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Mexican Cooking Class: Pre-Hispanic Cuisine in San Miguel
5.0
22 Ratings
Presita de Santa Rosa
Join Isabel in San Miguel de Allende for a private, hands-on pre-Hispanic cooking class. Discover ancient techniques and savor authentic Mexican flavors.
Join Isabel in San Miguel de Allende for a private, hands-on pre-Hispanic cooking class. Discover ancient techniques and savor authentic Mexican flavors.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
48 hours
Highlights
- Presita de Santa Rosa - Learn to cook a seasonal, traditional Mexican meal with a warm and delightful Mexican grandmother in her home! After you are picked up and driven to your host Isabel’s beautiful home, she welcomes you in with a fresh margarita! Explore Isabel’s garden and pick seasonal vegetables and herbs. Next, join Isabel in her open…
- Presita de Santa Rosa - Learn to cook a seasonal, traditional Mexican meal with a warm and delightful Mexican grandmother in her home! After you are picked up and driven to your host Isabel’s beautiful home, she welcomes you in with a fresh margarita! Explore Isabel’s garden and pick seasonal vegetables and herbs. Next, join Isabel in her open kitchen to learn to cook pre-Hispanic Mexican dishes from recipes passed down through generations of Isabel’s family. Learn about traditional pre-Hispanic cuisine and ingredients (including the traditional three-sisters method of growing food) as you cook 3-4 dishes from scratch with Isabel in her kitchen. Isabel cooks seasonal, traditional dishes with a creative twist. Some of the dishes you may learn to cook depending on the season are nopales, ceviche, sopa de frijoles negros and pollo santo (chicken in green tomatoes, cilantro, and hoja santa - a traditional sauce) served with a side of corn, mushrooms and squash blossoms. You might even learn to make salsa picante in a molcajete (Mexican mortar and pestle)! You will end your meal with a simple but traditional dessert called ate con queso and memories that last a lifetime.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Private cooking class and meal with host Isabel
- Alcoholic beverages
- Private transportation
- Private cooking class and meal with host Isabel
- Alcoholic beverages
Meal Options
- Margarita or non-alcoholic agua de jamaica
- Nopales salad - Cactus, tomatoes, onion and cilantro in an oregano and vinegar dressing
- Fresh guacamole with chips
- Sopa de frijoles negros - Black bean soup topped with crispy tortilla strips
- Pollo santo - Chicken or rabbit stewed in a green tomato, hoja santo and cilantro sauce served with corn, mushrooms and squash blossoms
- Ate con queso
- Margarita or non-alcoholic agua de jamaica
- Nopales salad - Cactus, tomatoes, onion and cilantro in an oregano and vinegar dressing
- Fresh guacamole with chips
- Sopa de frijoles negros - Black bean soup topped with crispy tortilla strips
- Pollo santo - Chicken or rabbit stewed in a green tomato, hoja santo and cilantro sauce served with corn, mushrooms and squash blossoms
- Ate con queso
Additional Information
Visit a local home in San Miguel de Allende to learn the art of pre-Hispanic Mexican cooking from Isabel - a warm, dynamic and delightful Mexican grandmother (and former pediatrician) who loves to garden and cook! Isabel offers a private, authentic, hands-on Mexican cooking lesson in her home and garden that she designed herself. Isabel is incredibly…
Visit a local home in San Miguel de Allende to learn the art of pre-Hispanic Mexican cooking from Isabel - a warm, dynamic and delightful Mexican grandmother (and former pediatrician) who loves to garden and cook! Isabel offers a private, authentic, hands-on Mexican cooking lesson in her home and garden that she designed herself. Isabel is incredibly passionate about pre-Hispanic cooking - in addition to learning about the culture and cuisine, you’ll learn about the ancient milpa technique of farming (aka the three sisters method of growing food)! Vegetarians are welcome - just let Isabel know in advance. Isabel has fond memories of being in the kitchen with her mother who taught her to cook on pre-Hispanic clay grills and molcajetes. She is excited to create new food memories with her guests.
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Location
Presita de Santa Rosa
Please meet your host Isabel at her home in the Presita de Santa Rosa community, northwest of San Miguel de Allende. Exact address can be found in your ticket upon booking confirmation.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 2 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
If you cancel at least 2 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(22 Ratings)
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Koneflower2
Oct 12, 2025
Great experience - We had the best time during our cooking class with Isabel. Her husband, Ric picked us up at our hotel and took us to their home, about 20 mins from our hotel. It was such a fun, hands-on experience for the entire family. We learned new recipes, along with some history of the food we were cooking and had an incredible meal together. We will make these recipes again and again and always treasure our memories of cooking with Isabel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Colleen
Oct 11, 2025
Delightful and personalized experience - We had a great time with Isabel! She picked us up at our hotel and drove us to her beautiful country home. We chopped and cooked together and enjoyed beautiful food, margaritas and great conversation. Her husband joined us around the table and then drove us back to our hotel. This experience was a highlight of our trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeffrey_s
Oct 11, 2025
Very relaxed, but great... - Very relaxed, but great exposure to the prehistoric flavors that make Mexican food so unique. Isabel can work with novices as well as experienced cooks and she provides wonderful perspectives on how each ingredient enhances the flavor of the others.
Review provided by Viator
Amycr4654pq
May 26, 2025
So much more than just a cooking class - What a delightful afternoon we spent with Isabel! She picked us up from our hotel in San Miguel de Allende and drove us to her house (about 25 or 30 minutes away), so we got to see how someone lives outside of the city. She has this oasis in the middle of the Mexican desert, complete with a garden where you can see what ingredients she grows and a quiet place to sit with Margaritas and chat. Isabel taught us how to make gazpacho and a layered nopales dish topped with a delicious sauce. I learned techniques for cutting an avocado and juicing a lime that I will take with me as I cook at home. But more so than the cooking lesson was the chance to spend time with an amazing person. Isabel is a retired doctor and healthcare administrator whose mission in retirement (besides teaching cooking classes) is water safety and she works with an NGO to improve water quality in Mexico. It was inspiring to meet and talk with her and learn about her life and her family. Such a pleasant travel experience that I will always remember
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyage555391
Apr 22, 2025
Highly recommend while in San Miguel de Allende - The cooking class my husband and I took with Isabel was a highlight of our stay in San Miguel. She picked us up and drove us the 20 minutes to her beautiful home. Once there, we got to work preparing a delicious vegetarian lunch. (Isabel communicated with us ahead of time to ask about our food preferences.) We learned some helpful cooking techniques to take home with us, and we enjoyed a margarita on the patio with Isabel and her husband while waiting for the chiles rellenos to cook. Isabel’s knowledge of traditional Mexican cooking resulted in a delicious meal. We learned some new cooking techniques and made a new friend in the process!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X5484hzmichaelo
Apr 21, 2025
Excellent Cooking Class - This was a great experience. Isabel and her home were charming and the food we made together was delicious. This is one of the best cooking classes we've done!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_d
Apr 14, 2025
An authentic meal that you would only find in someone's home - Isabel warmly opened her sweet home to us. She picked us up at our hotel and told us about local culture and history. Then, we cooked an authentic meal that you would only find in someone's home rather than a restaurant in Mexico.
We learned techniques that we will bring home to our own kitchens.
We loved our time with Isabel!
Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Dc249
Apr 12, 2025
A must experience - Highly recommend. Isabel was wonder to talk with and loved the cuisine she shared with us. Will definitely make at home. She added to our wonderful time in San Miguel. Such a treat!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Raec1005
Apr 11, 2025
Authentic Mexican Cooking Experience - The cooking class with Isabel was nothing short of excellent! The service, accommodation, and experience were all spectacular. I highly recommend this authentic experience to cook in her beautiful home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynnesb4113ae
Apr 8, 2025
A Lovely Experience - My longtime friend came for a visit. We both live to cook so the idea of learning to make a Mexican meal with “a Grandma” seemed a perfect outing. And it was. Isabel was easy to be with and being in her home kitchen was immediately comfortable, like being with an old friend. We made a Veracruz style red snapper dish that was heavenly. Our dinner conversation was relaxed and engaging.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
