Jalisco is Mexico's cultural heartland, birthplace of tequila, mariachi music, and the Mexican hat dance. Home to the vibrant metropolis of Guadalajara and the Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta, it offers a stunning blend of colonial heritage, indigenous traditions, and natural beauty.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Jalisco through its food.
Guadalajara Tapatío Street Food Walk
Explore Guadalajara's historic center on foot stopping at the city's most beloved street food spots, from birria and tortas ahogadas to tejuino and churros. Your local guide explains the cultural context of each dish and the history behind it.
Includes: Torta ahogada tasting at century-old lonchería · Fresh-masa tortilla demonstration · Tejuino tasting at traditional market stall · Birria tacos with consomé · Churros with chocolate
Puerto Vallarta Zona Romántica Food Crawl
A leisurely evening walk through Puerto Vallarta's most charming neighborhood stopping at family-run taquerías, fresh ceviche stalls, and mezcal bars. Taste the Pacific coast flavors of Jalisco while learning about the neighborhood's bohemian history.
Includes: Fish tacos at legendary local stand · Aguachile at seaside cevichería · Mezcal tasting at artisanal bar · Fresh coconut ceviche · Yelapa pie dessert
Tequila Town Distillery Tour & Tasting
Travel by the Jose Cuervo Express or private transport to the UNESCO town of Tequila for a comprehensive experience including agave field visits, distillery production tours at two producers, and guided tastings of blanco, reposado, and añejo expressions.
Includes: Agave harvesting demonstration by jimador · Traditional stone tahona crushing process · Barrel room aging cellar · Comparative tasting of 6 tequilas · Traditional Jaliscan lunch at hacienda
Mercado Libertad Deep Dive Tour
A guided exploration of Latin America's largest covered market with a local expert who navigates you through 3 levels and 3,000+ stalls. Sample traditional Jaliscan market food, taste seasonal fruits, and learn to identify and purchase authentic Mexican handicrafts.
Includes: Carne en su jugo tasting at market fondita · Traditional juice and agua fresca bar · Spice and chile market tour with samples · Handmade tortilla making demonstration
Jalisco Craft Spirits & Cantina Tour
An evening of guided tasting through Guadalajara's finest cantinas and agave spirit bars. Visit 3-4 venues including historic La Fuente cantina (1921), the award-winning El Gallo Altanero agave bar, and a mezcal specialist. Learn to distinguish tequila regions, production methods, and aging categories.
Includes: Historic La Fuente cantina (open since 1921) · Rare mezcal tasting at El Gallo Altanero (#14 North America's Best Bars) · Pulque and tepache traditional fermented drinks · Tequila vs Mezcal blind comparison
Lake Chapala & Ajijic Food and Wine Tour
Explore the culinary traditions of Mexico's largest lake region — fresh lake fish, artisanal cheeses, local wines, and the eclectic international-Mexican food scene of Ajijic's expatriate community. Includes boat tour on Lake Chapala.
Includes: Fresh charales (tiny lake fish) at Chapala boardwalk · Artisanal cheese tasting at lakeside producer · Ajijic gallery and restaurant visit · Boat tour with traditional fishing demonstration
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Jalisco's food scene.
Street food tours
Street food crawls through Guadalajara's historic center and Puerto Vallarta's Zona Romántica exploring tacos, birria, tortas, and antojitos
Market tours
Guided tours of Mercado Libertad (Guadalajara) and Ajijic market with tasting of fresh produce, prepared foods, and traditional snacks
Restaurant tours
Multi-stop restaurant tours featuring Guadalajara's finest fondas, Puerto Vallarta's seafood institutions, and Jalisco fine dining
Specialty tours
Tequila and mezcal focused tours in Tequila town; agave spirits bar tours in Guadalajara; Lake Chapala fresh fish experiences
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Jalisco home with you.
Guadalajara Home Cooking Class
Join a Guadalajara home cook in her family kitchen to learn three classic Jaliscan recipes — birria de pollo, sopa tarasca de frijoles, and churros with chocolate. The class includes a market visit to select ingredients, hands-on preparation, and sitting down to eat together.
Puerto Vallarta Seafood Cooking Class
Learn to prepare Pacific coast seafood dishes in a Puerto Vallarta cooking school — fresh ceviche, aguachile negro, and fish tacos with handmade corn tortillas. Classes conclude with a full seafood meal paired with margaritas.
Jalisco Mole & Salsa Masterclass
A comprehensive hands-on class in Guadalajara focusing on the art of Mexican moles and salsas — essential to Jaliscan cuisine. Learn to toast and blend dried chiles, work with a traditional stone molcajete, and prepare three varieties of mole alongside traditional tortillas.
DIY self-guided food tour
Create your own Guadalajara food tour following this self-guided route through the city's most important culinary landmarks — no guide needed, just a hungry appetite
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1
Stop 1 (8AM): Breakfast at Café de Olla near the Cathedral — café de olla (clay-pot spiced coffee) and chilaquiles rojos
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Stop 2 (10AM): Lonchería Polo near Mercado Libertad — the city's finest torta ahogada, eaten standing at the counter
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Stop 3 (12PM): Mercado Libertad food court, Level 1 — carne en su jugo at a family-run market stall
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Stop 4 (2PM): Birriería Las 9 Esquinas in the barrio — slow-cooked goat birria with consomé and fresh tortillas
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Stop 5 (4PM): Tejuino vendor at Mercado Libertad entrance — the ancient fermented corn drink unique to Jalisco
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Stop 6 (7PM): Taquería Los Comales, Centro — arrachera and pastor tacos for dinner
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Stop 7 (9PM): El Gallo Altanero bar — finish with a guided mezcal flight from the award-winning agave bar
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Book tequila distillery tours in advance — popular tours fill quickly, especially during harvest season (July-December)
The best time for street food in Guadalajara is Saturday and Sunday mornings when weekly markets operate alongside the permanent stalls
In Puerto Vallarta, the best seafood is at restaurants away from the tourist Malecón — venture into the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood
Birria is traditionally a weekend breakfast and is best eaten before 2PM — seek it out on Saturday and Sunday mornings
Ask for food 'sin picante' only if you truly cannot handle any heat — mild-spiced Mexican food is perfectly flavorful
Mezcal should be sipped slowly from a traditional clay copita — it reveals its complexity much better than in a shot glass