Bites and Sights: Walking Food Tour in San Jose
Overview
Unmask the beauty and culture of contemporary Costa Rican life on this San Jose walking tour. You’ll get up close and personal, through local food, history, culture even the herbal remedies of folk medicine. Enjoy a hands on lesson on exotic plants, fruits, vegetables in the Borbon Market. We’ll take a stroll through the vibrant Central Market, tasting empanada with cheese and beans. Seeing diverse sites like the Cathedral, National Theater, and the beautiful Morazan parks will help you get to know the country and its rich history and from this experience, you’ll have another sense taste to get more in tune with San Jose. For the end visit Mr. Sloth Coffee Shop where you will find gourmet coffees and chocolates produced by women, in this special place tasting and learn to prepare Cafe Chorreado, enjoy a tamal cooked by local families and wrapped in a banana leaf, learn how to make plantain empanadas with cheese, try our famous Agua de Sapo make with sugar cañe and lemon.
Inclusions
- Tasting and learn to prepare Cafe Chorreado.Try our famous Agua de Sapo, with sugar cañe and lemon.
- A tamale, Costa Rica Style, cooked by local families and wrapped in a banana leaf
- Make Tortillas and learn how to make mature plantain empanadas with cheese
- In the Borbon Market you can try the seasonal fruits.
- Try in the Central Market the traditional caldosa.
- Entry/Admission - Mr. Sloth Coffee Shop
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Central Market (Mercado Central), Entre Calle 8 Y Avenida 1 Entrada Noroeste Mercado Central, , San Jose Costa Rica
The San Jose Central Market is an important cultural site in Costa Rica as it is one of the oldest and most representative places of San Jose, the capital city of the country. The market opened in 1880, making it one of the oldest landmarks in Costa Rica as the country declared independence in 1821.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Mercado Borbón, WWP8+HRM, C. 8, Paso De La Vaca, San José, Costa Rica
The Mercado Borbón is a true sensory experience of sights and smells, and you might catch the daily hand-truck race among the workers. The focus is on produce, though it sells a bit of everything
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Correos de Costa Rica, C. 2, between Avdas. 1 and 3 Barrio La Merced, San Jose Costa Rica
This is the best to understand, why is hard to find an address on here.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Metropolitan Church (Catedral Metropolitana), Bordered by Avdas. 4 and 2 and Cs. Central and 1, San Jose Costa Rica
The Metropolitan Cathedral is the main church in San Jose Costa Rica. This Catholic cathedral stands superbly with neoclassical posture overlooking Central Park and the crowded streets and avenues of the capital city.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Teatro Nacional Costa Rica, Second Ave. and Fifth St., San Jose Costa Rica
Is include a visit to the entrance hall of Costa Rica’s National Theater. In the heart of San Jose, the National Theatre (Teatro Nacional) remains one of the capital city’s most popular tourist attractions.” The ornate Neo-Classical theatre is considered the finest historic building in San Jose, and is known for its exquisite interior decorated with lavish furnishings and beautiful murals.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Templo de la Música, WWPF+6V5, C. 7, El Carmen, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
La Laguna Plaza was initially called in 1887 because it was erected over a small lake in which the inhabitants of San José of the nineteenth century obtained the mud necessary to make the adobes with which they built their houses. There the New Year holidays were celebrated. The lake, of artificial origin and known as the Villanueva well, was known at least since 1790.
In 1808, the then Spanish governor of the Province of Costa Rica, Tomás de Acosta, had urged the authorities to dry out the place. Around it, there was a ditch, called Las Arias, so some families had begun to settle, forming a neighborhood called La Laguna. Between 1853 and 1856, President Juan Rafael Mora Porras ordered the construction of the National Liquor Factory in the neighborhood, which came to consolidate the housing presence in the area
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Parque Espana, Bordered by Avdas. 7 and 3 and Cs. 11 and 17 Barrio Carmen, San Jose Costa Rica
With this walking tour we can also enjoy of the beauty of the nature when we visit the Spain park.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Mr. Sloth Coffee Shop, Urban Tours, El Carmen, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
In this very special place, we will be having several meals and we will have the opportunity to help and participate in making tortillas and empanadas with ripe plantain and cheese, we will also try a Costa Rican Tamal, cooked by local families and we will make Pinolillo which is chocolate and Corn.
Duration: 30 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Central Market (Mercado Central), Entre Calle 8 Y Avenida 1 Entrada Noroeste Mercado Central, , San Jose Costa Rica
The San Jose Central Market is an important cultural site in Costa Rica as it is one of the oldest and most representative places of San Jose, the capital city of the country. The market opened in 1880, making it one of the oldest landmarks in Costa Rica as the country declared independence in 1821.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Mercado Borbón, WWP8+HRM, C. 8, Paso De La Vaca, San José, Costa Rica
The Mercado Borbón is a true sensory experience of sights and smells, and you might catch the daily hand-truck race among the workers. The focus is on produce, though it sells a bit of everything
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Correos de Costa Rica, C. 2, between Avdas. 1 and 3 Barrio La Merced, San Jose Costa Rica
This is the best to understand, why is hard to find an address on here.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Metropolitan Church (Catedral Metropolitana), Bordered by Avdas. 4 and 2 and Cs. Central and 1, San Jose Costa Rica
The Metropolitan Cathedral is the main church in San Jose Costa Rica. This Catholic cathedral stands superbly with neoclassical posture overlooking Central Park and the crowded streets and avenues of the capital city.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Teatro Nacional Costa Rica, Second Ave. and Fifth St., San Jose Costa Rica
Is include a visit to the entrance hall of Costa Rica’s National Theater. In the heart of San Jose, the National Theatre (Teatro Nacional) remains one of the capital city’s most popular tourist attractions.” The ornate Neo-Classical theatre is considered the finest historic building in San Jose, and is known for its exquisite interior decorated with lavish furnishings and beautiful murals.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Templo de la Música, WWPF+6V5, C. 7, El Carmen, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
La Laguna Plaza was initially called in 1887 because it was erected over a small lake in which the inhabitants of San José of the nineteenth century obtained the mud necessary to make the adobes with which they built their houses. There the New Year holidays were celebrated. The lake, of artificial origin and known as the Villanueva well, was known at least since 1790.
In 1808, the then Spanish governor of the Province of Costa Rica, Tomás de Acosta, had urged the authorities to dry out the place. Around it, there was a ditch, called Las Arias, so some families had begun to settle, forming a neighborhood called La Laguna. Between 1853 and 1856, President Juan Rafael Mora Porras ordered the construction of the National Liquor Factory in the neighborhood, which came to consolidate the housing presence in the area
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Parque Espana, Bordered by Avdas. 7 and 3 and Cs. 11 and 17 Barrio Carmen, San Jose Costa Rica
With this walking tour we can also enjoy of the beauty of the nature when we visit the Spain park.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Mr. Sloth Coffee Shop, Urban Tours, El Carmen, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
In this very special place, we will be having several meals and we will have the opportunity to help and participate in making tortillas and empanadas with ripe plantain and cheese, we will also try a Costa Rican Tamal, cooked by local families and we will make Pinolillo which is chocolate and Corn.
Duration: 30 minutes
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Safety Tips, San Jose is a big city like any other, it is a preventive measure to dont wear flashy jewelry.
- Dont eat before the tour.
- The groups are 12 people with a guide.
- We can accommodate vegetarians and other dietary restrictions. Please notify us in advance if you have any dietary requests.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Tessa_R
April 2022
Great tour! Gladys was the best guide, she shared so much knowledge with us about many different things and everything was very interesting. She made the tour a great experience. We tried so many different foods and learned a lot. We would definetly recommend doing it!
Great tour! Gladys was the best guide, she shared so much knowledge with us about many different things and everything was very interesting. She made the tour a great experience. We tried so many different foods and learned a lot. We would definetly recommend doing it!seemichellelynn
May 2022
I really loved going to the marketplace where all of the local fruits were. Ernesto was very knowledgeable and friendly. The coffee shop was also a favorite, best coffee in Costa Rica! We loved the cooking demonstration and all the food was super tasty! Thanks for a great taste of San Jose! ...
I really loved going to the marketplace where all of the local fruits were. Ernesto was very knowledgeable and friendly. The coffee shop was also a favorite, best coffee in Costa Rica! We loved the cooking demonstration and all the food was super tasty! Thanks for a great taste of San Jose! I would have not found all those places myself and I am a pretty handy traveler . I recommend you bring an umbrella in the rainy season, not everyone was prepared since the day always starts out sunny, but it rains every afternoon but don’t let that stop you, it’s warm just be preparedheshalyfe
May 2022
Angel was an incredible guide! There's a huge amount of food in San Jose and he brought us through several amazing spots; educating us about not only the food but historical sites around the city. Also, he was able to cater to several dietary needs which was really great. Definitely recommend!
Angel was an incredible guide! There's a huge amount of food in San Jose and he brought us through several amazing spots; educating us about not only the food but historical sites around the city. Also, he was able to cater to several dietary needs which was really great. Definitely recommend!bobbyg695
April 2022
Angel was our tour guide and his extensive knowledge, passion and keen insights made the history and flavors of Costa Rica jump to life. Tying together the founding history and merging it with the current present, Angel wove together the stories and magic that make Costa Rica the unique and amaz...
Angel was our tour guide and his extensive knowledge, passion and keen insights made the history and flavors of Costa Rica jump to life. Tying together the founding history and merging it with the current present, Angel wove together the stories and magic that make Costa Rica the unique and amazing country you want to visit and experience. The tour itself was set up to get us inside the local food scene, the local drinks, and meet some of the key players in the local foods movement, supporting local farmers and local businesses. This the Urban Tour you should not miss. At the end of the tour, Eric and his staff showed us how to Kate authentic Tortillas, drink raw cacao, and further our knowledge of Costa Rica’s deep cultural heritage.Daniel_S
April 2022
Loved this food walking tour, going around several sites in San Jose. Must have tried 15-20 different foods/drinks ranging from fruits to coffee to ceviche.
Loved this food walking tour, going around several sites in San Jose. Must have tried 15-20 different foods/drinks ranging from fruits to coffee to ceviche.smsleepers2
April 2022
Eric was very knowledgeable and entertaining. His explanation of the migration of Costa Rican population was great. All the food he had us sample was delicious and his explanation of how it was native to this area was great. Had a wonderful time.
Eric was very knowledgeable and entertaining. His explanation of the migration of Costa Rican population was great. All the food he had us sample was delicious and his explanation of how it was native to this area was great. Had a wonderful time.