Vegan & Vegetarian Market Explorer with Cooking Lesson

Want to dive into the heart of authentic Mexican markets but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered!
Join us for an unforgettable journey through the vibrant world of Mexican tianguis, where you’ll sample delicious, vegan and vegetarian traditional dishes like quesadillas, tamales (veggie only), atole (veggie only), coctel de frutas, mole, and huaraches.

In this 3 to 4 hour experience we’ll take you to two iconic markets: Mercado Abelardo Rodriguez and Jamaica Market, plus a quick walking tour of Centro Histórico.

Arriving at Mercado Abelardo Rodriguez you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a museum—here, you’ll find murals and sculptures from the 30s and 40s. We will have a tamal or fruit, and you will learn about the importance of markets in Mexican daily life, as well as the history behind the murals at Abelardo Rodriguez. After that, we’ll teach you how to navigate the subway and head to the colorful and boisterous Jamaica market, where you will see hundreds of different flowers! You will enjoy traditional vegan Mexican snacks like quesadillas and sopes. Then, your guide will help you buy the ingredients for your salsa.

Next, experience a salsa-making workshop where you’ll learn how to use a molcajete like a true Mexican. This class takes place in a family-run eatery that belongs to one of the founders of the Jamaica market, and your instructor will be one of the family members. You’ll get to savor your creation on-site together with a huarache.

On this tour, we will visit non-touristy markets and engage in an authentic salsa-making lesson. Your lesson includes a huarache, a traditional vegan prehispanic Mexican snack filled with refried beans. You will also sample vegan Mexican food like coctel de frutas, salsa macha and an array of mole pastes.

During the tour, we will also stroll through Historical Downtown, learning about interesting facts of old Mexico City. 

Some of the dishes you will have a chance to taste during your tour are:

-Coctel de frutas. Mexicans are huge on fruit, especially in the morning. Try fresh papaya, mamey, guayaba, pinnaple and green prickly pear in a fresh fruit cocktail

-Tamales. Try the vegetarian version of tamales (subject to availability. Not available for vegans)

-Atole. A prehispanic corn-based drink. Depending on the day, you can have guava, chocolate, cajeta or arroz con leche to choose from

-Quesadillas. Try mushroom, huitlacoche or flor de calabaza quesadillas at Mercado de Jamaica

-Huarache. The quintessential Mexican snack, you will savour this stuffed flat dumpling together with your salsa

-Off-the-beaten-path. We strive to show you where actual Mexicans shop, eat, live and drink. You won’t be crashing with other tourists on any of our tours.

-100% vegan and vegetarian. There is no meat in any of our experiences, and this is not the exception. 

-Local. Your money goes straight to the people we work with— we do not ask for discounts, baksheesh or anything of the sort. Rest assured your money is staying with each market stall we take you to

-Hands-on experience. You will choose how many chiles you want to put in your salsa, or if you want a ton of cilantro! You will not be an expectator to working a molcajete nor cutting your own veggies. This is an interactive, fun tour where we want guests to try their hand at every step of the way