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Panama Cooking Class: Local Market Tour & Cuisine
4.9
106 Ratings
Panamá
Embark on a culinary adventure in Casco Viejo, Panama, with a local market tour and hands-on cooking class. Learn traditional Panamanian recipes and techniques from an expert chef. Personalized menu options available.
Embark on a culinary adventure in Casco Viejo, Panama, with a local market tour and hands-on cooking class. Learn traditional Panamanian recipes and techniques from an expert chef. Personalized menu options available.
Duration:
4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Restaurante El Nacional Sabores de Panamá - Your tour starts at the Restaurante El Nacional in Casco Viejo, the colonial historic center of Panama City. You will walk with your expert local guide to gather your personalized ingredients at the two main markets in Panama’s Old Town. You will first visit the famous Mercado de Mariscos, Panama’s…
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Restaurante El Nacional Sabores de Panamá - Your tour starts at the Restaurante El Nacional in Casco Viejo, the colonial historic center of Panama City. You will walk with your expert local guide to gather your personalized ingredients at the two main markets in Panama’s Old Town. You will first visit the famous Mercado de Mariscos, Panama’s largest seafood market. With the help of your guide, you will select the perfect fish for your ceviche from amongst the many varieties that are delivered here daily from local fisherman on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Next you will walk a short distance to the Mercado San Felipe Neri. Here you will maneuver amongst the organized chaos of local vendors selling the freshest meats, fruits, and vegetables that Panama has to offer. Once you have your ingredients, you will head back to the cooking studio at El Nacional to begin the cooking class.
During the hands on cooking class, you will create a 5 course menu consisting of classic Panamanian dishes made from scratch while learning about spices and herbs that are unique to Panamanian cuisine. The tour will conclude with a sit down lunch where you can enjoy the food that you just created along with complimentary local drinks.
What's Included
- Cooking class
- Lunch
- Bottled water
- Alcoholic beverages
- Cooking class
- Lunch
- Bottled water
- Alcoholic beverages
What's Not Included
- Optional Tips
- Optional Tips
Meal Options
- Panamanian Style Ceviche - Made with the fresh corvina that we will get at the seafood market
- Carimañola - A Panamanian staple that consists of mashed yucca (cassava) stuffed with seasoned meat (chicken or vegetarian)
- Pollo Guisado - You will learn how to make this stewed chicken with local herbs and spices. You will use this chicken in the…
- Panamanian Style Ceviche - Made with the fresh corvina that we will get at the seafood market
- Carimañola - A Panamanian staple that consists of mashed yucca (cassava) stuffed with seasoned meat (chicken or vegetarian)
- Pollo Guisado - You will learn how to make this stewed chicken with local herbs and spices. You will use this chicken in the carimañola and tamal recipes.
- Tamale Tipica - The centerpiece of any family dinner in Panama made with a velvety corn masa filled with meat and/or vegetables and wrapped in a plantain leaf
- Plátano en Tentación - Sweet plantain slowly cooked in a cinnamon, molasses and citrus fruit juice.
- Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten Free Options - All of the dishes can be substituted with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free ingredients to fit your dietary needs.
Additional Information
Embark on a culinary journey through Panama’s distinct flavors with a combined market tour and hands-on cooking workshop. Guided by a knowledgeable local culinary expert, you will navigate Casco Viejo’s bustling markets in search of the perfect ingredients for your tailored menu. Immerse yourself in the world of unique Panamanian herbs and spices as you…
Embark on a culinary journey through Panama’s distinct flavors with a combined market tour and hands-on cooking workshop. Guided by a knowledgeable local culinary expert, you will navigate Casco Viejo’s bustling markets in search of the perfect ingredients for your tailored menu. Immerse yourself in the world of unique Panamanian herbs and spices as you prepare a quintet of dishes that would earn the admiration of any Panamanian grandmother. Master the art of crafting the ideal Panamanian tamale and filling a carimañola under the tutelage of a chef whose expertise has been handed down through generations. This cooking adventure is designed to cater to your dietary needs, with options including gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and pescatarian choices.
- Legal age that can be served alcohol is 18
Location
Restaurante El Nacional Sabores de Panamá
Tour starting point is in Restaurante El Nacional, PH Catedral, located on Plaza de la Independencia, in the former Museo de Esmeralda
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(106 Ratings)
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758cristinak
Jul 5, 2025
Different and excellent - From the beginning it was an authentic and very well-guided activity. The host was great, outgoing, and made everyone feel comfortable at all times. The activity allowed participants to learn useful techniques to apply to Panamanian dishes and at home, in addition to enjoying delicious food and learning more about Panamanian and Latin American culture. There was also interaction with locals at the markets, which made it even more special. It was a much more local and genuine experience than most tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kit_n
Jun 15, 2025
Fun and Filling!! - Small group - no more than 8. Learn to make 5 traditional Panamanian dishes. Very hands on. We had an afternoon class so we took them up on their offer of complimentary beer wine and even rum that is used in one of the recipes. Our Monday tour guide had recommended a local restaurant that served local Panamanian food which we found not very appetizing. If we hadn’t taken this class we all would have had a negative lasting impression of the food. Jorge’s is fun, knows what he is doing, and has this down pat. (If you
Don’t have time to take the class, for sure, go there for lunch. We were there in offseason when most restaurants were empty. This was packed the entire afternoon.) My only suggestion for improvement was less time standing in the produce area getting instructions/lectures on cooking that could have been shared while seated back at the restaurant. Time was better spent on the ingredients. There was also a surprise visit to a beverage stall where we each could choose one of 12+ different fruit and vegetable mixes. At the end, we all sat down at a table to eat our own cooking. It was fabulous and my group now has a very different opinion of Panamanian food.
Review provided by Viator
P5141syaliciak
May 31, 2025
Must do in Panama City - This is an absolute must do to immerse in the local culture, learn some amazing culinary techniques and just have an amazing day. Three of us participated including my 12 year old daughter. Chef Jorge was phenomenal. I was worried about taking my daughter but she truly enjoyed it and Jorge made her feel very welcome. Best experience and so thankful we decided to do this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diana
May 7, 2025
Delicious cooking adventure - Thankful for the great cooking class and Panamian food cultural experience. Big applause to the passionate and knowledgeable chef Jorge for the teaching, cooking guidance and market experience. Big thanks to El Nacional restaurant for hosting such a memorable event. Amazing experience and definetely was worth it. Simply delicious :)
Muchas Gracias! ❣️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Road06677543844
Apr 22, 2025
AMAMAZING!!! - Amazing food experience, awesome food, vibes and a great chef.
I would highly reccomened this experience for anyone!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katie_d
Apr 18, 2025
Fun day cooking! We first... - Fun day cooking! We first toured a market and tried some local fruit juice then went back the restaurant and cooked up a multi course feast! The guide was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. All the food was delicious. This tour lasted 5.5 hours so make sure to not have plans right after!
Review provided by Viator
Zacharym638
Apr 16, 2025
Awesome Cooking Class - This class is awesome. Visiting the markets was a spectacle and incredibly informative and being able to purchase what you are going to cook is an awesome experience. The cooking class was a blast. Chef Jorge is hilarious and incredibly talented and the food we made really went beyond my expectations. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emma_m
Apr 10, 2025
This experience was... - This experience was really good fun. It was very interesting being able to explore the markets (could have done without the fish market though!) The chef, Jorge, was really knowledgeable, considerate and funny. We met some lovely people too, would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Patenaudedlima
Apr 18, 2025
It was okay. The choice... - It was okay. The choice of food was delicious, but there was too much on the menu to learn, and we needed other sous chefs to help out. It didn't feel organized. The tours to the fish market, the meat market and the vegetable market were very interesting and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Kathleen
Apr 15, 2025
Gordon Ramsey Experience - We dined at this restaurant the night before the tour and we had excellent food. Signed up for the tour and met at the restaurant early the next day. The walk to the market is approximately 3/4 of a mile there and 3/4 of a mile back. I have had two hip replacement surgeries this year so it was a challenge. The market tour was very good and informative. After returning back to the restaurant our experience went downhill. The Chef is a Gordon Ramsey personality. If you want to experience what it would be like to work in that environment then this cooking class is for you. If you want to be ostracized and ridiculed the entire class then go for it! No talking to your fellow class goers is allowed. Would return to the restaurant for a good meal but not for the class. Too serious for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
