Private Cusco Food Tour

A day to understand why Peruvian food is among the most celebrated in the world, by cooking and tasting rather than just watching. In about seven hours you tour San Pedro Market with your guide, make your own chocolate from the bean, take a cooking class with a chef to prepare classic Peruvian dishes, mix a pisco sour and finish at a traditional Cusco chichería. It is a private experience: just your group, with hotel pickup.

What you do: market, chocolate, cooking class and pisco sour

• San Pedro Market. Cusco’s culinary heart: native potatoes, Andean corn, chillies, jungle fruit, cheeses and breads from across the region, explained by your guide.
• Bean-to-bar chocolate workshop. You roast, grind and refine Peruvian cacao into your own bar.
• Cooking class with a chef. You prepare classic Peruvian dishes such as ceviche, lomo saltado, causa, ají de gallina or quinotto, depending on the season and the day’s ingredients. Lunch is what you cook.
• Pisco sour class. The story of the national cocktail and your own version.
• Tasting of Peruvian products, including specialty coffee and chocolate.
• Traditional chichería. How chicha de jora is made, the fermented corn drink enjoyed in the Andes since Inca times.

The cooking class

It is the heart of the day. With ingredients from the market, the chef teaches you to prepare classic Peruvian dishes such as ceviche, lomo saltado, causa, ají de gallina or quinotto; the menu depends on the season and what is available that day. You do the cooking, with the chef beside you at every step, and then have lunch with what you prepared. It is a private class, just for your group, and the menu is adapted for vegetarians, vegans and allergies if you tell us when booking.

Who it suits

Couples, families and groups who want to discover Cusco through its food. No cooking experience is needed: the chef guides every step. We adapt the menu for vegetarians, vegans and allergies if you tell us when booking. Since everything happens in the city and without effort, it works well in your first days while you acclimatise, or as a break between two long trips.

How it fits into your trip

It pairs well with the City Tour in the afternoon, as Qorikancha is a few minutes from the market. If you would rather explore Cusco’s food on your own, where to eat in Cusco and the Sacred Valley covers dishes, markets and quintas.

How the day goes

1. Hotel pickup and private transfer to central Cusco.
2. San Pedro Market, with your guide: the region’s produce and how it is used.
3. Chocolate workshop, from cacao bean to your own bar.
4. Cooking class with a chef and lunch with the dishes you prepare.
5. Pisco sour and tasting of Peruvian coffee and chocolate.
6. Traditional chichería, with chicha de jora, and back to your hotel.

Everything happens in the city, with no hikes or climbs, so it works on any day of your trip and in any season.

What to bring

Comfortable clothes, a light breakfast so you arrive hungry, and cash in soles if you want to buy produce at the market or chocolate. Tell us about any allergy or diet before the day.