Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner, Arenal/La Fortuna

4.5 (11 reviews)
Learn how to prepare traditional Costa Rican recipes and mixing your own cocktail in a fun local cooking class

Overview

Upon arrival, explore the gardens and farms where your fresh ingredients come from. Mix up a tropical cocktail or jungle juice, then learn how to prepare traditional Costa Rican dishes, including picadillos, tortillas, and guisados. Enjoy a sit-down meal with fellow travelers and skilled chef.

Highlights

  • Explore the gardens and farms where ingredients are sourced
  • Mix up a tropical cocktail or jungle juice
  • Learn how to cook traditional Costa Rican dishes
  • Enjoy a sit-down meal with fellow travelers and a skilled chef

Know before you go

Duration
2.5 hours
Recommended for
5 years old & up
Group
Small group
Food & Drink
Dinner Included

What you'll do

Immersive cooking and dining experience that will tantalize your taste buds and expand your culinary horizons! Our Costa Rican Cuisine & Cocktail Workshop is the perfect way to learn about the rich culinary traditions of this fascinating country and to indulge in some delicious food and drink.

Upon arrival at our venue, you'll be greeted by your friendly and knowledgeable guide, who will take you on a tour of the nearby gardens and farms where the fresh ingredients for your meal come from. You'll learn about the different plants and crops grown in the area, and gain a deep appreciation for the hard work and care that goes into cultivating the ingredients that makeup Costa Rican cuisine.

After your tour, it's time to get started on the cooking! You'll be guided by a skilled chef who will teach you the ins and outs of preparing traditional Costa Rican dishes like picadillos, tortillas, and guisados. You'll learn about the unique flavor combinations and cooking techniques that make these dishes so special, and you'll get to try your hand at preparing them yourself under the chef's expert guidance.

But first, it's time to mix up a tropical cocktail or jungle juice to get you in the mood for cooking and eating! You'll learn how to prepare a delicious and refreshing drink using local ingredients.  As you sip, learn how to cook some traditional grub, including Tico-style picadillos, tortillas, and guisados.

Once you've finished cooking, it's time to sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor! You'll be treated to a sit-down meal featuring the dishes you've prepared, along with some additional treats prepared by the chef. This is the perfect time to bond with your fellow travelers, swap stories and travel tips, and savor the unique flavors of Costa Rican cuisine.

Start times

  • Daily
    5:00 pm

What's included

  • Transportation
  • Bilingual guide
  • Dinner

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Travelers often mention

Summarized by AI based on kimkim traveler reviews

Amazing Hosts

Multiple reviews praised the hosts for being friendly, caring, and making participants feel at home. Specific mentions of hosts like Cathy and Priscilla stand out, with comments on their personal stories and attentiveness. (8 mentions)

Lisa
“Kathy was an amazing instructor!!!”  — Lisa L.
S
“Priscilla and her husband are excellent hosts.”  — Susan C.
Monica
“She made us feel right at home!”  — Monica F.
Delicious Meal

The majority of participants found the food delicious, highlighting the authenticity and enjoyment of the meal prepared during the activity. (5 mentions)

V
“The dinner was very good - felt like a home cooking”  — Vishnu M.
Nancy
“The meal was delicious!”  — Nancy T.
Monica
“This was a very personal and delicious meal.”  — Monica F.
Cooking and Learning Experience

Many reviewers enjoyed the interactive cooking experience and felt like they were learning authentic Costa Rican recipes. However, there was a notable negative review mentioning a lack of hands-on cooking and learning due to the large group size. (5 mentions)

V
“Great experience engaging in active cooking with chef Cathy.”  — Vishnu M.
Nancy
“She guided us through preparation of an authentic Costa Rican meal.”  — Nancy T.
Lisa
“We made a huge Costa Rican dinner and even made our own tortillas--my favorite thing we made.”  — Lisa L.
Personal Touch

Several reviews appreciated the personalized experience, such as private lessons and being in the hosts' home, which made the activity feel more intimate and culturally immersive. (4 mentions)

Lisa
“Kathy shared stories of her life growing up with her mom and told us about her daughter!!!”  — Lisa L.
S
“Loved being in someone's home to enjoy the full culture of Costa Rica.”  — Susan C.
Monica
“My mom and I got a private lesson and our chef was very personal.”  — Monica F.

Traveler reviews

11 total ratings, 10 with reviews
4.5
Feature ratings
Quality of Experience
4.5
Food
4.5
Guides, Drivers and Staff
4.8
Transport
4.7
M
Meg R.
South Windsor, CT | Reviewed on Apr 23, 2024
This was amazing! One of the best parts of our trips. My partner and I had a blast making homemade tortillas and Casado. Read more

This was amazing! One of the best parts of our trips. My partner and I had a blast making homemade tortillas and Casado.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Brad
Brad F.
Canada | Reviewed on Mar 17, 2024
Cathy was really great, if they offered other meals we would have done more. Read more

Cathy was really great, if they offered other meals we would have done more.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
V
Vishnu M.
San Jose, CA | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2024
Great experience engaging in active cooking with chef Cathy. Cathy was amazing explaining costarican recipe. The dinner was very good - felt like a home cooking Read more

Great experience engaging in active cooking with chef Cathy. Cathy was amazing explaining costarican recipe. The dinner was very good - felt like a home cooking

Quality of Experience
As
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Cathy is awesome
Transport
E
Eric J.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Dec 10, 2023
We didn't really learn anything here. It was a big group (~20 people) and really just 1 big cooking station, so we ended up watching a lot and not doing much cooking ourselves. Everyone helped chop some vegetables and made our own tortilla, but not much else in the way of cooking. The menu.. Rice - we measured some rice and water into a rice cooker
Vegetable saute - chopped a few vegetables, but that was it
Beans - cooked ahead of time
Chicken (main course) - cooked ahead of time. No...
Read more

We didn't really learn anything here. It was a big group (~20 people) and really just 1 big cooking station, so we ended up watching a lot and not doing much cooking ourselves. Everyone helped chop some vegetables and made our own tortilla, but not much else in the way of cooking. The menu..

Rice - we measured some rice and water into a rice cooker
Vegetable saute - chopped a few vegetables, but that was it
Beans - cooked ahead of time
Chicken (main course) - cooked ahead of time. No information about how it was made, ingredients/seasoning, etc
Tortillas - we got to make these, which was good
Fried plantains - a couple of people (on the other end of the kitchen) fried these without the rest of us knowing/seeing anything about it.

The food was decent, but overall we just really didn't learn much about the local cuisine and we didn't actually do much cooking for ourselves. (We've taken classes in other countries where we each had our own cooking station and made everything ourselves.) May be an okay activity for college-aged people or people just looking to fill an itinerary, but really not good for people know love to cook and want to learn.

Tips for future travelers

Good activity if you want to see a bit of how local food is made. Don't do this if you like to cook and are hoping to learn a bunch.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
John H
John H P.
Newport News, VA | Reviewed on Mar 31, 2023
Fabulous experience! Read more

Fabulous experience!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Nancy
Nancy T.
Ocala, FL | Reviewed on Dec 23, 2022
Priscilla was fantastic. She guided us through preparation of an authentic Costa Rican meal. Her partner assisted with making tortillas and coffee. The meal was delicious! Read more

Priscilla was fantastic. She guided us through preparation of an authentic Costa Rican meal. Her partner assisted with making tortillas and coffee. The meal was delicious!

Tips for future travelers

Some of our group didn’t think it would be as fun as it was. It was really a nice evening for all (even the non cooks)

Quality of Experience
Learning about new foods and eating an authentic meal.
Food
All of the food was good!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
All of our drivers were very good. I felt completely safe. The guides were excellent.
Transport
Some of our transports were very long, but it was the only way to get to different locations. I did not like the water landings.
S
Susan C.
The Villages, FL | Reviewed on Dec 17, 2022
Priscilla and her husband are excellent hosts. She is an amazing cook and the dinner was wonderful! Loved being in someone's home to enjoy the full culture of Costa Rica. Read more

Priscilla and her husband are excellent hosts. She is an amazing cook and the dinner was wonderful! Loved being in someone's home to enjoy the full culture of Costa Rica.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
L
Linda G.
Eustis, FL | Reviewed on Dec 17, 2022
Our hosts were truly amazing. We enjoyed our experience helping prepare dinner and then eating our dinner. Our house were friendly, caring and interested in us and our customs Read more

Our hosts were truly amazing. We enjoyed our experience helping prepare dinner and then eating our dinner. Our house were friendly, caring and interested in us and our customs

Tips for future travelers

I suggest this family is on everyone’s scheduled visit.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Monica
Monica F.
Florence, TX | Reviewed on Nov 26, 2022
This was a very personal and delicious meal. My mom and I got a private lesson and our chef was very personal. She made us feel right at home!
She also sent us the recipe to make! Loved it
Read more

This was a very personal and delicious meal. My mom and I got a private lesson and our chef was very personal. She made us feel right at home!
She also sent us the recipe to make! Loved it

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Lisa
Lisa L.
Mason, OH | Reviewed on Oct 15, 2022
Wow!!! What can we say???!!!! Kathy was an amazing instructor!!! We were with a couple on their honeymoon and we were on our 25th wedding anniversary trip. Kathy shared stories of her life growing up with her mom and told us about her daughter!!! We made a huge Costa Rican dinner and even made our own tortillas--my favorite thing we made. Kathy even emailed all of the recipes of everything we made, so we can try to replicate what we made there. Very nice addition to our trip and a... Read more

Wow!!! What can we say???!!!! Kathy was an amazing instructor!!! We were with a couple on their honeymoon and we were on our 25th wedding anniversary trip. Kathy shared stories of her life growing up with her mom and told us about her daughter!!! We made a huge Costa Rican dinner and even made our own tortillas--my favorite thing we made. Kathy even emailed all of the recipes of everything we made, so we can try to replicate what we made there. Very nice addition to our trip and a suggestion by Alberto!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport

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Chat with our local specialists and let us help you customize your trip with experiences like this.

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Itineraries with Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner