Cookin’ Cabo Review: A Cabo Cooking Class That Feels Like a Party

If you’re looking for a fun, hands-on and genuinely unique experience in Cabo San Lucas, a market-to-table cooking class with Cookin’ Cabo absolutely delivers.

Think fresh-squeezed margaritas, live music, a local market tour – and a whole lot of chopping, laughing and even a little salsa dancing along the way.

We joined their afternoon Mexican cooking class, and it ended up being one of the most memorable afternoons we’ve had in Cabo!

Kicking off

The experience begins at Mercabo Gourmet Food and Restaurant, which serves as Cookin’ Cabo’s open-air kitchen and cooking-class headquarters. This is where we met the rest of our group (16 people in total – the maximum group size).

Our host and guide, Karina, explained that Cookin’ Cabo is a family-owned business that started in Puerto Vallarta and has since expanded to Cabo San Lucas, Playa del Carmen, Cancun and beyond. (They also run the popular Juan More Taco Tours.)

After a quick intro, we hopped into vans and headed out to gather ingredients.

Market stops: Tortillas, produce and a busy butcher

Our first stop was a tiny traditional tortilla “factory” that supplies many Cabo restaurants.

We watched tortillas being lightly baked on what looked like an old-school conveyor-belt setup. Orders for the day were scribbled on a blackboard. It felt wonderfully traditional – refreshingly unpolished.

We picked up fresh flour tortillas made with flour, pork lard, salt and water and hopped back into our vans.

Next stop – a neighborhood produce market. Each of us was given items to buy – limes, cilantro, tomatoes, potatoes and more.

We wrapped things up at a bustling local butcher to pick up the beef for the birria we’d be making later.

Back at Mercabo, we split into two tables and got straight to work making real Mexican margaritas. This meant cutting and squeezing a lot of limes – more than 150 in total!

Come to think of it… It wasn’t work! It was surprisingly fun.

Once we tasted the margaritas made with fresh lime juice, their house-brand tequila, orange liqueur and home-made syrup (just boiled brown sugar and water) – the glasses rimmed with tajine (chili salt) – we were completely converted. Bottled margarita mix will never be the same again!

A live guitarist played throughout, keeping us tapping our toes and turning the whole afternoon into something that felt far more like a party than a lesson.

Cooking Mexican classics (with a side of salsa dancing)

The cooking unfolded in a relaxed hands-on way.

We chopped onions, cilantro and tomatoes for salsa, learned how to handle dried chiles without gloves (a little oil on your fingers is the trick), smashed avocados in a molcajete for guacamole, seasoned beef and fried it up for beef birria tacos, and pressed fresh corn tortillas by hand.

Potatoes were also mashed with corn, and everything came together step by step, guided by the chefs. All the while, kitchen helpers kept things moving along and cleaned up after us.

At one point, Karina even pulled us away from the cutting boards for a quick salsa-dancing lesson – because why not?

Sitting down to lunch

After all that cooking (and margarita sipping), we sat down to enjoy the feast we’d made. By then, many of us were already a little full from guacamole and drinks, but the food was far too good not to keep eating.

As if that weren’t enough, fresh churros appeared, followed by an invitation into the air-conditioned tequila tasting room.

A lively social mix

One of the things we really enjoyed was the mix of people.

Our group included a family from Texas, a father and son from Washington state, a gay couple from New York, and other couples. It didn’t take long before everyone was chatting, laughing – and cheering each other on in the kitchen.

Venues can change too.

Several chefs host these classes, and depending on the day (and the weather), you may cook in a chef’s home rather than at the usual venue. If it’s pouring rain (rare in Cabo!), the market visit might be skipped altogether, with the class moving straight to a private home instead of Mercabo.

FAQs

Do you need to know how to cook?

Not at all. No previous cooking experience is needed – the chefs guide you through every step.

What should you wear?

Comfortable clothes and shoes or sandals (you’re on your feet a lot).

Is this suitable for kids?

Yes. Children aged 6 and up are welcome.

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Photos: © Janice and George Mucalov, Cabo Visitor, except 1, 11, 19 to 21 (courtesy Cookin’ Cabo)