Costa Rican Culture: Market to Table Experience

Immerse yourself in the culture and history of San Jose on this historic tour. Visit the Central Market, learn about local cuisine, explore architectural gems, and enjoy an authentic Costa Rican dinner in a charming private home dining experience.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Banco Central de Costa Rica - The tour begins at the bank’s entrance, adjacent to the Monumento de los Presentes, which features small, green figures. The discussion will focus on how this monument represents the community’s resilience and survival through tough times, connecting the past with the present. It serves as a powerful reminder of the…
What's Included
  • Walking tour of Historical Center and neighborhoods like Otoya and Amon
  • Bilingual experience
  • Special 4-course dinner at private home with Farm to Table concept
  • Cocktail making classes and tasting
  • Sangria and beer included
  • Visit Central Market, Metallic Building, Spain Park for Yellow House view
  • Pre-Hispanic, gluten-free food and ingredients
What's Not Included
  • Transportation: if you need to quote transportation service, write to us.
  • Also not included are additional food and drink beyond what is specified.
Additional Information

Explore the rich culture and history of the city, beginning at the Central Market, the perfect place to discover the city’s culinary delights. Accompanied by a local guide, wander through the market and learn about the roots, herbs, and fruits that are staples in local dishes, including those that will feature in your authentic Costa Rican dinner….

Location
Los Presentes
Calle 4
Between Avenue one and Central Avenue on street 4, we have the Central Bank of Costa Rica, in front of the main entrance we have a Monument with several small green people, this monument is known as the Monument de los Presentes, there is where the we will be waiting to start the tour.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(470 Ratings)
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Elizabeth_g
Aug 9, 2025
Informative and Fun! - Angel was a great tour guide and shared information about local history, culture, and cuisine. He was also very accommodating, guiding us through making the cocktails alcohol-free and even offering a delicious juice in lieu of wine/beer at dinner for a non-drinker. Highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Viator
Cavan
Jul 29, 2025
Good food, drinks, and conversation - My tour involved a simple but interesting walking tour of downtown San Jose near the central market, but the highlight was an engaging dinner and drinks. The host guided our group of 10 through making Costa Rican cocktails and empanandas, followed by an expertly prepared meal. This was simple and well-executed, and one of my favorite experiences here in Costa Rica.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danajia_h
Jul 28, 2025
Great tour! Definitely... - Great tour! Definitely check it out if you're in San José! It was a well rounded experience! The tour guide was great!
Review provided by Viator
Julia_h
Jul 19, 2025
100/10 recommend to all - We stayed for five days in Costa Rica. Originally this tour was scheduled for one of our first nights but it was canceled by the tour operator without reason provided. We decided to reschedule as we were looking forward to it- it was a bit difficult to reschedule but the tour operator was responsive which I appreciate. When we got to the tour, we met our guía Danny who was so nice and friendly- he showed us around the city (parks, historical sites, etc) with our last stop being a cafe. We tried coffee and began our food/cocktail experience there. We made empanadas and several traditional costa Rican cocktails as another tour operator prepared our meal. It was very interactive and fun. We like to drink and they got us drunk which was a great way to close out our trip. This was definitely a highlight of our trip, as the food was delicious and the drinks were also very tasty and strong. I am vegan and the tour operators took great care to make sure I had options and knew what was vegan or not during the experience, which I appreciated so much. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Costa Rica. Very kind and welcoming people will host you- we will definitely do this again when we are in the area! Thank you so much to Daniel and the other people who welcomed us on this tour!! Muchas gracias con mucho amor.
Review provided by Viator
Yvonne_p
Jul 10, 2025
Great Costa Rican tour for first time visitors - Angel, our tour guide was fantastic. Well paced walking tour. Cooking and cocktail making class was fun. Made my own empanada😋The farm to table dinner was delicious. Lots of food.
Review provided by Viator
363mireillej
Jul 4, 2025
Terrific way to experience San Jose - Our group of 5 had a lovely tour of downtown San Jose, including the central market, and then made Costa Rican empanadas and cocktails before having a lovely dinner. Everything was expertly led by Angel who gave us local insight into the history, culture and food of SJ. Before we started I was somewhat skeptical of the cooking and cocktail portion of the evening but it was all fun. Highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X6794ckalexanderf
Jun 22, 2025
Night tour on my birthday 🎂 - The guide was very friendly and charismatic. We were taught to make national drinks and empanadas. Very rich everything. Excellent service. The overall tour is very good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jasmine_w
Jun 22, 2025
Great experience - This was a great experience. Angel and Eric were both fantastic. We learned so much about the culture here and the food and drinks were all top notch. I’d highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Jamie
Jun 18, 2025
Highly recommend. - Wonderful good, good drinks, and a great way to learn some history of Costa Rica. Oscar was both funny and informative, and I can’t wait to share some of the food we made with friends back home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ninel_g
Jun 18, 2025
Super fun dinner tour in San Jose. What a great way to get introduced to the city, learn about local cuisine. - A fantastic way to learn about local cuisine, make empanadas and a couple of fun cocktails, have a delicious multi course dinner and meet new friends Angel was a terrific guide and chef. I went with my adult sons and we had a terrific time. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
From $59
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).