Reviews & Press

My brother and sister purchased the Up In Smoke Texas Q Experience tour as a birthday present, and this was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received! Julia was incredible with all her knowledge of not just the BBQ spots we stopped at, but with restaurants and San Antonio history as well. We got more than a food tour, we got a true experience. I’d highly recommend any of her tours and look forward to trying many of the other restaurants she recommended in the future.

Julia organized a delightful private tour for my group of 11 co-workers. She picked us up near our hotel in a small van complete with two coolers of local brews (nice touch!). Our progressive evening started with delicious handmade masa delicacies as an appetizer. The owner gave us a private kitchen tour and explained the ancient process of nixtamalization – very cool! We then headed across the city for some traditional Texas BBQ. Everyone raves about the ribs! Last stop was a great pastry and coffee find. Throughout the tour Julia shared historical and local tidbits about the city. Several of us purchased her cook book as a souvenir and even had one of the featured chefs sign it! Thanks for a great event Julia!

My coworker and I were in town for a conference, first timers to the city! We wanted to explore the city and taste the history. Julia took us on a progressive dinner in the Pearl district. It was like meeting an old friend that was taking us to her favorite spots! Everyone knew her and we were treated like VIPs. The food was great, she challenged us to step out of our comfort zone and try new things, while accommodating our palates. We let her order for us and all of the food was marvelous! We opted for a few cocktails which were also good recommendations. We were stuffed (don’t eat before you go) at the end of the night. Julia also gave us great recommendations for other places to go while we were in town. Worth the money! Do the tour at the beginning of your trip so you can get her recommendations.

We like doing food tours in different cities and this tour was one of the best we’ve been on. Julia, the owner and guide, is highly knowledgeable about The Pearl, San Antonio restaurants, and has a personal relationship with many of regions chefs! We visited 3 restaurants for a wonderful customized progressive dinner. it was a really great evening and I highly recommend this tour for any ‘foodie’ out there!

If you’ve wanted to spend an evening sampling food/restaurants with a professional food critic, this is your opportunity. Julia selected the restaurants and ordered a variety of foods at each of three restaurants. We had a wonderful evening.

My group of 6 women (ages 32 to 70) absolutely loved our time with Julia exploring the culinary scene in San Antonio. We did the brunch tour that started at 10am and concluded around 1:30pm with stops at three places. Julia was personable, welcoming and intelligent from the get-go and she fit in perfectly with our crew. She ordered all of the food at each of the restaurants so we didn’t even have to think about. We then shared all of the dishes family style. Coffee and non-alcoholic drinks were included and we each paid for any alcohol (mimosas!). We had the most wonderful afternoon with Julia and all agreed it was one of the highlights of our trip and was worth every penny! I highly recommend this!

Julia was fabulous! My mom, sister and I took her Tex Mexican tour and it was the highlight of our trip to San Antonio. Julia’s bubbly and hilarious personality kept the day fun and entertaining. She taught and showed us sights unique to the city and each place was just as amazing as the last. My tongue is still dancing from all the flavors I experienced today. The highlight for me was actually meeting the owner and chef of Lala’s Gorditas and getting a very personalized tour of his corn mill and restaurant, and learning the history of his family and his love for food. I highly recommend doing a tour with Julia. You’ll leave wanting to be her best friend and dropping in to her kitchen for dinner. Cheers!!

Wonderful day spent with Julia. She is delightful, entertaining and very knowledgeable. We chose the international food tour where we enjoyed Moroccan, Filipino and Middle Eastern cuisine. We also visited a Middle Eastern grocery store and market. What a treat we had! She has personal relationships with the owners of the restaurants which made our visits even more pleasurable. We went with our two teenage boys and they too, had a fabulous time. She was delightful! Would highly recommend.

Julia was an awesome host! Our group had a raving time with a memorable ‘Michelin’ curated experience.

As usual, Julia did a great job of picking restaurants and menu items. This was our third tour and my son’s first. He and his wife were delighted. We’ll be back.

Activity for 8 and no car. Town history, delicious food from exceptional chefs. HIGHLY recommended. Julia was wonderful!

This food tour was beyond amazing. Julia was a wealth of knowledge and just plain fun to enjoy and evening out with. She made my husband’s 50th Bday celebration beyond wonderful

Highly recommend this tour. Julia customized a tour for my sister and I to learn about food and cooking culture in SA. Julia at up a tamale cooking class for us, toured an artisanal tortilla maker, and shopped at a Mercado. We loved it.

We had a wonderful tour with Julia. She shared so much history about San Antonio we felt like we got 2 tours! The food was excellent and she was very attentive to our needs. We loved dropping in to Jazz, TX. We went back the next night and had a wonderful time listening to great jazz.