delicious. With each one I had some of the greatest food I had ever eaten.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
