Mexico City: Cooking Class & Market Tour with Mezcal Pairing

Summary

Learn to cook Mexican classics in Mexico City’s lively heart

You’ll taste Mexico City through its markets and kitchens—prepping street snacks, making tortillas by hand, sipping mezcal with new friends. Learn why ingredients matter as you wander Mercado Medellin with your chef guide. By lunch you’ll have cooked (and eaten) dishes you’ll remember long after you’re home.

What’s the experience like?

“Don’t eat breakfast,” our chef grinned, sliding over a glass of agua fresca that tasted like lime and something I couldn’t name. We’d barely met but already I felt like I was in someone’s kitchen, not a classroom. The group was a mix—one couple from Oaxaca, a guy from Canada who kept asking about chilies. Our guide (her name’s Paola) started telling us how her abuela used to make mole blanco for birthdays. She handed me a handful of sesame seeds to smell—nutty, almost sweet—and then we were off to Mercado Medellin, which is apparently just around the corner but somehow felt like another world.

The market’s noise hit first—vendors calling out prices, someone chopping cilantro so fast it sounded like rain. Paola knew everyone; she waved at an old man selling nopales and made us try a chunk right there (slimy but good?). She explained why you want this kind of corn for tortillas, not that one—I nodded like I understood but honestly just liked watching her haggle over avocados. Back in the kitchen we fumbled through sopes and mextlapiques; my tortillas looked sad but nobody cared. There was mezcal poured into tiny clay cups (“sip, don’t shoot!”), plus some craft beer if you wanted it. The mole came together slowly—almonds, pine nuts, raisins—and when we finally sat down to eat what we’d made, everything tasted brighter somehow.

I tried to say “mextlapique” in Spanish and Paola laughed so hard she almost dropped her spoon. Lunch was loud and messy—corn bread with hot chocolate at the end (water-based, which is apparently the proper way). Someone asked for seconds on the salsas; I just kept thinking about the way the kitchen smelled when the chiles hit the pan. It wasn’t fancy or formal—just people sharing food and stories until we lost track of time.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Authentic Mexican cooking and market tour

• Welcome with agua fresca
• Learn Mexican cuisine history
• Review recipes and ingredients
• Tour Mercado Medellin market
• Taste selected market stands
• Prepare street appetizers and salsas
• Make mextlapique and hand-made tortillas
• Cook white mole and corn bread
• Enjoy lunch with artisanal drinks
• Finish with hot chocolate and dessert

Top questions

How long does the Mexico City cooking class last?

The experience typically lasts several hours including both the market tour and hands-on cooking class followed by lunch.

Is Mercado Medellin far from the cooking class location?

No, Mercado Medellin is within walking distance from where the class is held.

What dishes will I learn to cook during this Mexican cooking class?

You’ll prepare street appetizers (sopes with two salsas), mextlapique tamale without masa, white mole (mole blanco), and corn bread served with hot chocolate.

Are drinks included in this Mexico City cooking class?

Yes, artisanal mezcal, Mexican craft beer or wine are included with lunch along with agua fresca at the start.

Can vegetarians join this cooking class?

Yes! Mole Blanco can be served with panela cheese or mushrooms instead of chicken if you let them know your preference.

Is this tour suitable for people with nut allergies?

No, due to ingredients like almonds and peanuts in mole blanco this experience isn’t suitable for nut allergies.

Will I get printed recipes to take home?

Yes, printed recipes are provided so you can recreate what you learned after returning home.

Do I need any prior cooking experience?

No prior experience is needed—the chef guides everyone step by step through each dish.

What’s included

Your day includes a guided tour of Mercado Medellin on foot, all ingredients for every dish on the menu, hands-on instruction from a professional chef guide, artisanal mezcal or Mexican craft beer or wine with your four-course lunch (which you cook yourself), printed recipes to take home—and even an apron to use while you’re there.