Puerto Vallarta Cooking: Authentic Mexican Flavors

Explore Puerto Vallarta’s vibrant markets and master Mexican cuisine with Chef Julio. Immerse in culture, savor authentic dishes, and create lasting memories.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Gaby’s Restaurant Bar - Embark on a culinary adventure with Chef Julio in Puerto Vallarta, where warmth, fun, and deliciousness await in the heart of Mexican cuisine.
  1. Meet & Greet
    Join Chef Julio and his family at their delightful, family-owned restaurant located in the historic downtown area of Puerto Vallarta, just a short walk from the…
What's Included
  • Meals
Meal Options
  • mole from scratch (30 ingredients) - We prepare a rich, authentic mole poblano from scratch with 30+ ingredients, creating deep, layered flavors in a fun, hands-on class
  • chile poblano relleno with panela cheese - We make a classic chile relleno stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg batter, fried, and topped with fresh ranchera sauce. Authentic and…
Additional Information

This cooking class stands out as it offers more than just culinary instruction; it provides a genuine cultural immersion in the heart of Puerto Vallarta.
Chef Julio imparts family recipes that have been cherished for generations, teaching not only the cooking techniques but also the cultural significance of each dish in Mexican tradition. His enthusiasm…

Location
Gaby's Restaurant Bar
Calle Mina
Getting to Gaby’s Restaurant (Calle Mina 252, Centro, Puerto Vallarta) By Foot (from the Malecón / Church area) is one of the most famous mexican restaurant in Puerto Vallarta
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(24 Ratings)
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Onair618972
Feb 21, 2026
Wonderful experience! - Chef Julio was amazing - personable and knowledgeable, and his sous-chef Aldo was also helpful and engaging. The market tour where we bought our ingredients was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about choosing the best ingredients, and particularly, how to differentiate between mild and spicy peppers! I now know how to make the best guacamole and salsas. The best cooking class I have attended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ursula_m
Feb 20, 2026
A foodie's delight - Chef Julio shares his family's history at Gaby's restaurant as well as the history of their little corner of Puerto Vallarta before he leads the group on a walk to the local market, pointing out great places to grab a snack or a drink and introducing the group to traditional Mexican ingredients, how they're used, and their importance in Mexican tradition. At the market, while selecting the ingredients needed for the day's dishes, Chef Julio educates the group on selecting the best produce. Upon returning to the restaurant, the group climbs to the terrace and begin preparing a variety of delicious dishes which we will ultimately share. In addition, Chef Julio shares s digital cookbook of those delights with his guests. Definitely a wonderful way to spend some time in Puerto Vallarta!
Review provided by Viator
Johnmo1390vp
Feb 18, 2026
Learning and cooking - Great learning experience. There was some history of Mexico as well as fundamentals of Mexican cuisine. We learned how to choose the best ingredients and then how to cook them. It was a great day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deborah_d
Feb 15, 2026
Highly recommend! - Highly recommend this tour. We are experienced cooks, and still learned tons. Julio gave us a history lesson, market tour that included how to select the best products (including ordering avocados from the market by when you need them) and then we cooked as a group in an open-air rooftop kitchen. Multiple dishes and recipes included! Caution: the walking isn’t far, but the market in Old Town is uneven cobblestone and up and down tall sidewalks. Also our tour was six hours, not three. This makes it an even better value, but just don’t have other things planned that day.
Review provided by Viator
Robert
Feb 14, 2026
Fantastic Fun well worth it Aldo Julio and the crew made it an excellent experience. Will definitely do it again. - Had fun laughed a lot and learned a ton. The hosts were fantastic I would back in a heart beat. Aldo was great. The passion was evident
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eloy_f
Feb 7, 2026
Experience was great... - Experience was great longer than 5 hours, could cut back on the history introduction. Excellent food.
Review provided by Viator
Tammy
Feb 12, 2026
Shopped and cooked like a local - Chef Julio and his team were fantastic. A lot of walking so be prepared, but I learned so much about the area and found some amazing shops. People of PV are so kind and welcoming. Food was delicious and I am excited to try some authentic recipes when I get home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bkcooke
Feb 9, 2026
Have patience and the day will be time well spent. - The program started at 9:00 am and there were 14 of us. We were told the program would end at 2:00. We were given a 50 minute or so history lesson of the chef’s family, background of the restaurant and México. And the basic outline of what we would cook. And he also gave everyone an ecopy of his cookbook. About 10:00 we started walking from the restaurant (in Centro) toward the mercado (in Zona Romantica). There were several stops along the way before finally arriving at the mercado close to noon. Most of the stops were somewhat interesting and a lot of local knowledge was passed along (which in hindsight wished I’d kept notes). Some participants by this point were getting frustrated wondering when the cooking would start. One couple abandoned the program at this point. We were then driven back to the restaurant and the cooking began shortly after 12:30. The cooking consisted of everyone doing one small job for the various recipes - mostly chopping and grilling. What we cooked was mostly sauces from his cookbook. The problem was that we could not see the entire process for each of the dishes and only briefly in some instances how it was all brought together. Reading the cookbook later helped our understanding of what had been happening. We then ate what we had cooked and it was delicious. There was also a rice and chicken in mole sauce, also delicious. We then returned to the kitchen to make and cook tortillas while the staff made (and demonstrated) chili rellenos. That was the final meal, which ended shortly after 3:00. We were gone shortly before 3:30. All in all it was worth it. The restaurant is a great family business story and chef Julio knows his cooking and is clearly deeply connected to his community. It was a fun and interesting day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tiannav2026
Jan 26, 2026
Good food, but not very hands-on - We did a cooking class in Puerto Vallarta and it was just okay overall. The food was definitely good and the chef was engaging, but it wasn’t really the hands-on cooking class I was expecting. The group was quite large, so it didn’t feel very intimate, and most of the cooking was done by the chef and a few participants. I personally never even got to hold a knife or prep anything. We cooked “as a group,” but it felt more like watching a demonstration than actually learning how to cook the dishes step by step. If you’re looking for a more interactive, hands-on experience where everyone makes their own dish, this might not be the right fit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_l
Feb 24, 2026
Disappointed to not get to do the activity - Our experience was canceled due to the shelter in place order in Puerto Vallarta. We are waiting on a refund
Review provided by Viator
From $110
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).