Ecuador Food Tour
Description
Ecuad Food Tour gives the opportunity to sample a variety of local foods in an authentic setting - Maria's home. It is a nice neighborhood. You will feel very welcome. You know a friendly cooker who will make your time different and special. It is a great idea to apreciate locals and support small business, taste the culture, get personalized tips and discovering places you wouldn't visit independently.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Maria open her home to do Cooking Class for friends, families with children or couples. You will learn to prepare two real Ecuadorian dishes and a drink during one hour. The another hour you delight your cooking and talk with Maria about Ecuador and food tips. You will enjoy with Maria and her nice house with beautiful garden. Friends, couples, families with children are welcome. It is a great idea to do while you are in Quito for lunch or dinner.
Half Day Tour is a great option to choose in the morning or afternoon. It takes around 5 hours. You visit local market in Sangolqui, stop a typical restaurant and taste guinea pig and other Ecuadorian food. One hour Cooking Class in Maria's home and a drink, delight your cooking and visit an ice cream place to taste ice creams with different flavors as guinea pig, fritada and other Ecuadorian tastes.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The cost doesn't include pick up or drop off at any hotel in Quito or airport. It has an extra cost. Contact us to arrange it.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(21)
Maria took me to the market and then to her house to make ceviche and empanadas. The tour was really fun. We walked around the market ate a whole bunch of different things. Wow this was my second trip to Ecuador, I tasted a whole bunch of different foods that I didn’t taste on the first trip. The vendors were all really nice and willing to hand out samples. Then we went to Maria’s house in the suburbs of Quito and cooked together. She made sure to use ingredients that I could find at home and nothing was extremely complicated such that I couldn’t re-create it with tools I have at home. I did this tour solo, but I think it would be great for couples or families and people of all ages.
Lovely culinary experience for 3 generations! Excellent hostess and instructor in Maria! Four teenagers enjoyed the entire cooking experience, from cutting the vegetables to crimping the empanadas!
Thank you so much for your kind review! It was truly a pleasure to host three generations in the kitchen. I loved guiding the experience, and we’re thrilled to hear the teenagers enjoyed every step—from chopping vegetables to crimping empanadas. We hope to welcome your family again soon!
Maria generously opened her own home and kitchen to my husband and I for this hands-on cooking experience. We learned how to choose green plantains and make cheese stuffed empanadas, which are delicious and healthy - a real game changer if you want to avoid gluten or typical wheat flour doughs. Pressing the empanadas was fun - we have already ordered a tortilla press for our home use and will make this recipe frequently. We also made fresh shrimp ceviche and learned that Ecuadorians cook the shrimp first. Many of the ingredients came from Maria's own backyard, which is an amazing array of fruit trees (50 foot avocado trees!) and herbs. The lemon verbena lemonade was amazing! We had Maria arrange a private ride for us from the Wyndham Quito Airport hotel for a very reasonable extra fee. I highly suggest this, as she lives in a gated community and our driver knew how to get in. The drive was beautiful and interesting - especially the neighboring town with all the guinea pigs hanging on the street. We did not eat any of these, but wow are they huge!
Thank you so much for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review! It was truly a pleasure to welcome you into my home and kitchen. I´m delighted to hear how much you enjoyed learning to select green plantains, prepare cheese-stuffed empanadas, and discover a delicious gluten-free alternative—especially knowing you’re already planning to make them at home! I’m also glad you liked the ceviche and my lemon verbena lemonade drink. I always try sharing Ecuadorian traditions, flavors, and the natural abundance of my garden. Thank you as well for mentioning the private transportation arrangement. I’m happy it made your visit smooth, safe, and enjoyable, and that the scenic drive added to the experience.
We spent an enjoyable afternoon with Maria. Upon arrival we toured her diverse garden to see some of the ingredients that would be part of our lunch – tree tomatoes, lemon verbena, etc. Her home, in a gated community, is comfortable and authentically decorated. Maria was quickly accommodating to adjust one dish to be vegetarian. She shared tips on making the dishes and provided the recipes to us later that day via WhatsApp. We intentionally scheduled this activity within the first 24 hours of arriving in to Quito. The pace was low-key which helped with our adjustment to the altitude. One day before the tour, she connected with us via WhatsApp and offered to set up a driver between our city hotel and her suburban home. We were grateful for her foresight and accepted her helpful offer. We paid the cost of the driver directly to Maria (in USD cash) when our afternoon was ending. Would recommend for a local, hands-on, slow paced experience.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I’m delighted you enjoyed the relaxed, hands-on experience with me—from touring my garden to cooking together at a comfortable pace. I’m also glad the vegetarian adjustment, shared tips, recipes, and transportation support helped make your visit smooth and enjoyable, especially so soon after arriving in Quito. Thank you for the recommendation, and we hope to welcome you again!
What an incredible time! I was the only one signed up so I got lots of attention and got to learn and try so many things. It was absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m delighted you enjoyed the personalized experience and had the chance to learn and taste so much. It was a pleasure hosting you, and I hope to welcome you again soon!
I asked Maria to arrange transportation for me from Downtown Quito to her home, and she did so. Her home is in a lovely gated community about 45 minutes outside of Quito. She toured me through her garden, explained some of the ingredients we'd be using, and we prepared ceviche and empanadas! I enjoyed it so much, I've just purchased the ingredients at home to prepare the dishes with my family.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my cooking classes. I always try to create a relaxed and friendly environment so everyone can learn and have fun. It was a pleasure having you in class. I truly appreciate your recommendations to your friends, it means a lot to me!"
Maria's cooking class was awesome! Very hands on which I liked. Very accommodating of dietary restrictions and we learned easy authentic Ecuadorian recipes to take back home as well as alternatives if we don't have the exact ingredients. Everything came out very tasty!
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback! I’m delighted that you enjoyed the hands-on experience and that the class was accommodating to your dietary needs. It’s great to hear you’ll be able to recreate the authentic Ecuadorian recipes at home—even with ingredient substitutions! Hope to see you back in the kitchen someday!
So much fun. I learned so much and the recipes we made were very authentic and fresh, yet simple enough that I can easily replicate them at home. Loved my time there.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the class and found the recipes easy to follow. It’s wonderful that you feel more confident in the kitchen —that’s exactly what I aim for!
Had a great time going through the market and making ceviche and empanadas. I would 100% recommend this class to anyone in Quito.
I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the market tour and had a great time making ceviche and empanadas. It was a pleasure having you in the class, and I'm so glad you found it worthwhile. If you're ever back in Quito, I'd love to cook with you again. Thanks for recommending the class—your support means a lot!
Had a great day with Maria in Quito visiting a local market and cooking a meal at her home. Maria is super nice, easy to talk with. She picked me up at the hotel and we headed to a local market where she introduced me to the local ingredients and dishes, great experience. She took me to her home to where we prepared together a wonderful meal. If you look for an individual private tour, learn about local cuisines and get an insight in Ecuadorian lifestyle reach out to Maria. I highly recommend her tour
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the market visit and our time cooking together. It was a pleasure showing you around and introducing you to Ecuadorian ingredients and dishes. I always aim to create a personalized experience, so I’m thrilled to hear you had such a great day. If you’re ever back in Quito, don’t hesitate to reach out—I’d love to cook with you again! Thank you for the high recommendation!
