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
(386 Ratings)
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April_c
Jan 3, 2025
San Jose City Tour - Had a great time walking around with Angel. Enjoyed the drinks and the meal at the end of the tour. Set up Uber to get back to hotel at night.
Review provided by Viator
Janais2000
Dec 31, 2024
A Wonderful Introduction to San Jose! - This was the first tour we did in San Jose, and it was an excellent way to get to know the city as well as gain an insight into the history and culture of Costa Rica. The tour covered a number of historic and cultural spots including a walk through the Central Market which is pretty impressive. Our tour guide Daniel was very knowledgeable, and explained a lot about each site that we visited, and its importance and relevance to Costa Rican history and heritage. The tour ended at a family home where we had a fun experience making cocktails before enjoying a delightful four course meal. It was an opportunity to meet new people from different parts of the world, and we ended on a very cozy notes having dinner with new found friends. It was the perfect note to start our stay in Costa Rica. My only recommendation would be to suggest that the tour guide slow down a little bit as the pace was a little intense for a few of us at times, and by the time we had caught up with the rest of the group, we had often missed a lot of what was said. Other than that, great tour - I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
U7507phgarys
Dec 28, 2024
Amazing Experience! - 10 Stars!!! The dinner was the best. Local dishes that were delicious and filling. There were variety and options and everything tasted so so good. The cocktail making was a lot of fun and we were able to decide how strong to make our own drinks. Angel was our tour guide and his knowledge, experience and personality made for a very entertaining evening. The walk thru the market and neighborhoods was very pleasant and informative. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wembely
Dec 27, 2024
Highly recommended walking and dinner tour where you really feel a lot of the Costa Rican culture come through. - Great walking tour around the center of San Jose. Not too much and not too little. Probably spent about an hour and a half walking around to various points of interest. The highlight was making the cocktails and having the dinner with the rest of the tour participants. We had a lot of fun learning about where the other people on the tour were from, where they had been to that they liked, what they did for living. It was a very pleasant and very social experience. The cocktails were good and he also served beer and sangria with the dinner. This is not a Tour you’re going to get hammered on so don’t expect this to be a heavy drinking experience. The dinner itself was absolutely outstanding. Excellent empanadas, side dishes, traditional chicken dish, and a great unique dessert! You are in a private house with local home cooks who take a lot of pride in what they prepare. It was a very authentic experience. Figure on about 3 to 3 1/2 hours for the whole experience. Absolutely was better than our expectations and a fantastic way to end our trip in Costa Rica. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B2210usjulies
Dec 11, 2024
Top rated experience - Great experience!! Daniel was a great guide and host!! Lovely tour through some notable neighborhoods and parks, then mixing fun cocktails and a dinner at a local, historical residence.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph_l
Dec 10, 2024
Fun night out - Fun tour and great guides, meal was very good and the drink making was very enjoyable. Would recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Arpit_a
Dec 9, 2024
The city tour and coffee... - The city tour and coffee tasting was probably just average. The guide was very knowledgeable but the content was honestly not that interesting. The second part of the experience where we made cocktails and were served food was much more interesting. The food in particular was plenty and delicious.
Review provided by Viator
Sylvia_g
Dec 31, 2024
Great way to start our Costa Rica adventure - Our guide Angel was certainly knowledgeable and accommodating... especially as the weather turned a bit rainy just as we were scheduled to meet. Overall a very nice tour, drinks and meal. The cocktail making (and "smoking") and stories about the City statues were our favorites. And the bonus hot chocolate was the best we've ever had. Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Xyzhill
Dec 17, 2024
Nice, informative walking tour. - A relaxed walk through the city. The market was interesting. Even as an experienced traveler relatively comfortable in Latin America, I would have walked out of the market in 2 seconds or less, but being in a group made it accessible. The cocktail experience was nice. The dinner could have been facilitated better if the guides remained with the group instead of serving. Our group consisted of 2 families and a single traveler with individuals from 4 countries, so conversation was a bit awkward at the start.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shan
Dec 15, 2024
Good casual tour to warm up tour of San Jose! - Great knowledgeable guide and a nice casual tour. Cocktails were great ,dinner could have been better. Need better directions on meeting point
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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January 2025
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