Cookin' San Jose

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Beth Kljajicvia Google

28 days ago

Great experience. Went to local market and learned so much. Homemade tortillas so different from store bought in the US. Cooking class was educational, fun, well orchestrated, and delicious. It’s long; 11am - 4pm so plan accordingly. Lots of alcohol served just the way you like it; I don’t drink so I formulated my own. Really great group of participants also

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Darrell Owenvia Google

about 2 months ago

This Should be Your Primary Excursion! You have many excursion choices while in Cabo, but nothing quite like this. Last year (2024) we came to see Francisco for the first time - making tamales and all sorts of ancillary dishes with 8 people total, including my wife and I. That group size may sound large, but it is actually extremely intimate and group size is often smaller. On top of the interaction with Francisco’s family and restaurant staff, you get to interact with the others enjoying the same excursion. This year (2025) we booked again as soon as we could, because it was THE excursion of our trip the prior year. It is just incredible. You’ll get communications from Cookin’ San Jose as your excursion approaches to ensure you know where to be, and when. You start at a local market you can easily Uber to (Francisco knows where to buy the very best things in San Jose del Cabo) where you and any others on the excursion will meet him. Then the journey begins. He takes you into the market, explaining how to choose the ingredients that will make up your meal. He finds out about any dietary restrictions, or desires for vegetarian options and such, as the items are chosen. Make no mistake - the information he gives teaches you things you never understood about how to choose produce (for instance) at home; things you never realized you didn’t know. Next he’ll choose some meats for the meal, if relevant. Then he will pack you in a van to take you to the tortilleria. And oh, the tortilleria. A heavenly smell surrounds you while you watch hominy turned into masa which then pops out of a machine, creating what must be the very best tortilla on the planet. You then grab those freshly made tortillas and hop back into the van and head to the restaurant. Here you will be inside a real Cabo restaurant kitchen where (if you wish) you will likely start with an amazing Hibiscus Margarita. And Francisco uses top-shelf tequila, mind you. Then the work begins. A full meal, sometimes with multiple entrees, is created by your group’s own hands, with step-by-step instructions, extreme care as to safety, and even more training about why ingredients are chopped, handled, heated, etc. a certain way. The whole time you are learning. Once everything is ready, everyone sits down to enjoy “the fruits of your labor” (Francisco’s words). And at this point you will never want to leave. We asked Francisco if we could make something other than tamales this year, and so this year we made Flautas Fresca (do you know how to keep a flauta rolled up while it is cooked, without unrolling?), Chicken Enchiladas (oh, the sauce was so simple yet so extravagant in taste), Frijoles that you have never had anywhere else in your life before (I don’t eat beans much, but then again I think I finished the entire bowl myself that day), guacamole, Sopes, tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo… every bit of it made by you. You can see from other reviews the huge expanse of dishes Francisco can guide you through. You cannot miss out on this opportunity. When you are finished drinking and dining, Francisco will hand you links to a PDF of every single recipe he has in his repertoire. We’re talking 43 pages here, and growing. Then Francisco can take you back to the market, or you can take an Uber from the restaurant, or better yet you can walk a block away to the large San Jose del Cabo art district to spend some pesos shopping and take an Uber from there when done. Thank you, Francisco, for another amazing culinary journey. We will see you again in 2026, and we hope you are going to teach us how to make a chile relleno properly. The fact that you offer this journey out of your restaurant and with your own time is much appreciated. Five stars simply isn’t enough.

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Cassandra Rosenbachvia Google

3 months ago

Chef Francisco’s cooking class was amazing. We met at the market and did some shopping for ingredients we drove to our cooking destination. It was clean and he was very organized. He gave us tasks to help with slicing and dicing. We had an excellent lunch accompanied with some delicious margaritas.Will go back in March. Loved it….

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felicia fredvia Google

4 months ago

Excellent experience from shopping for the ingredients at the local marke to the hands on experience of preparing the food and eating what we made. Good time, good food exceptional host Francisco Morales is the best Check out the cooking or walking food tour you won't be sorry.

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David Ronaldvia Google

5 months ago

Great experience with Francisco. He knows how to cook and to enjoy life. The market visit plus a small tortilla factory were fun. We were on a Monday and the tamales were delicious and fresh. Of course we prepared them. We will do this again and visit his Tequila Store and new restaurant on the roof of the store. Gracias Francisco y familia.