About the Company

When you go on a tour with Doctor Gumbo it means you will get a passionate tour guide, fun facts you’ll actually remember, sites off the beaten path, local knowledge with world perspective, and a tour experience that’s more like a mobile social event than a flavorless death march from one old pile of bricks to the next. This is not your grandmother’s tour (unless your grandmother likes Jack Kerouac). These are Doctor Gumbo Tours…the cure for the common tour!

About the Owner

Doctor Gumbo is New Orleans native Dylan O’Donnell. He loves his city, and he loves to share it with others.

Dylan has traveled the world in search of adventure: he’s eaten his way through Sicily, hiked the Grand Canyon, swilled pints and (attempted to) sing songs in Dublin, and actually paid money in Mexico to get jolted with electricity.

After graduating University in literature and the audio-visual arts, Dylan spent a few years working several unfulfilling jobs. In 2001 he spontaneously moved to Rome to eat prosciutto, drink too much espresso and work as a tour guide of the Eternal City. For the next four years he managed a company that gave tours of the ancient monuments, the Vatican City, holy sites and pagan temples. While there he picked up the nickname Doctor Gumbo, on account of his Sunday ritual of cooking the typical New Orleans dish, gumbo, and feeding his friends.

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck his beloved hometown and he was compelled to come home. Since then, he’s worked as a graphic designer, web designer and marketing director for an award-winning New Orleans architecture firm. Additionally, he co-founded and organized a Running of the Bulls festival in New Orleans in 2007, with an attendance of 20,000 people in 2018.

In 2011 Dylan returned to the tourism industry as a tour guide, this time in his own city and state. Since then he has given hundreds of tours to thousands of people, proudly showing off his region and showing them a great time in the process.

Dylan founded Doctor Gumbo Tours in 2013 along with his wife Tracy, and is driven to give insightful, well-researched and entertaining tours of New Orleans and Southern Louisiana. With a former expat’s perspective, he can also provide insight as only a true New Orleans local can.

When he’s not guiding or planning festivals, you’re likely to find him either DJing world music in a local club, gardening in his yard, or at home cooking gumbo for his wife and four kids.

Dylan is a licensed Tour Guide and a licensed Sight Seeing Tour Guide with the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits. He is also a current member of New Orleans Orleans & Company, the Louisiana Restaurant Association, and is a guest lecturer for Tulane University.


Food History Tour in New Orleans
from $70

Sample the diversity of our rich culinary heritage & visit up to 6 locations!

Down here we're passionate about eating, so along with your guide you will visit up to 6 locations: classic Creole restaurants, neighborhood sandwich shops, hot sauce bars, artisanal candy stores and more. Once inside you'll sample different foods that represent the breadth and diversity of our culinary heritage: dishes like gumbo, Creole brisket, muffulettas, poboys, pralines and much more.

We cover New Orleans' various restaurant family dynasties, we discuss recipes old and new, we visit restaurants that pre-date the American Civil War, we recommend places to eat and places to shop. When possible the chefs come out to visit the groups and discuss their influences and passions. And with so many dining options in New Orleans, why not try 6 different places in one fell swoop?!

Food History Tour in New Orleans Highlights

  • 3-hour walking tour
  • Leisurely pace with small groups
  • Most stops feature fully stocked bars and you may enjoy cold beverages along the way - Adult or otherwise
  • Experience dishes like gumbo, Creole brisket, muffulettas, poboys, pralines and much more

  Important

  • We go rain or shine.
  • Meet at the SoBou Restaurant - 310 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70130
  • This tour features a set menu and does not have a gluten-free, pork-free or vegetarian option
  • Please notify us of any food allergies during check-out (not aversions)
  • We provide a full refund for any cancellation made 24 hours before your tour date
  • There is no refund for cancellations within 24 hour of your tour date, regardless of circumstance
  • 24 Hour cancellation policy is non-negotiable

  Inclusions

  • Food Tastings
  • Guide Fees

  Exclusions

  • Miscellaneous Expenses
  • Beverages
  • Gratuities

  Full Itinerary

We cover New Orleans' various restaurant family dynasties, we discuss recipes old and new, we visit restaurants that pre-date the American Civil War, we recommend places to eat and places to shop. When possible the chefs come out to visit the groups and discuss their influences and passions. And with so many dining options in New Orleans, why not try 6 different places in one fell swoop?!

New Orleans Cocktail History Tour (21+)
from $35

Forget Hand Grenades and Hurricanes, this tour goes beyond Bourbon Street!

 

New Orleans Cocktail History Tour (21+) Highlights

  • 3-hour walking tour
  • Expect to visit 4 venues including SoBou, the Bourbon "O" Jazz Bar and Tujague's
  • Each stop features a historic cocktail
  • Leisurely pace with small groups
  • The oldest stand-up bar, birthplace of the Grasshopper, and more.
  • Last bar features local live music at 8 PM

  Important

  • Must be 21+
  • We go rain or shine
  • Meet at Tiki Tolteca - 301 N. Peters Street, LA 70130
  • Entrance is on Bienville Street
  • Almost all cocktails are vegan-friendly.
  • Total distance of the tour is approximately one mile, so wear your fancy shoes if you want to!
  • We provide a full refund for any cancellation made 24 hours before your tour date
  • There is no refund for cancellations within 24 hour of your tour date, regardless of circumstance
  • 24 Hour cancellation policy is non-negotiable

  Inclusions

  • Cocktail Tastings
  • Guide Fees

  Exclusions

  • Miscellaneous Expenses
  • Additional Beverages
  • Food
  • Gratuities

  Full Itinerary

Join Doctor Gumbo Tours on a journey through New Orleans' historic and fascinating history of cocktails, and sample them along the way. Belly up to the oldest stand-up bar in the country, find out where the Grasshopper was invented, get the real scoop on absinthe, learn the origins of the Sazerac and discover hidden gems where locals have been imbibing for centuries. Each stop will feature a historic cocktail prepared by multiple award-winning mixologists, and your guide will give you the history behind them! Expect to visit 4 venues including SoBou, the Bourbon "O" Jazz Bar and Tujague's!

Combo Cocktail and Food History Tour in New Orleans (21+)
from $130

The BEST of both worlds! Visit 7 locations with great food and cocktails!

This 4-hour gastronomic odyssey is our way of showing you where we like to go now, and what we like to eat and drink once we're there.

Combo Cocktail and Food History Tour in New Orleans (21+) Highlights

  • 4-hour walking tour
  • Enjoy historic cocktails
  • 4 full-sized cocktails like the mighty Sazerac, the rum-heavy Hurricane, the classic Daiquiri and more!
  • Classic dishes like gumbo and alligator boudin, but also new interpretations like crawfish beignets and curried pork skins!
  • Sample up to 10 or more different dishes that represent the modern expressions of our culinary heritage
  • Leisurely pace with small groups
  • James Beard Award-nominated craft cocktail lounges, funky gastropubs, artisanal candy stores and more.

  Important

  • Must be 21+
  • We go rain or shine
  • Meet at Red Fish Grill - 115 Bourbon St, LA 70130
  • Almost all cocktails are vegan-friendly.
  • Total distance of the tour is approximately one mile, so wear your fancy shoes if you want to!
  • We provide a full refund for any cancellation made 24 hours before your tour date
  • There is no refund for cancellations within 24 hour of your tour date, regardless of circumstance
  • 24 Hour cancellation policy is non-negotiable

  Inclusions

  • Cocktail Tastings
  • Food Tastings
  • Guide Fees

  Exclusions

  • Miscellaneous Expenses
  • Additional Beverages
  • Additional Food
  • Gratuities

  Full Itinerary

Along with your guide you will visit up 7 locations: award-winning seafood restaurants, James Beard Award-nominated craft cocktail lounges, funky gastropubs, artisanal candy stores and more.

Once inside you'll sample up to 10 or more different dishes that represent the modern expressions of our culinary heritage: classic dishes like gumbo and alligator boudin, but also new interpretations like crawfish beignets and curried pork skins!

We'll also enjoy 4 full-sized cocktails like the mighty Sazerac, the rum-heavy Hurricane, the classic Daiquiri and more!

This 4-hour gastronomic odyssey is our way of showing you where we like to go now, and what we like to eat and drink once we're there.