Oaxaca City: Traditional Cooking Class & Family Meal with Mezcal

You Cook in a Brick Stove, Then Eat Around the Table

You arrive at a home kitchen in Oaxaca City, learn to make traditional salsas, chile rellenos and other dishes on a wood-fired brasero, then sit down to eat what you cooked with your instructor and other participants. The class runs hands-on from start to finish, includes all ingredients and beverages, and transport to and from your hotel.

Step-by-step itinerary

Traditional Oaxaqueña cooking experience

• Arrive and receive welcome with pan and hot chocolate
• Learn to prepare perfect hot chocolate
• Prepare salsas, appetizers, and traditional drinks
• Cook main dish Chile Rellenos
• Prepare and sample fresh fruit dessert
• Share meal with stories, laughter, and mezcal

The experience

"When you arrive, we start with pan and chocolate: the way my abuela taught me." That's how the class begins in Oaxaca City, in a home kitchen on a terrace, not a commercial studio. You're standing in front of a brasero, a traditional brick stove with open fire, and your instructor is already treating you like family. The hot chocolate isn't instant. You'll learn to make it the way it's been made here for generations, and then you move straight into the hands-on work: no lecture, no watching from the side.

The cooking class in Oaxaca unfolds in stages. You prepare salsa verde, salsa molcajete, and guacamole first: three components that anchor every traditional Oaxacan meal. Then comes chileajo con verduras, a dish of potatoes, carrots and green beans in a mild chile guajillo sauce that tastes nothing like what you'd expect. Chile rellenos follow, stuffed with chicken, vegetables, almonds and picadillo salsa, and everything can be made vegetarian or dairy-free if you need it. A fresh fruit plate rounds out the menu. You're not standing back. You're doing the work, your hands in the food, learning the rhythm and the small adjustments that make each dish work.

When the cooking is done (and it takes real time, real effort), you sit down together around the table. The meal is what you made. There's mezcal, there's beer, there's water. There are stories and laughter, the kind that happens when you've spent hours in a kitchen with someone who actually knows what they're doing and wants you to understand why it matters. Private transportation picks you up and brings you back, so you don't navigate the city on your own.

What’s included

• Your experience includes private hotel pickup and drop-off, welcome chocolate and pan, preparation and tasting of salsa verde, salsa molcajete, guacamole, chileajo con verduras, chile rellenos, and fresh fruit dessert.
• All ingredients are provided.
• Beverages include water, beer, and mezcal, shared during the meal at the end of the class.

Options for this experience

2 options

Learn to cook traditional Oaxaqueña dishes using Grandma's recipesGuide in English or Spanish · 11:30 and 15:30

Learn to cook using Grandma's recipesGuide in English or Spanish · 10:30 and 16:00

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Lasts 3h, runs every day, 4 start times, from US$ 95 per person, with a live guide in English and Spanish and in groups of up to 10.

Days and timesMonday and Wednesday: 11:30Tuesday: 10:30 and 15:30Thursday: 15:30 and 16:00Friday: 15:30Saturday: 10:30Sunday: 11:30 and 16:00

AgesAdult (12 to 80 years) · Under 12: can't be booked

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Pets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Chef Adhey Andrade

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to cook in an actual home kitchen with someone who learned these recipes from family, not from a culinary school: the informal setting and the shared meal afterward are what make it feel like you've been invited in, not enrolled in a class.

Traveler reviews

4.98★★★★★★★★★★

373 verified traveler reviews

5 ★370

4 ★1

3 ★1

2 ★1

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.

Is the class in English or Spanish?

Classes can be taught in either Spanish or English, depending on your preference.

Can you request vegetarian or dairy-free dishes?

Yes. The chile rellenos and other dishes can be prepared vegetarian and/or dairy-free upon request.

What is included in the price?

Private transportation, welcome chocolate and pan, appetizers, salsas, guacamole, a main dish, fresh fruit dessert, and beverages including water, beer and mezcal.

What is a brasero?

A brasero is a traditional Oaxacan brick stove with an open fire, used for cooking in the home kitchen where the class takes place.

Is there a minimum age requirement?

Participants must be at least 8 years old. Infants can attend if they sit on an adult's lap.

Do I need cooking experience?

No. The class is hands-on and designed for all levels. Your instructor teaches you as you go.

Is transportation included?

Yes, private transportation to and from your hotel is included.