Tony Muia: Serving Groups a True Slice of Brooklyn

As a Respiratory Therapist of 20 years, Tony Muia spent his days taking care of people on ventilators. During his time off, he enjoyed traveling to discover new places.

“I worked 12-hour shifts, which afforded me four days a week of travel time,” Muia recalled. On his travels around the world, he’d often ask locals for advice and information. “Many times, they’d even show me around.”

During these conversations, it became apparent to Muia that people were fascinated with his hometown, Brooklyn, New York.

“Whether it was pizza, Coney Island, the Brooklyn Dodgers or even movies shot in Brooklyn, when those same people would in turn visit New York City, I’d show them Brooklyn like they showed me their hometowns. 

By 2003, Muia was burned out from working in healthcare and needed a change. He’d since been jokingly dubbed “The Ambassador of Brooklyn” by friends, family and visitors, so on August 1, 2005, he founded A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours (asliceofbrooklyn.com), a company offering guided bus tours showcasing Brooklyn’s favorite foods, neighborhoods, landmarks and movie locations. His Pizza Tour was the company’s first offering.

“We provide step-on guide service for groups, as well as discounted group pricing, and can accommodate up to 55 passengers on every tour,” Muia explained. “We also use a different audio-visual DVD presentation on the screens of the bus for every tour with slides, music, and movie clips to enhance the overall tour experience. At the end of each tour, everyone receives a commemorative, souvenir fridge magnet of the tour to take home. Our tours include the Pizza Tour, the Chocolate Tour, the Best of Brooklyn Tour and the Christmas Lights Tour.”

As 2025 marks 20 years as a company, Muia takes great pride in all he’s accomplished along the way, including being voted the no. 1 tour of Brooklyn five years in a row and being featured on Good Morning America, TODAY, the Travel Channel and Good Morning Britain—among others.

“We’ve done private tours for large corporations, employee outings, team building events, and grandparents bringing their families back to the old neighborhoods on their birthdays to show them where they grew up,” Muia said. “We’ve even done wedding parties—both before and after the wedding!”

Muia’s passion for Brooklyn shines through, just as it did in 2005 when he assisted then Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz in his push to develop Brooklyn Tourism. He’s since seen the destination explode in popularity, and has grown alongside it while continuing to offer visitors the authentic Brooklyn experience.

“One of the best compliments we’ve ever received was when a client said they felt like a friend was showing them around and they were receiving a real insider’s view of Brooklyn,” said Muia, who gave this straightforward reply when asked if he had anything else to add to our conversation:

“Manhattan? FUHGETTABOUDIT!”

DID YOU KNOW?

Tony loves heavy metal and his favorite band is Motorhead. “I’ve seen them 75 times, met them numerous times and got Lemmy’s autograph tattooed on my arm after he signed it before a show.”

Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.

This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec ’25 issue of Groups Today.