Cooking Class in Quito with Chef, Market Tour and Transportation
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Quito, Ecuador
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
A new place offers so many new experiences but when you go home, all you have is the pictures of your time there. This Quito Cooking Class and Market Tour with Professional Chef lets you bring home much more than just photos, as you'll learn to make traditional recipes with a gourmet twist in old town Quito.
- Go on a tour in Quito's Central Market while you pick up fresh produce
- Enjoy a cooking class in the heart of historic Quito in a colonial building
- Learn to make three traditional dishes of Ecuador with recipes to take home
- A morning start time leave your evening free for other plans
Sample Menu
Starter
Locro de Papa (Potato Cheese Soup)
The Locro de Papa is a classic dish from Quito. It is a savory dish, with tons of cheese, potatoes and decorated with an avocado rose.
Starter
Quinoa Soup
For those that are lactose intolerant a Quinoa Soup is right up their alley.
Main
Traditional Quito Shrimp Ceviche
Served with shrimp cooked to perfection, onions, various tomato textures, and orange juice. (The starter dish can be modified to your requests)
Main
Chicken or Veggie Tamales
Tamales are made in an achira leaf and cooked in a special pot for tamales. They are fun to make and very tasty.
Main
Empanadas
Empanadas are such a tasty treat. We can make cheese filled, cheese and onion filled or chicken stew filled empanadas.
Main
Encocado de Pescado (Coconut Fish Dish)
You will cook the fish with a delicious coconut sauce. The fish is served with yellow rice, plantain chips, and a garden salad.
Dessert
Chocolate Soup
The dish includes a variety of Ecuadorian fresh fruits and a chocolate sauce made with real Ecuadorian cocoa and a bit of liquor.
Dessert
Quimbolito Quiteño (Fluffy cake in a leaf)
Quimbolitos are awesome, they are a traditional dessert in Quito, a fluffy cake steamed inside an achira leaf.
What's Included
- Lunch
- Tour of Central Market and Cooking Class
- Apron and chef hat for use during cooking class
- Soda/PopLocal Fruit Juice
- Recipes
- Extra food and drinks not mentioned on itinerary
- Tips for the chef/guide
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We can pick you up from a hotel in urban Quito. If you are staying in the Historic Center we will stop by your hotel and walk to the market with you. If you are staying close to the airport please let us know and we can have you meet us at the JW Marriott or we can arrange for a pick-up service.
What To Expect
1
Mercado Central
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Hayley_M
So much fun! My husband and I highly recommend this cooking class and market tour while in Quito. We learned so much and had so much fun. The food was fantastic and everyone was so kind. They went above and beyond and helped us navigate the metro to our next hotel after the class. Such a wonderful experience!
Reviews
4.9
based on 222 reviews
Neil_B, Mar 2026
It is well worth doing. The chef is great and the food is delicious.
In particular, I liked the way the chef ensured that you could do the recioes back home
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Neil, thanks for your great review. I enjoyed meeting y'all at the market and the ladies had a blast with you. Hope you had a great time in Galapagos. Cheers!
Julane_A, Mar 2026
We really enjoyed an intimate cooking class that made us feel like we were in our chef’s home. We were timely picked up at our hotel and taken to the Centrale Mercado where our driver introduced us to an Ecuadorian smoothly and led us through the market to purchase fruits and vegetables to be used in our cooking class. We then went to a 200 year old hacienda style building where we met our chefs Margorita and Silvia. The 3 students each got our aprons and chef hats. We prepared a 3 course meal under Margorita’s supervision including a hot spiced fruit drink, a traditional potato soup with shrimp ceviche and plantains with a Babaco dessert. We were very comfortable with the whole experience. The recipes were provided so that we could enjoy these treats at home.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Julane, Im so happy you enjoyed your cooking class with the ladies. They had a blast with y'all. Hope you have a wonderful time in Galapagos. Cheers!
David_D, Feb 2026
After being picked up at the hotel by Andres, we stopped at the Central Mkt, where we were introduced to a very good fruit drink/smoothie. We then were shown a smorgasbord of fruits, vegetables and flowers which opened our eyes to new delights. We proceeded to sample a few items, which of course are not available in the U.S., for our cooking class. Upon arriving at the class destination, we were introduced to Sylvia (sous chef) and Margola (chef). Both were very friendly, inviting and just open to any questions that we may have had. We started of mixing ingredients for our Canelazo, (cinnamon drink), in the preparation area, and which Sylvie then took back to the stove to boil. Next came the Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche AND the potato soup. Both were kind of prepped at the same time to coordinate cooking times. At the end everything was cooked to perfection. The simple preparation and ease of preparation of the foods helped us realize you don’t have to be a master chef to prepare simple yet quality meals.
It was a truly delightful and delicious experience which we highly recommend to anyone visiting Quito
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi David, thanks for the amazing review. I had a great time with you guys at the market and the ladies enjoyed their time with y'all. Have a great time in Ecuador. Cheers!
Peter_O, Feb 2026
Excellent cooking class experience with chef Margola and sous chef Sylvia. Andres picked us up at our hotel and delivered us to the class. Enjoyed a great meal that we helped prepare and will definitely try her recipes. Highly recommend!!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi Peter, thanks for the great review. The whole gang had a great time with your group :) Hope you had a great time in Galapagos and Ecuador as a whole. Cheers!
Hayley_M, Feb 2026
So much fun! My husband and I highly recommend this cooking class and market tour while in Quito. We learned so much and had so much fun. The food was fantastic and everyone was so kind. They went above and beyond and helped us navigate the metro to our next hotel after the class. Such a wonderful experience!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi Hayley, thanks for the wonderful review! I had a blast with you guys at the market. Im so happy you enjoyed your time with the girls at the cooking class and were able to experience the metro/subway in Quito for your return. The subway is fantastic. Cheers!
Hayley_H, Jan 2026
This was one of our favorite experiences of our Quito trip. The guides were very kind and treated us like family in their home. The menu we prepared was designed in a way that most or all of the ingredients were easily found at home, which I really appreciated.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi Hayley, thanks for the amazing review! I had a blast meeting you and your hubby "Unc" LOL. So happy you had a great time with the whole gang. Hope your time in Ecuador was fantastic. If you're ever back don't hesitate to get in touch. Cheers!
Taharka_M, Jan 2026
Great tour! Took my niece and nephew, it was great to see the market and to learn how to make shrimp ceviche and potato soup
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks so much for the amazing review! I had a blast at the market as did the ladies with y'all during the cooking class. Happy you had a great day. Cheers!
Karen_M, Jan 2026
The chef Magola 17 was a wonderful woman who taught us about the food of Ecuador, as well as how to make the specific dishes that we made for our lunch and at the same time imparted lots of information about the culture of Quito
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Karen, thanks for your amazing review. I'm so happy you had a great time with Magola she is great! Cheers!
Jared_C, Dec 2025
Great experience! Very cool market and really good food. The hosts were great and helped us take the metro to our next destination. 10/10.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hi Jared, so happy you had a great time on your cooking class. Thanks for the great review. Cheers!
Eric_P, Dec 2025
Lovely people! What a fun time! Learned about Ecuadorean food culture and learned how to make some great dishes.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hi Eric, thanks for the great review! It was great meeting you and your wife during the market visit. The girls at the cooking class send their hellos. Hope you had a safe return. Cheers!
Jennifer_B, Dec 2025
This cooking class was wonderful. The chefs were super sweet and you could see the passion in their job. I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun experience in the city.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your great review! I had a great time with you guys at the market and the girls had a blast during the cooking class. Cheers!
Gary_V, Nov 2025
Our cooking class was everything we had hoped for, and more! Andre took us through the market where we saw the many vendors of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. We sampled some delicious examples of Ecuadorian fruits. Exotic to us ... and delicious.
We then moved to the cooking class, where Silvia and Chef Magola explained to us the cooking traditions of Ecuador and guided us through the preparation of a delicious lunch.
Simple, fresh ingredients and simple ( and surprisingly quick) cooking methods combined to create a wonderful and very healthy meal!
We left with delicious memories and recipes to try at home. Thank you, Andres, Silvia and Chef Magola for creating such an exceptional experience for us!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Gary thanks for the amazing review. The ladies had a great time with y'all. I enjoyed meeting you at the market too.
Anonymous, Oct 2025
Excellent experience with Andres, his wife, Silvia and their friend. They are very friendly and warm people and make the whole experience very personal. The market tour with Andres was most interesting, learning about their fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, poultry etc. The cooking experience was with 2 ladies in a lovely old house in the old town. While the experience is not that hands on (the ladies did the cooking, while we chopped a few things and observe), it was still very nice and cosy. The ladies chatted like friends throughout and we did learn a lot!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hello there, thanks for your great review. Im happy you had a great time at the market and with the ladies at the cooking class. Cheers!
Holly_B, Sep 2025
This cooking class was phenomenal. My best friend and I learned alot. We also had alot of fun. The potato soup and ceviche was sooooo good. An awakening of the taste buds. One of the highlights was going to the market, where we learned about different fruits.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Holly, thanks for the amazing review! I had a blast with y'all at the market. So happy you had a phenomenal time during the cooking class :)
Cheers!
Christopher_M, Aug 2025
My husband and I were looking for a small cooking class and if you are interested in the same I would highly recommend this one if you are in Quito! It ended up being just us two which was great. Apparently they like to keep the groups small as well. Andres picked us up from our hotel in the morning. There are multiple times to choose from which was nice if you want an early start or a bit later. He toured us around the market, we sampled fruits and juice and herbs. Then we went to a small kitchen in the old downtown area and cooked with his wife and her friend. It’s situated next to a peaceful, quiet little courtyard with a water fountain. I’m not sure if the dishes vary depending on the day but we made a hot fruit drink, ceviche, potato soup, snacks and fried plantains. All of the food was so tasty and could be seasoned more or less to our liking. The best part was being able to ask questions and make conversation. And of course the final lunch at the end! Certainly take a few hours of your time to try this and take home some easy to replicate recipes!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Christopher, thanks for the amazing review😃 we had a great time with you guys. Have fun in Sacha
Kathryn_A, Aug 2025
We had a really amazing time, thanks to Andras, Silvia & Manila!!
We got to tour the market with Andras seeing lots of fruits & vegetables they have & wish we did too at our neighborhood market in Utah!
Then we learned to cook several fun recipes AND we will be able to make them for our friends at home!
It was a great time learning about the foods of Ecuador!
Be sure to do this class in a wonderful place in the historic area while you are in Quitos!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Kathyn, thanks for your awesome review! I had a blast with y'all at the market as did the ladies at the cooking class. Hope you had a great time in Ecuador.
Angie_A, Jul 2025
Great cooking class learning about traditional Ecuadorian cuisine. Some hands on interaction with 2 wonderful chefs.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Angie, thanks for your great review! We all had a great time with you at the market first and then during the cooking class. Hope you had a wonderful time in Ecuador. Cheers!
william_c, Jul 2025
The market tour was exactly what I was looking for. Andres showed me local and indigenous fruits and produce that I have never seen before. The home-cooking class was great and I am looking to incorporate some of the dishes and ingredients into my own cooking. This experience was well coordinated and they even helped me with arranging transport back to the airport. Thank you!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi William, thanks for the amazing review! It was awesome hanging out with you at the market and I'm so happy you had a great time with the ladies at the cooking class. Cheers!
Lyndall_R, Jun 2025
Very informative and tasty visit to the market and then great fun with Silvia and Majola learning to cook some Ecuadorian specialities. Delicious
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi guys thanks for the wonderful review. The whole gang had a blast with y'all. Cheers!
Carolyn_R, May 2025
A wonderful way to immerse yourself in the local culture to learn about typical meals and preparation. Also sampled a variety of fruits common to Ecuador. After dining on potato soup and shrimp ceviche we had helped prepare, we felt like we were having to leave the embrace of cherished friends.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Carolyn, thanks for the good review. We all had a great time during the market visit and at the cooking class. You guys were cool.
Jennifer_A, May 2025
We had a great time! The market tour was informative and he bought me some of my favorite south American fruit. The cookies class was fun and tasty. The woman who taught it make you feel like family. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your fantastic review. I had a blast with y'all at the market and heard the cooking gals really enjoyed meeting you as well. Hope you had a wonderful time in Ecuador. Cheers!
Mary_C, May 2025
great experience- we went to a market to pick up the ingredients- great explanations of all local fruits and veggies. we got to taste some. then we went to a beautiful 309 year old location to cook with 2 wonderful ladies who taught us about authentic Ecuadorian cooking. they made is easy to duplicate and the dishes were healthy. they made a great drink from native fruits. a delicious potato leek soup, and shrimp ceviche. everything was out of this world delicious! i would highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Mary, thanks for the wonderful review. We all had a great time with y'all especially the ladies at the cooking class. Hope your time in Ecuador was amazing. Cheers!
Jacqueline_J, May 2025
The class was great. Lots of fun facts and food will be easy to prepare at home. We would do this again.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Jackie, it was great meeting you and your sister. The gals had a blast with you at the cooking class. Cheers!
Jane_E, Apr 2025
This was not a hands on cooking class, rather we watched someone else cooking food while telling us what they were doing. The beginning at the market was interesting but otherwise we were disappointed not to do any real hands on cooking.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
That's too bad you did not enjoy the class. We all did the class as we always do with all our clients. I thought you and your sister were having a good time with me at the market and with the ladies with the cooking experience. Apparently you didnt.
Trina_D, Apr 2025
First of all I will start of by saying that the people we met and interacted with were very nice, warm and friendly and knew the stuff they were talking about. The chef was really very very sweet and gave us such nice tips on healthy cooking. All the food we ate was delicious and we were well fed! However, we were looking for a hands on experienced like the past cooking classes we have done in other cities. This class had very little involvement. Just a tiny bit of chopping and not much else. We were given recipes that were detailed and easy to make. So if you are looking for actual cooking, this is not the class for you.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Trina, I'm glad you enjoyed your time with the chef and my wife during the cooking class. Sorry you didn't think you did enough cooking. We try to create a great experience for all our clients but we are aware that we cannot please everyone all the time. It was nice meeting your family, your kids were great I recall the youngest one mentioning he had a fantastic time on the tour as I was dropping you guys off at the hotel. Hope you had a safe return. Cheers!
debra_l, Apr 2025
Outstanding!!
The market experience! .. tasting different exotic fruits and sampling delicious drinks was a highlight!!
Then going to the class and learning about the foods of Ecuador ..enjoying a delicious lunch!!
The chef was wonderful and Sylvia was most accommodating.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Debra, thanks so much for the wonderful review. I had a blast with you guys and so did the rest of the gang. Hope you had a fantastic time in Galapagos. You and your husband were awesome. Cheers!
Paul_C, Apr 2025
Great experience and great food! Very accommodating as well - girlfriend is vegan and they adjusted the food for her.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Paul, thanks for the great review. The whole gang had a blast with you and your GF. Hope to see you back in Ecuador soon. Cheers!
Arthur_K, Mar 2025
It's both fun and very educational! We worked together to help put a traditional Equadorian meal on the table, and we were aided by a very knowledgeable cook. Also we went to the market to get many of the ingredients, and tha was a real highlight.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hi Arthur, thanks for your amazing review. I had a great time with you guys at the market and the girls had a wonderful time with you at the cooking class. Cheers!
Kemberly_W, Dec 2024
Andres did an amazing job introducing us to Ecuador’s diverse fruits and medicinal ingredients during the market tour—it was incredibly educational. Sylvia and Magola, the talented cooks, brought Ecuadorian history to life with their stories while maintaining impeccable hygiene, frequently washing their hands and cleaning our work table. We loved the constant snacks and lively conversation throughout the class. Whether you’re a cooking enthusiast or just want to savor delicious food and connect with locals, this class is a must-try experience. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Wow... thanks for the wonderful review Kemberly :)
You guys were great! Im glad you clicked with the other couple. I heard y'all had a blast during the cooking class. Hope to see you back in Quito soon. Cheers!
David_B, Oct 2024
We loved this experience. Andre's tour of the food market was fun and informative. Sophia and Magala were wonderful in the cooking part of the tour. They gave us some great tips on food prep and storage. The ceviche and potato soup we made was very tasty.
I highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi David, thanks for your wonderful review. So happy to hear you guys had a great time. The whole gang had a blast with y'all.
From $88.00
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