Caribbean Food Experience

Was a great experience - was not quite sure what to expect! Sofrito will be something I will for sure be making again at home! Very educational and was a good couple hours spent!

I had an incredible one-on-one cooking class with Try Cooking Tours, where I got to learn about the delicious food, culture, and traditions of Puerto Rico. The experience was so much more than just cooking, I learned about the history and meaning behind the cuisine while getting hands-on and creating some truly amazing dishes. Mauro was absolutely incredible! His knowledge of Puerto Rican culture and cuisine, combined with his creativity and passion for cooking, made the entire experience so enjoyable and memorable. Everything we made was absolutely delicious, and I loved being able to taste and appreciate the food we prepared together. You can really tell that Mauro is a talented chef who genuinely loves sharing his culture and culinary knowledge with others. I would definitely recommend Try Cooking Tours to everyone visiting Puerto Rico. This was one of the highlights of my trip, and I would absolutely do it again! 🇵🇷❤️👨‍🍳

Class was amazing and the food we made was phenomenal. I met great people would definitely book this again!

My wife and I enjoyed a private class. Mano was entertaining, informative, and delightful. He took time to explain every step and make sure we understood everything and were comfortable. Food was outstanding (local dishes) as were the drinks. He even took us back to the cruise ship in his vehicle, so we only had to use a cab one way. HIGHLY recommend!

Mau was amazing!! Everything we prepared and ate was delicious! Highly recommend this cooking experience!

Loved our experience! We got to make sofrito from scratch, which we used to season the chicken, followed by mofongo cups to stuff them with. We also made our own piña coladas and guava puff pastries for dessert. The chef welcomed us with a shot of coquito and even made us a rum lemonade to sip on while cooking. It was so informative, and we had an absolute blast!

We made great local dishes. This was an actual active class not just a demonstration class. We made a multistep main dish, a desert and a cocktail. If you actually want to learn to cook a Puerto Rican dish this is the place.

What a great time! We really enjoyed this class. I’m an experienced cook but learned a few new tricks! Just the right amount of Puerto Rican history mixed in with recipes and a tasty Pina Colada.

I absolutely loved this experience! I would 100% come back. I came with my husband, mom, and 1 yr old. His personality was amazing and very welcoming. He also was very accommodating. He even gave us a ride close by to our stay. The food was delicious and it was so fun to make. Very clean and family friendly. He was very knowledgeable.

Great host, great experience and delicious food. Would definitely recommend while visiting Puerto Rico.

Today was awesome! This experience is a hidden gem 💎. I was able to attend a private cooking class with a chef with the added fund of being taught salsa dancing. I left making a complete meal from scratch. The sofrito was flavorful, the mofongo basket 🧺 was meaty, the guava pastry was delicioso, and one of the best pina coladas I have ever had the privilege to make assisted by a private chef. Don't miss this experience! I was even driven back to my hotel with my special dishes to snack on even more later! This was fun at my first cooking class on an island. I definitely recommended and would do it again. I now know how to cook a Puerto Rican meal that I can be in awe of and others enjoy! I was taught the finer things of sanitization, prep, air frying, purchasing the right products for an exponential taste that would leave your tongue wanting more, and your feet dancing salsa, while your mouth says hooray 🙌🎉 Thanks, Camille Winston

It was an awesome experience. We had a great time learning how to cooking Puerto Rico and also learning more about the island. He guy was patient and made the experience super wonderful

Great chef, great food, great time! I would recommend as an intro to cooking for all Puerto Rican food.

Mano was an excellent teacher and made the experience feel special. He was super friendly, explained the history behind the ingredients and food, and was genuinely a joy to be around. My partner and I had the absolute best time and cannot recommend this enough. It was one of the best things we did on our trip to Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean Food Experience was another way to discover Puerto Rican culture through authentic flavors and local traditions. The host was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the experience enjoyable from start to finish. I learned about traditional ingredients, prepared delicious dishes, and enjoyed the opportunity to connect with other guests in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The food was fresh, flavorful, and truly showcased the rich Caribbean cuisine. This experience was more than just a meal — it was a fun cultural journey that helped us better appreciate Puerto Rico’s history and culinary traditions. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting San Juan who loves great food and unique experiences.

My family, husband, sons (18 and 22), and I had a fantastic time with the chef. Not only is he very personable, he shared lots of information about the culture of Puerto Rico. He patiently guided us through the steps to prepare a delicious meal. We were treated to what we all considered to be the best Pina colada ever as we waited for our meal to cook. We enjoyed every morsel of the meal and the experience overall.

Really enjoyed learning from Chef Mauro! The experience was fun regardless of cooking experience for our group, and we're excited to incorporate the sofrito and mofongo into our regular cooking rotation at home. Great group activity, would recommend!

Our family had a great time with the Try Cooking San Juan experience! Mao was our master chef and he led us through the steps for several delicious local recipes. Mao was super interesting and fun with lots of stories about the history of the food and the island and his adventures all around the world. The food was excellent and we really enjoyed Try Cooking San Juan.

We really enjoyed this experience. We got to learn how to cook local cuisine using locally grown ingredients. While showing us how to make the dishes, Mao also taught about the history of the dishes and ingredients used. He even gave suggestions of how we could make the different dishes our own if we couldn't find the specific ingredients at home. At the end, he gave us specific recipes for everything we made. Bonus: the celebratory piña colada he made for us was genuinely the best piña colada we had during our entire stay in Puerto.

Chef Mau provided a cool experience for my family. We enjoy finding cultural experiences in all the places we travel and Try Cooking San Juan didn’t disappoint not disappoint. The menu was authentic and easy to replicate at home. The history of the ingredients and recipes passed down from generations was priceless. The entire vibe was great with Chef Mau and I wish him much success with Try Cooking San Juan

My spouse and I traveled to PR for the first time and the experience to learn about the history and food was a treat. We had an unforgettable experience and I would highly recommend this cooking class.

Our experience was absolutely amazing ! Our instructor was so kind and patient! You can tell he genuinely loves what he does! I will referral him to everyone I know that’s visiting 10/10

It was a great experience! I would definitely do it again. We had such a good time cooking great food.

Mau was awesome!! My partner and I enjoyed the cooking experience so much. I finally know how to make a proper sofrito and mofungo. I’d go right back to this cooking experience when I go back PR.

Be on time (or even early). The instructions ate 30 minutes before. Mau was accommodating and bought us a coconut water because we were waiting.

Hola! Reviews are few and far between, so this one is heartfelt. Exemplary story telling filled with facts, food, and what feels like familia. Worth the yumminess and experience...bar none! Hubby agrees which says a lot as an eater, more than a preparer. Also said, "Don't forget to say something about the Pin̈a Coladas!" #something :) ¡Muchas gracias!

Such a great experience! The food was amazing and beginner friendly. You also get a QR code when you are don’t with the recipes! Chef Mauro was great and so welcoming into his home!

Hands down one of the best experiences we had in Puerto Rico. Mao is an amazing chef who shares the love of his country and culture through food. He shared the traditions of his grandmother, taught us about the history of Puerto Rico and showed us how to make food of the Island. The tostados is delicious and the dessert was delightful. But the pĩna colada was by far the best ever made. You will not be disappointed. I plan on recommending my friend to who’s planning on visiting the county and I recommend you to try this cooking experience. You will not be disappointed.

What a fun experience!!! 4 of us (husband and wife) and our 2 teen daughters ; we took the class and there were 2 other women. It was so great! Mao talked to us about the history and culture of Puerto Rico. It was so fun learning while cooking and spending time together. It was such a fun time with my family! I would highly recommend this to anyone coming to do something and enjoy the Puerto Rican food scene!

Chef was personable, but stretching out this experience to 2 hours was mundane. His house that he converted to a kitchen on the 1st floor for teaching is next to the iguana bar . Eat there first . I wish I had eaten more than an empananda before going to the " experience. ' We took way to long making sofrito, covering a chunk of plantain with it, smoothing itnto make a little cup to put in small pieces of chicken. It was air fried. The final product was tasteless and dried out. It was an activity that I would have done with my kid when he was 5 to kill time ans pretend we were " cooking. " For dessert- sticking a chunk of guava jelly in a piece of puff pastry. Eww. The experience ended with trying to sell his spices and sauces. I couldn't wait to leave and eat real food next door.

It's fun and educational to make a Puerto Rican dish and then get to eat it. Our chef, Mo, was clever, humerous, and gave easy to follow directions. The results were delicious. We also enjoyed socializing with others who participated in the class.

We were looking for something different to do in San Juan and this was great. Out of the crowded downtown area. Great class and learned a lot about Puerto Rican food and had wonderful pina coladas.

It was fun and engaging. Hands-on experience to create interesting food's and topping it off with an amazing pineapple pina colada.

We were with as small group- 8 people. Our chef was so much fun and we made a chicken dish, a guava “turnover” and piña coladas. So fun! And it was so special to see a local neighborhood!

He is very hospitable and will make you feel relaxed and welcomed. What an amazing experience provided.

We absolutely loved this cooking class! We learned so much about local food and culture & our host was so friendly and generous! This is a terrific opportunity for all ages. The time of day, location and class duration were perfect!

This cooking class was amazing. The host was patient and very knowledgeable. I learned alot about Puerto Rico and its culture. 10/10

This cooking class was amazing. We made sofrito, mofongo baskets stuffed with Caribbean chicken, and guava pastries. It was so much fun, and the teacher was great - funny, engaging, personable, and knowledgeable. We did this class on our last day in town, and I wish we had done it on the first day because he had so many recommendations for things to do and see while we’re here. This is the best kind of class, where you learn something super cool, make something tasty, and meet a person who will be forever a bright spot in your vacation memories. Highly recommend.

Mauro was very knowledgeable and kind. The food was really yummy, especially the pina coladas! It was an experience we will always remember.

We absolutely loved doing this activity! It was so much fun to do as a family and Mauro who runs it gave us a great background of the history of Puerto Rico and many fun facts. I highly recommend his cooking class if you want to try some authentic Puerto Rican food

This experience was very authentic! We learned so much and had a great time cooking, eating and drinking. Tucked away from the “touristy” areas, this hidden gem was just what me and my husband was looking for.

Great experience! Lots of fun and we learned a lot. We created and ate great food and drinks. Very friendly teacher. Thank you!

This is a fun and engaging class. There is no pressure, and Mao is a great instructor. We can easily recommend this class.

Fun experience. Very clean. Down to earth Chef. We made fresh food softito with chicken in mofongo cups. And very tasty guave pastry treat which was simply amazing. We also prepared a delicious fresh pina colada drink. We were dancing to great Latino music while preparing food. It was so so so fun. He (Mal) gave us so much history on ingredients. Def recommend

We had a great time with Mauro. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed our time with him. He even accommodated my husband's celiac issues by providing him a gluten-free dessert. Highly recommend this.

the best cooking class experience!! mauro was amazing!! he was so helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. he had us laughing and having a great time while we prepared our lunch. would love to do this class again.

Loved it! Made the best piña colada I’ve ever tasted and it was great experience making authentic Puerto Rican dishes.

Decided to book this for my mom and I because we both have a passion for food and love to cook together, and we both absolutely loved this experience. This was a great class! Mauro taught us how to make all the popular Puerto Rican classics such as mofongo cups with chicken, classic pina coladas, and guava pastries. Loved that we also got to learn so much about the history and culture of Puerto Rico while cooking. Everything came out delicious and we even got a cookbook with the recipes so we could remake everything at home. We left full and very satisfied!

Our family had a wonderful experience. We really enjoyed learning how to cook authentic Puertorican dishes together while listening to salsa music. The pina colada was delicious!