Cooking Class with San José Central Market Visit, San José

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From the buzzy Mercado Central to a local's kitchen, you'll learn how to shop and cook as the Costa Ricans do.
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Overview

Dive into Costa Rica's food culture on a hands-on cooking experience that takes you from San José's historic Central Market straight to the kitchen. Led by a native host and local chef, you'll peruse colorful market stalls, learn about traditional ingredients and agricultural practices, and prepare classic Costa Rican and Latin American dishes from scratch. With a market visit, coffee tasting, tropical drinks, and a shared meal at the end, this immersive experience is perfect for hungry travelers eager to connect with local culture through food.
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Few experiences in the capital feel as genuinely insider as this market-to-kitchen offering. With a guide who knows exactly where to go—and which vendors to prioritize—you'll navigate the overwhelmingly large market complex, shopping Mercado Central the way locals actually do before carrying your bounty into the kitchen. The result? An immersive experience that authentically encapsulates San José's everyday rhythms and flavors.

Gems are a curated collection of exceptional stays, activities, and locations that capture what makes traveling with kimkim special. Handpicked and vetted by our team of experts, they stand out among our offerings for having a particularly authentic sense of place, an elevated feel and aesthetic, and above-and-beyond hospitality. In short, Gems are our most memorable travel experiences—and we hope they'll soon be yours, too.

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Highlights

  • Shop for fresh ingredients at San José's 120-year-old Mercado Central with a local host
  • Discover the art of brewing coffee the traditional way with an authentic coffee-tasting experience
  • Prepare classic dishes like ceviche, empanadas, and picadillos during a hands-on cooking class
  • Sip mojitos and tropical drinks as you cook alongside a local chef
  • Enjoy the satisfaction of a homemade meal and newly acquired culinary skills

Know before you go

Duration
3h
Recommended for
5 years old & up
Group
Small group, 12 people or less
Food & Drink
Lunch Included. Market and coffee tastings, tropical juices, mojitos, mango shot, soft drinks

What you'll do

Meeting your guide and fellow foodies, you'll stroll the short distance along San José's streets to make your way to Mercado Central, one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Dating back more than a century, this lively market is packed with stalls selling traditional foods, fresh produce, and local beverages. Your host will introduce you to the ingredients that underpin Costa Rican cuisine, sharing insights into local farming practices, seasonal products, and everyday food traditions.

After gathering the freshest ingredients, you'll head into the kitchen, where the cooking portion of the experience unfolds. You'll prepare the country's favorites, such as ceviche, sweet plantain empanadas, picadillos, and crispy patacones, under the watchful eye of your chef, all the while learning new skills and recipes you can easily recreate at home. You'll enjoy a relaxed atmosphere as you cook, sipping your choice of mojito, soft drink, and tropical juice, making the experience feel more like cooking with friends than attending a formal class.

Then, once everything is ready, you'll sit down together to dine on the meal and dessert you've created, which is soon complemented by a brief coffee-tasting session, where you'll also get to learn how to brew coffee the Costa Rican way.

Start times

  • Monday
    10:00 am, 3:00 pm
  • Tuesday
    Not available
  • Wednesday
    10:00 am, 3:00 pm
  • Thursday
    Not available
  • Friday
    10:00 am, 3:00 pm
  • Saturday
    Not available
  • Sunday
    Not available

What's included

  • Four-course lunch
  • Coffee tasting
  • Tropical juices, mojitos, mango shots

Like what you see?

Chat with our local specialists and let us help you customize your trip with experiences like this.

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Like what you see?

Chat with our local specialists and let us help you customize your trip with experiences like this.

Get started

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