Antigua food tour
ANTIGUA FOOD TOUR - Antigua is a city built in the shadow of volcanoes, and its food carries the imprint of everyone who has passed through it. Maize, cacao and chillies have been staples of the diet here since the Ancient Mayans, and continue to be as important today. Behind the baroque churches and pastel façades, market cooks and street vendors are still working with ingredients that have fed the highlands for thousands of years.
Our four-hour feast of 14+ tastings traces a route through Antigua's historic centre, ducking between neighbourhood eateries and street carts to explore the city from the plate up.
We'll start pan con chile relleno made from richly filled Guatemalan pepper, while warm handmade corn tortillas arrive straight from the comal with fresh local cheese. Maize has been the backbone of Maya cooking for millennia, and over the evening we'll explore how important this humble grain it.
Then come two parcels with much older roots. A silky tamal de cerdo unwraps to reveal seasoned pork encased in soft maize dough, while pache de cerdo swaps corn for potato, a particularly Guatemalan variation born in the western highlands. We'll wash them down with chicha de jocote, a lightly fermented drink made from the tart, aromatic jocote fruit.
Not everything here is ancient. The gloriously messy shuco is Guatemala's answer to the hot dog - a griddled bun piled with sausage and the sort of toppings that demand both hands and several napkins. Pair it with a glass of fermented, ginger-spiked chinchivir and you've entered firmly into modern Guatemalan street-food territory.
The heart of the evening, though, belongs to the stews. We'll sit down to a trio that reveals the depth of Guatemalan cooking. Comforting pulique de pollo, thickened in the Maya tradition, pepiΓ‘n where chicken is cloaked in a deeply savoury sauce of toasted seeds, chillies and spices, and verdant jocΓ³n, bright with herbs and green ingredients.
Maize returns in the form of a compact chuchito de cerdo, its corn dough wrapped around seasoned pork and steamed in a husk. Alongside comes atol de elote, a thick, warming drink of sweet corn whose ancestry stretches deep into Maya civilisation.
We'll slow down over velvety Guatemalan hot chocolate, another ingredient with ancient Mesoamerican roots, and a humble but deeply satisfying pan con frijol y queso, layering creamy beans and cheese inside soft bread.
After crossing Parque Central, with the illuminated cathedral and volcanic skyline framing the old city, we'll finish with plΓ‘tanos en mole. Sweet fried plantains meet a dark, bittersweet sauce of cacao, spices and toasted ingredients, the kind of combination that shouldn't quite work until it does.
Why this tour is awesome
Over 14+ tastings, you'll eat your way through more than a thousand years of Guatemalan food history, from ancient Maya staples like maize and cacao to Spanish-influenced stews and modern street food. Expect richly spiced pepiΓ‘n, handmade tortillas, pork tamales, messy shucos, warming atol and bittersweet plantains in mole.
Between bites, we'll weave through Antigua's markets, ruined churches, cobbled streets and local eateries, uncovering a food culture that runs far deeper than the city's postcard-perfect façades.
Your guide
Criss grew up in the kitchen alongside her mother, grandmother and aunts, learning how food can create bonds across generations. Travelling throughout Guatemala deepened that passion, and she loves exploring how different regional flavours, traditions and food cultures bring people together.
Your guide
Leo is passionate about people, good food and the experiences that bring the two together. His curiosity for flavour has taken him from the Amazon to the Mediterranean, and he loves sharing what he's discovered while creating memorable moments around the table.
Your guide
Alexander grew up in a multiethnic Guatemalan family where food was always at the heart of bringing people together. He learned to cook from his grandmother, mother, aunts and uncles, developing a lifelong fascination with how flavours tell stories, preserve cultures and connect communities.
Your guide
Jorge Luis grew up listening to his grandmother, originally from Ciudad Vieja near Antigua, talk about food as living memory. That inherited curiosity stayed with him, and today he loves uncovering the stories behind Guatemala's recados, tortillas, coffee and the traditions that have carried them through generations.
Discover Antigua's food scene through 14+ local tastings.
Learn about life in the city.
Watch a local breadmaker at work in the heart of Antigua.
A local classic: chile relleno tucked inside a crusty bread roll.
Fresh blue corn tortillas turning golden on the comal.
Warm tortillas con queso, handmade with fresh Guatemalan cheese.
From familiar favourites to curious finds, taste Guatemala's tropical bounty.
A colourful taste of Guatemala's remarkable fruit harvest.
Get to know the produce, spices and staples of Antigua's markets.
Aromatic spices, fiery chillies and rich Guatemalan cacao.
Making a picosita, Guatemala's spicy beer cocktail.
Cold beers get the full Guatemalan picosita treatment.
The food heroes of Antigua.
Unwrap a steaming tamal de cerdo, packed with tender pork.
Dig into 14+ traditional Guatemalan flavours.
Shuco de salchicha, Guatemala's gloriously messy take on a hot dog.
Explore the lively streets of Guatemala's historic Antigua.
Venture beyond the tourist trail to Antigua's hidden food spots.
Pause for a bite with a view over Antigua.
JocΓ³n, pepiΓ‘n and pulique: three distinctive flavours of Guatemalan cuisine.
The street vendors of Antigua.
Traditional chuchito de cerdo, wrapped in corn husks and steamed.
The people behind Antigua's food scene.
Warm pan con frijol y queso with rich chocolate caliente artesanal.
Between tastings, wander through Antigua's beautiful historic centre.
One last taste of Guatemala: rich, sweet plΓ‘tanos en mole.
Includes
- Price US $59 per person
- Language English
- Small group Maximum of 8 guests (private tours or groups of 9+, please contact us)
- Tastings 14+ tastings
- Drinks Bottled water and local drinks
- Duration 3.30pm - 7.30pm
- Guides Led by one of our superb Antigua food hosts
- Cancellation Cancel up to 48 hours before departure for a full refund
- Family friendly Families welcome on all our tours. Children 50% discount.
- Transport Walking tour
- Instant confirmation Book now to secure your space (before we sell out!)
- Pick up / drop off Our guests come from all over the city, so to save time we have a meeting point. Your guide can help you find transport back at the end of the tour
Dietary information
- General advice Many local eateries specialise in signature menus, and may not have alternatives. It is not always possible to cater for all dietary requests at every stop
- Vegetarian Unsuitable as meat and seafood are used in 7-8 tastings (out of 14 total)
- Vegan Unsuitable as meat, seafood and dairy are used in 9-10 tastings (out of 14 total)
- Pescatarian Unsuitable as meat is used in 7-8 tastings (out of 14 total)
- Pork Possible, though pork is used in 3-4 tastings (out of 14 total)
- Halal Unsuitable as not all vendors are halal-certified
- Gluten intolerance / Celiac Possible, through gluten is present in 3-4 tastings (out of 14 total)
- Lactose intolerance Suitable, though lactose is present in 1-2 tastings (out of 14 total)
- Tree nut / peanut allergy Suitable for mild peanut and tree nut allergies
- Seafood / Shellfish allergy Suitable for no seafood diets
- Severe allergies Due to the nature of street food cooking, we can never guarantee any dish to be 100% free from allergens, as there is always the risk of traces and cross-contamination. It is unsuitable for severe allergies. Contact us: info@achefstour.com
How to book
To join our Antigua food tour, use the calendar above to select your preferred date, and secure your tour with your card. For special requests, private bookings, or dietary requirements, please contact us. Safety of our customers is our first priority, so if you have any food allergies, please contact us before booking.
What to expect
This tour is designed for adventurous eaters with an interest in discovering the food locals eat. Itβs a walking tour, but the pace is gentle, and there are plenty of rest (eating) stops along the way. Join us on the best Antigua food tour in the city, you won't regret it.
Meeting point
Meet outside theΒ Landivar Monument in the historic centre. It's easy to reach either on foot from most hotels, or taxi. There will be more details on your booking voucher.Β
Cancellation Policy
Why you should book with us
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99% 5 star reviews across our tours -
Secure payments through provider Peek
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No hidden charges - all food tastings included in the price
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Authentic food experience, escape the tourist traps