About Us
The Local Sauce Tours Story
My name is Justin, I’m the guy with the “tour guide hands” in the photo. I started Local Sauce Tours back in 2018 after escaping a corporate law career. I realised that I was working around a lot of unhappy people and I thought, “I want to work in a more enjoyable industry – let’s try tourism!”
From starting with one walking tour on a Saturday morning offered on Airbnb Experiences, we’ve grown to offer a wide range of unique tours and experiences, led by a team of amazing hosts.
In 2022 and 2023, we were awarded Gold in the NSW Tourism Awards for Cultural Tourism. We’re also ranked #1 for all Tours & Activities in Sydney on TripAdvisor, so you’re making a great decision to explore Sydney with us.
What our tours are like
Our tours focus on showing guests around Sydney with an expert local, weaving in entertaining stories about the area while visiting excellent, independently-owned bars, restaurants and cafes.
We limit our group sizes on all of our tours to 12 people, as we’ve found this is the magic number for guests to meet each other, bond and have a fun time. If you’re visiting Sydney or travelling solo, you’ll probably meet people on the tour to hang out with while you’re here!
You’ll quickly discover that a tour with us is a little bit different to a regular one, as we focus on making it feel like you’re just in a group of new friends hanging out and enjoying themselves, with your host keeping everything flowing and telling you stories.
Our promise
We love having each and every guest along on our tours. Whether you’re visiting Sydney or a local looking for something new to do, we know that you can choose from a million other activities – but you chose to join one of our tours and hang out with us!
We take that commitment from you seriously and will do everything we can to give you an amazing experience and the best possible introduction to Sydney. We guarantee you’re going to love the Sydney that we show you so much, you’ll be asking “when’s the next tour?” and booking again with us!
Since we started, we’ve received thousands of 5-star reviews on Airbnb, Google, TripAdvisor and Facebook. Check some recent ones out below.
We’ve received over 2,000 five-star reviews
All Reviews 5.0
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Google 4.9
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TripAdvisor 5.0
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Airbnb 5.0
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Facebook 5.0
- Diana Diethei03/05/2024Their ultimate Sydney tour is ideal for both first-time visitors to Sydney and those who have been there before! Justin is an outstanding guide, leading small groups to carefully selected stops. Enjoying a beer with Opera and Harbour view at the end of the tour was the perfect way to wrap up the experience. Thank you!read moreread less
- Lauren28/04/2024A great tour in such an interesting location! A lot covered in such a small area! Nice balance between cultural aspects and food and drink. Justin was a great guide and had a great knowledge of the area and happy to help with any follow up advice. Would highly recommend the tour especially if you want to see a different side of Sydneyread moreread less
- BunnyH2928/04/2024Brilliant and very interesting I went on the tour yesterday and I have to say Justin and the tour was excellent and fantastic value for money. His knowledge of the city and the pace he moves you through the different sectors is perfect
Justin finished with a beer which was a great way to end and last night sent a google list of some exciting bars and restaurants and as I’m new to the city I’ll definitely be trying
10/10. Don’t hesitate just book yourself on the tourread moreread less - Liane6723/04/2024Good food and interesting history in one tour Very informative and enjoyable tour of Chinatown with friendly and accommodating tour guide Eddie. Ample food tastings trying dishes we would not usually order. Now have greater appreciation of the area, the people and increased confidence as to what to order and were to go in Chinatown. A little sweet morsel at the end of the tour would have been a nice way to finish though.read moreread lesscandidtravelers22/04/2024Highly recommend this tour! This tour was the perfect way to start the few days we had in Sydney after disembarking from our cruise ship. Justin is an enthusiastic Sydney expert and the route and his narration gave us a very good sense of Sydney (past and present), as well as orienting us for further exploration on our own. Our tour started near the ferry terminal (near our hotel) and ended (brilliant!) at a brewery/bar. We highly recommend Justin and Local Sauce Tours.read moreread less
- Helen Sharp20/04/2024I was gifted a voucher for Local Sauce tours for my 40th. My husband and I had a fabulous time on the Newtown street art and food tour- we are Sydney locals who saw a new side to Newtown and learnt so much about the food and graffiti scene. Our tour guide was amazing 🤩read moreread less
- Margaret C20/04/2024Fun and informative tour of Chinatown which also included great food. Thoroughly enjoyed this informative but also fun tour. We ate some delicious food and learnt some interesting facts about the Chinese in Australia. I was particularly pleased as all my dietary requirements were met. Definitely want to do another tour with this company.read moreread less
- TK Gibson19/04/2024Great host (Mitch) who was very knowledgeable and kept the group in high spirits and was a great vibe to be around. He took us to some great bars most of are easy to walk by if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Highly recommend Local Sauce tours especially if you are new to the area.read moreread less
- Diana Diethei03/05/2024Their ultimate Sydney tour is ideal for both first-time visitors to Sydney and those who have been there before! Justin is an outstanding guide, leading small groups to carefully selected stops. Enjoying a beer with Opera and Harbour view at the end of the tour was the perfect way to wrap up the experience. Thank you!read moreread less
- Helen Sharp20/04/2024I was gifted a voucher for Local Sauce tours for my 40th. My husband and I had a fabulous time on the Newtown street art and food tour- we are Sydney locals who saw a new side to Newtown and learnt so much about the food and graffiti scene. Our tour guide was amazing 🤩read moreread less
- TK Gibson19/04/2024Great host (Mitch) who was very knowledgeable and kept the group in high spirits and was a great vibe to be around. He took us to some great bars most of are easy to walk by if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Highly recommend Local Sauce tours especially if you are new to the area.read moreread less
- HY Tan02/04/2024We took the tour hosted by Mitch, and it was wonderful! The bars were great, and it’s a really good crash course on some of the interesting places that are off the beaten track. Our group was a little larger than I expected, but it had a diverse mix of people and it was good company. Our guide, Mitch, was superb. There was history, stories, even current affairs woven into the conversation, and he was warm and personable.read moreread less
- BunnyH2928/04/2024I went on the tour yesterday and I have to say Justin and the tour was excellent and fantastic value for money. His knowledge of the city and the pace he moves you through the different sectors is perfect
Justin finished with a beer which was a great way to end and last night sent a google list of some exciting bars and restaurants and as I’m new to the city I’ll definitely be trying
10/10. Don’t hesitate just book yourself on the tourread moreread less - Liane6723/04/2024Very informative and enjoyable tour of Chinatown with friendly and accommodating tour guide Eddie. Ample food tastings trying dishes we would not usually order. Now have greater appreciation of the area, the people and increased confidence as to what to order and were to go in Chinatown. A little sweet morsel at the end of the tour would have been a nice way to finish though.read moreread lesscandidtravelers22/04/2024This tour was the perfect way to start the few days we had in Sydney after disembarking from our cruise ship. Justin is an enthusiastic Sydney expert and the route and his narration gave us a very good sense of Sydney (past and present), as well as orienting us for further exploration on our own. Our tour started near the ferry terminal (near our hotel) and ended (brilliant!) at a brewery/bar. We highly recommend Justin and Local Sauce Tours.read moreread lessMargaret C20/04/2024Thoroughly enjoyed this informative but also fun tour. We ate some delicious food and learnt some interesting facts about the Chinese in Australia. I was particularly pleased as all my dietary requirements were met. Definitely want to do another tour with this company.read moreread less
- dmshackley15/04/2024Really enjoyable and informative tour, Michael was very knowledgeable and accommodating to everyone in the group.
This was our second visit to Sydney and although we’d seen some of the points of interest before it was good to learn about them and understand their significance.
Would definitely recommend this tour.read moreread lessRoss P15/04/2024WE had a great time with Justin who told us a lot about the street art and introduced us to the varying foods avaiable in the Newtown area. It was really worthwhile even for locals like myself and my wife. Great mix of walking around and sitting down to relax and try the various foods. Highly recommended. Do it with Justin if you can.read moreread less - Barbara E14/04/2024Justin and Daniel were very personable, fun and informative. The confirmation included all the information I needed and Justin was very helpful in answering any other questions I had afterwards via email. The ANZAC cookies and beverage at the end were the icing on the cake! I’ve never been on a tour that ended in such a friendly manner – sitting together, sharing a drink and a chat. Thanks, guys, for a great experience.read moreread lessjerrywC8737HB14/04/2024We spent 3+ hours walking the streets of Sydney with Justin. He was extremely knowledgeable and had a comfortable way of communicating his knowledge of the sights and history of Sydney. During our tour he offered suggestions for places we might want to spend more time and where we might find good food and drink. A final touch of the tour was a local beverage at a harbor restaurant and bar.read moreread less
- BlueScotch07/04/2024I’ve done walking tours in many cities around the world and I have to say the tour I took with Justin and Local Sauce was absolutely one of the best of any city. Highly informative, I learned a lot about Australian history and culture. It also was very well organized, following an easy to understand chronological set of stories while walking from site to site. Just the right mix of walking and stories. It covered a lot of ground in the three hours, wrapping up on the waterfront in the Rocks. I highly recommend this tour, it was one of the true highlights of my trip to Sydney!read moreread less
- Lauren28/04/2024A great tour in such an interesting location! A lot covered in such a small area! Nice balance between cultural aspects and food and drink. Justin was a great guide and had a great knowledge of the area and happy to help with any follow up advice. Would highly recommend the tour especially if you want to see a different side of Sydneyread moreread less
- Darlene06/04/2024We have been to Sydney before but never did a walking tour. I wish we had. Justin did an excellent job of weaving together the history with sightseeing and recommendations on places you should eat and drink. We now know the city so much better and know where we want to get next. Thanks Justin!read moreread less
- Nicole06/04/2024Die Tour war gut durchgeplant, informativ und ereignisreich. Man lernt viel über die Geschichte Sydneys und entdeckt tolle Orte. Und dabei meiner Wahrnehmung nach nicht nur die „Basics“, sondern auch wirklich kleine Details, die eine tolle Bereicherung des Stadtbildes darstellen.read moreread lessMark And Florence02/04/2024We really enjoyed our tour with Justin and Daniel! We liked the style of the tour which encompassed a variety of information about Sidney such as some Aboriginal stories/history, arrival of Dutch/British explorers, early settlement, historical buildings/architecture/preservation and historical figures who played a major role in the development of Sidney. In the process we learned where to eat, shop, and enjoy a beverage!read moreread less
- Laura31/03/2024If you like unique experiences, street art and a wide range of foods, this tour is for you. Newtown is old Sydney, a bit grungy/artsy with cool restaurants & eateries with lots of street art & graffiti. We inadvertently had our tour on Easter Sunday and Justin did a great pivoting with different restaurants for us to try that were open. Some better than others but all were very tasty. It’s a very different tour than the usual tourist walking tour. If you are interested is a neighborhood you probably would not visit on your own, this is it. Enjoy the adventure!read moreread lessLaura31/03/2024We had a wonderful time. Bunny, our guide, is absolutely adorable and very food & history knowledgeable. Plenty of food to try. There’s a lot of walking, but a great to explore the area and see restaurants that most likely you would never go to. This tour is a great introduction to China Town!read moreread lessSoham31/03/2024What a great way to experience Sydney’s rich Chinese community and culinary history. We thoroughly enjoyed learning and eating and Bunny’s infectious energy and passion really shines through and really made this tour a memorable one. We’ll be sure to checkout other tours on our next trip!read moreread less
- Ben Scott05/02/2023Awesome experience doing the Chinatown food tour today! Both my parents couldn’t stop raving about this experience and the food they would never of eaten plus the local art work we would have just walked past/ history of the area.
This was a great experience and could recommend this tour highly enough. As a Sydney sider I was gob smacked with how good the tour was! Definetly will be back for more tours! Thanks for the awesome hospitality Justin!read moreread less - Melis Akiz14/01/2020Aussie You’s Secret Bar Crawl covering the Darlinghurst and Surry Hills neighborhoods was easily the highlight of my time in Sydney! Justin took us to some really unique places and made sure that everyone in the group connected well that most of us chose to continue our night after the tour was completed. You should definitely try this tour and I promise you will not just have a blast but also enjoy a unique experience with a knowledgeable and caring guide that you will not forget.read moreread less
- Kate Chen14/12/2019Justin的bar crawl非常值得來參加!整個晚上就像是有個當地朋友帶你去只有當地人才知道的酒吧去玩,他選了風格不同且都很獨特的酒吧,是我們不會知道要去的地方。
Justin人非常友善及幽默風趣,讓你覺得很自在放鬆且有趣!
另外他中文説得也很不錯,所以不用擔心英文不夠好。很推薦參加Justin的bar crawl tour 完美體驗當地夜生活 :)
Justin’s bar crawl is so much fun! It’s like a local friend showing you around the coolest bars while you visit his city! He picked the bars that you would not go by yourselves and he is very friendly and fun to hang out with! Perfect for solo travelers to meet new friends and enjoy local night vibe! Highly recommended!read moreread lessBen Ridding11/12/20195 out of 5 stars. Joined the hidden bar tour after finding a flyer for AussieYou Tours in the hostel I was staying. Tour was great, got to see a completely different bar scene that you would just not find from google searches or normal research methods. Pretty sure that most Sydney residents would not be aware of some of the bars we went to. Justin was a fantastic host, as well as taking the group around cool bars he kept the group entertained with interesting history on Sydney and teaching us Aussie Slang. Would recommend this tour for anybody visiting Sydney and for Sydney residents who want to see a side to the city they might not have been before.read moreread less - Sarah Ann12/04/2019I went on Justin’s secret city bar crawl tour in Sydney with a friend. We had such an amazing time that we had to book the secret Surry Hills bar crawl as well! Both nights were exceptional and Justin is a really good host! The bars we went to were really cool and I definitely would not of stumbled across them!! I really do recommend going on these tours if you are in Sydney, you won’t be disappointed!read moreread less