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
- Private transportationPick-up in urban Quito is included
- Extra food and drinks not mentioned on itinerary
- Tips for the chef/guide
- Return transportation can be arranged but is not included$5.00 per person
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 at a hard to reach area we will ask you go to a meeting point. 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 tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
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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
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 243 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This was amazing!!
Everything about this tour from the market to the cooking was so fun! The food was AMAZING! I felt very loved and cared for. We have dietary restrictions (gluten and potato free) and they were able to update the menus to accommodate us.
Excellent staff, fun, entertaining. I was the only one who showed up and they still ran the entire class for me.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Hi Bill. It was great meeting you and getting to know a bit about your very interesting life. I had a blast at the market and the ladies really enjoyed the cooking class with you. Hope you had a safe return and keep in touch. Cheers
Great tour of the local market and amazing class on cooking traditional Ecuadorian foods. Chefs Magdalena and Silvia were wonderful. We learned so much, got copies of the recipes, and left absolutely stuffed!
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Hi Nicole, thanks for the great review! It was great doing the market tour with y'all and Im so happy you had a great time with the ladies. Cheers!
This was an excellent and memorable experience. My husband and I really appreciated learning more about Ecuadorian foods and delicious unique Andean fruits. We will definitely be making some of the recipes we made during the cooking class. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Hillary, thanks for your kind words. It was great meeting y'all at the market and Im happy you had a wonderful time with the ladies at the cooking class. Best wishes :)
We had very knowledgeable guidance through the market and through the cooking process. Lovely people, spoke great English. Clean and organized. We had a great time!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Jeff, thanks for the wonderful review. It was great meeting y'all during the market tour. I heard from the ladies that you had a fun cooking class. Cheers!
This was such a good experience. The tour of the market was so interesting and we got to try several local fruits. The food in the class was amazing. They made sure to explain the steps so you can prepare everything again on your own. I would book early during your stay since you will learn about a lot of local foods you will later find in restaurants.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Jeanne, thanks for the amazing review. I had a great time meeting y'all at the market and the ladies had a blast with you guys. Glad you had a wonderful time with us. Cheers!
I was hoping this would be a more interactive cooking class. We didn’t really do any of the prep or cooking ourselves. We mostly watched. But did enjoy the market tour and the lunch we ate.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
I'm sorry you thought the class was not interactive enough we always get great reviews about how involved and engaging the class is but I guess you didn't think so. Thanks for your suggestion we will keep it in mind.
We had an amazing afternoon with Margola, Sylvia and Andres as they shared their love and knowledge of local foods, customs and culture. We enjoyed the visit to the central market and learning about and tasting native fruits. The cooking class was amazing. We learned so much about local dishes, ingredients and cooking techniques. The dishes we learned to make were delicious and they were able to accommodate for one of our group who is vegan. We would definitely recommend this experience!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Rachel, thanks for the amazing review! The whole gang had a blast with y'all. Cheers!
10/10 experience. My friend and I really enjoyed visiting the market, trying some different fruits. Then the cooking portion was so much fun! They gave us recipes I will absolutely be recreating for my family when I return home. The food was amazing and we got to take home what we didn't finish. Absolutely recommend!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Hi Mackenzie (cool name :) Thanks for the amazing review. Im so happy you had a blast during your cooking class experience. I really enjoyed touring the market with you gals and its great to hear you had a fantastic experience with the cooking class as well. Cheers!
Very interesting tour of the market. Great experience in participating of making lunch, typical for Ecuador. Great people, great food.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Hi Jeff, thanks for the amazing review. It was great meeting y'all at the market and the ladies had a blast with the group at the cooking class. Cheers!
The hostess and chef was amazing and really interesting. Would highly recommend. Ceviche was lovely too!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Hi Peter thanks for the wonderful review. It was great meeting y'all and congrats on the recent nuptials :) Hope you had a safe return home and were able to see some of the highlights of the England match. On Sunday all Ecuador will be rooting for England!!! Cheers
We enjoyed our cooking experience with Chef Margola and Assistant Sylvia. They showed us each fruit or vegetable in its raw form, explained every step in each recipe, and allowed us to get "hands on" with some of the preparation. Best of all, we had a delicious meal at the end.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Sophie, thanks for the wonderful review. I'm happy you had a great cooking class. Cheers!
Precise, personal and detailed explanation of how to make some traditional dishes. Fascinating visit to a local market. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming Lunch at the end was delicious.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Kevin, thanks for your wonderful review! The whole gang had a blast with y'all. Hope you had a great time in Ecuador. Cheers!
We scheduled this experience for our first day in Quito, and we are so glad we did! Andres and Silvia were very hospitable, and they even went out of their way to help us navigate the city after the class.
10/10 😊
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Carly, thanks for the 10/10 review! I had a great time meeting y'all during the market tour. And the ladies had a blast with y'all. Cheers!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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
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.
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per personWas $88.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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