Antigua Guatemala Food Walk: Market Comedores, Pepian & Chocolate
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Antigua, Guatemala
Antigua
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Antigua was the capital of Spanish Central America until an earthquake flattened it in 1773, and what is left is a cobbled grid of ruins and low colonial houses under three volcanoes, one of which is permanently smoking.
The food is Maya underneath and Spanish on top. Pepian, a thick stew of chicken or beef thickened with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds and dried chillies, is the national dish and is almost certainly pre-Hispanic. Chiles rellenos here are not the Mexican version - they are stuffed with minced meat and vegetables, battered in egg and served in a roll.
We start at the municipal market, which is where Antigua actually shops, for a comedor breakfast and a walk through the produce: black beans, a dozen chillies, loroco flowers, and fruit you will not recognise. Then tamales and atol de elote, the warm sweetcorn drink sold from a pot on a street corner.
We finish with cacao, which was domesticated in this region and used as currency, ground and drunk the old way with chilli, and a cup of Guatemalan coffee from a roaster who can tell you which farm it came from.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, entirely on foot.
The food is Maya underneath and Spanish on top. Pepian, a thick stew of chicken or beef thickened with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds and dried chillies, is the national dish and is almost certainly pre-Hispanic. Chiles rellenos here are not the Mexican version - they are stuffed with minced meat and vegetables, battered in egg and served in a roll.
We start at the municipal market, which is where Antigua actually shops, for a comedor breakfast and a walk through the produce: black beans, a dozen chillies, loroco flowers, and fruit you will not recognise. Then tamales and atol de elote, the warm sweetcorn drink sold from a pot on a street corner.
We finish with cacao, which was domesticated in this region and used as currency, ground and drunk the old way with chilli, and a cup of Guatemalan coffee from a roaster who can tell you which farm it came from.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, entirely on foot.
Meeting point:
View on map
Parque Central, in front of the cathedral, Antigua Guatemala
We meet in Parque Central in front of the cathedral ruins. Your guide will have a small sign with your name.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Mercado Municipal: The working market three blocks from the centre. Black beans, chillies, loroco, herbs and fruit, with your guide translating.
Stop 2 - Comedor breakfast: Eggs with black beans, fried plantain, fresh cheese and tortillas made on the comal in front of you, at a market comedor.
Stop 3 - Chiles rellenos and tostadas: Peppers stuffed with minced meat and vegetables, battered and fried, and tostadas topped with guacamol, salsa or black bean.
Stop 4 - Pepian: The national dish - chicken or beef in a thick sauce of toasted pumpkin seed, sesame and dried chilli, with rice and tortillas.
Stop 5 - Atol de elote and tamales: A warm sweetcorn drink from a pot on the street, with a tamal or a chuchito steamed in a leaf.
Stop 6 - Cacao: Cacao beans roasted and ground on a stone, drunk the pre-Hispanic way with chilli, and tasted against a modern bar.
Stop 7 - Guatemalan coffee: A cup from a roaster who can name the farm, with pan dulce, and a walk under the arch on Calle del Arco.
Stop 2 - Comedor breakfast: Eggs with black beans, fried plantain, fresh cheese and tortillas made on the comal in front of you, at a market comedor.
Stop 3 - Chiles rellenos and tostadas: Peppers stuffed with minced meat and vegetables, battered and fried, and tostadas topped with guacamol, salsa or black bean.
Stop 4 - Pepian: The national dish - chicken or beef in a thick sauce of toasted pumpkin seed, sesame and dried chilli, with rice and tortillas.
Stop 5 - Atol de elote and tamales: A warm sweetcorn drink from a pot on the street, with a tamal or a chuchito steamed in a leaf.
Stop 6 - Cacao: Cacao beans roasted and ground on a stone, drunk the pre-Hispanic way with chilli, and tasted against a modern bar.
Stop 7 - Guatemalan coffee: A cup from a roaster who can name the farm, with pan dulce, and a walk under the arch on Calle del Arco.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local drink at the final stop
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the walk
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local drink at the final stop
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the walk
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off unless stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. Tours run rain or shine; the rainy season brings afternoon downpours and we finish before them.
Other notes
Runs daily at 09:00. The market is at its biggest on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Safety: the US State Department rates Guatemala at Level 3, reconsider travel. The risk is concentrated on intercity roads rather than in central Antigua, which is a small, walkable, heavily visited town. We arrange our own vetted airport and intercity transfers rather than letting guests take shuttles they found on the street, and we would strongly advise you to do the same. Read your own government's advice and decide for yourself.
Volcanoes: Fuego, visible from town, is in a state of near-constant activity and ashfall days happen in Antigua. They are a nuisance rather than a danger here. We do not sell or recommend volcano hikes - they are genuinely risky, operators vary enormously and there is no mountain rescue.
Semana Santa, Holy Week, is extraordinary in Antigua - processions, sawdust carpets covering whole streets - and also the single hardest week to operate in. We run a special version then at a different price and streets close without notice. Accommodation books out a year ahead.
Water: tap water is not drinkable. We use venues that use purified water and provide bottled water throughout.
Cash: quetzales for the market and street; cards only in sit-down restaurants.
Rainy season runs May to November, with afternoon downpours.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is straightforward via beans, tortillas, chiles rellenos and market vegetables.
About 2 km of walking on cobbles, which are uneven - wear proper shoes and note this is not a wheelchair-friendly town.
Safety: the US State Department rates Guatemala at Level 3, reconsider travel. The risk is concentrated on intercity roads rather than in central Antigua, which is a small, walkable, heavily visited town. We arrange our own vetted airport and intercity transfers rather than letting guests take shuttles they found on the street, and we would strongly advise you to do the same. Read your own government's advice and decide for yourself.
Volcanoes: Fuego, visible from town, is in a state of near-constant activity and ashfall days happen in Antigua. They are a nuisance rather than a danger here. We do not sell or recommend volcano hikes - they are genuinely risky, operators vary enormously and there is no mountain rescue.
Semana Santa, Holy Week, is extraordinary in Antigua - processions, sawdust carpets covering whole streets - and also the single hardest week to operate in. We run a special version then at a different price and streets close without notice. Accommodation books out a year ahead.
Water: tap water is not drinkable. We use venues that use purified water and provide bottled water throughout.
Cash: quetzales for the market and street; cards only in sit-down restaurants.
Rainy season runs May to November, with afternoon downpours.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is straightforward via beans, tortillas, chiles rellenos and market vegetables.
About 2 km of walking on cobbles, which are uneven - wear proper shoes and note this is not a wheelchair-friendly town.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $49 |
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