note from Kathy: Dave the Traveling Music Man and I were treated to complimentary self-guided food tours in Rome, Italy from the Food Tour App, Bitemojo. We each wrote separate reviews and our reviews are entirely our own opinions. Here’s Dave’s post.
Howdy everyone! Dave the Traveling Music Man here! I know you missed me so I’ll get on it right away!
The question, as we are all aware of when we travel is where are we going to eat once we are there. Of course the usual suspects are recommendations from people (as well as using Yelp and Trip Adviser) that have been to places before us. However, everyone has a different palate and preference on where to eat. It can be daunting finding that “one” right place.
Recently, Kathy and I went to Italy for a well needed vacation. In Rome, we had the pleasure of meeting GianCarlo Mott of a food tour app called bitemojo.
What is bitemojo? It is a wonderful concept that gives you an opportunity to mix history and local cuisine sampling in one easily navigated application (on your iOS phone or Android). It gives the client an opportunity to learn about the city that they are in; as well as to taste different foods and visit restaurants in the area they are in. It makes the experience of eating an adventure.
Judean Artichoke (photo: bitemojo website)
Bitemojo is currently available in 5 cities: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Berlin, Barcelona and Rome. In Rome, there are two different food tours: Trastavere and Campo de’ Fioro to the Jewish Quarter. We were treated to the latter tour. (note: some of the vendors were closed because the last week in August is typically a holiday week in Rome. Bitemojo arranges other alternate vendors in instances such as this).
This is how the website describes the bitemojo experience:
bitemojo – the ultimate food discovery experience!
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Completely independent – No guide, no group, it’s just you and your smartphone.
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Affordable price – 6 substantial bites, starting at €25 only (€35 in Rome)
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Earn free biteCredits – You will be able to use them anywhere in the world where there is a bitemojo experience.
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The fairest experience – you can stop anytime and continue in another day, or even in another destination.
To begin, you start off by downloading the application and signing up. Once you have done that, you choose the food tour that is in that particular city.
Once you have signed up for a food tour, bitemojo gives you meeting point and then the adventure begins.
The app has a GPS to direct you from one food sampling restaurant to another. On the way to your “bite”, the bitemojo app shows you historic points of interest along the way so that you can get a feel of the area while you’re going to your destination. This makes the experience feel like so much more than a food tour. (note that the GPS portion of the app right now is intended for car. Therefore, if you know how to navigate a GPS, you can find short cuts to avoid going farther than you have to go. We were told that they are working on fixing this issue).
The restaurants on the app are listed in numerical order. That is a suggestion of the route and order of restaurants. However, if you are (for example) a vegan, you can skip a place for another on the tour if that particular restaurant is not to your life style.
Kathy and I showing our bitemojo apps
When you get to a restaurant, you then show the bitemojo app to the waiter or host. You’ll be greeted and seated and brought a “bite” of what the restaurant has to offer. Some of the bites we experienced included a glass of wine and a snack at a quaint wine restaurant, a Judean artichoke at a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter, and a mini tiramisu, prepared right in front of us, at a dessert establishment.
Our first “bite” was a glass of wine and some Roman snacks. The gentleman in the middle was from Australia and joined us on our bitemojo journey.
After you are finished with the restaurant, you can give a review of what you thought about the restaurant. By reviewing a restaurant, you earn bites for future tours. Once you are done with a “bite,” you can then go on to the next vendor. However, if you got filled up on the food that you just ate, you can save the rest of the tour for another day (or even another city!). That’s because each tour is good for up to six months. You can split the bites into different countries if you like. It is a very flexible situation.
Yum…. Tiramisu
If you’re like me and can’t stand choosing places on a trip that aren’t worth spending your money in, bitemojo is a great way to introduce yourself to eating establishments that you might not normally find on your trip. The experience was fun, we learned a lot along the way, and the food was great.
Bitemojo got my culinary mojo working that works on me!
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
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