4h Cooking Class in Panama City: 10 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Immerse yourself in the beautiful culture of Panama with this boozy, 10-recipe cooking experience!
In this fun Panama City activity, you’ll prepare delicious recipes with our friendly and entertaining cook, Winnie.
This interactive cooking and dining experience is a delightful way to:
+ Learn Panamanian cooking techniques of dishes like Carimanõlas and Butter Cassava
+ Savor fresh wholesome ingredients
+ Engage in spirited conversation
Enjoy social interaction while indulging in incredible drinks, appetizers, main dishes and desserts.
While preparing this delicious meal, take pics of your dishes, group and new friends! Post to social for many oohs-and-aahs and to rack up those likes!
Many of our past guests tell us that this was their best dinner and activity in Panama!
We look forward to cooking and dining with you!
*Vegetarian meals and non-alcohol beverage recipes are available upon request. We can accommodate any food restriction request.
** None of our dishes contain pork!
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
What To Expect
The best way to understand a culture isn’t through restaurants. It’s inside a real Panamanian home kitchen, cooking and talking alongside someone who grew up with these recipes. And that’s what you’ll do here. You’ll join a small group and prepare traditional dishes such as Pico de Gallo and Fish Ceviche, guided step by step in a relaxed, welcoming setting. As you cook, your local host shares practical techniques and cultural details that rarely appear in cookbooks but make all the difference when recreating these dishes at home. Most ingredients are easy to find worldwide, so you’ll be able to easily recreate these dishes. Along the way, candid photos are taken so you leave with real memories. Afterward, you’ll receive our digital recipe book and a curated Panama City Food Guide to keep exploring local flavors. When everything is ready, the group sits down to enjoy the meal they prepared together. A homemade mojito is served, glasses are raised, and the kitchen turns into a shared table filled with conversation and laughter. You leave with practical skills you’ll actually use, genuine memories, and the confidence of our 5-star money-back guarantee for total peace of mind.
Sample Menu
starter
Mojitos
Classic mojitos served unlimited throughout the experience.
starter
Pico de Gallo
Traditional tomato-based salsa commonly served in Panama.
starter
Fish ceviche
Panamanian-style ceviche made with Pacific catch-of-the-day fish.
starter
Carimanõlas
Fried yucca filled with ground beef, popular street and bar food.
main
Butter Cassava with herbs
Cooked cassava with butter and herbs, a common local side dish.
main
Arroz con pollo
Classic Panamanian rice and chicken dish with vegetables.
dessert
Arroz con piña
Pineapple-based rice dessert served at celebrations.
main
Picante sauce (Chombo Pepper)
Traditional Panamanian hot sauce served on the side.
dessert
Chicha de Saril - Iced tea
Iced hibiscus drink traditionally served in Panama.
dessert
Chicheme
Traditional corn-based drinkable dessert.
Options
Shared class + market tour
Market tour + cooking class: Discover lots of Central American food items, fruits and drinks to try while in Panama or to bring back home as gifts Duration: 4 hours: slightly over 4hours as the market tour takes 1hrs and the class 3hrs
Shared Group Cooking class
Private cooking class
Min. of 2 participants require
What‘s Included
Recipe booklet in digital format to recreate dishes at home
Small group for a personalized experience
5-Star Experience Guarantee - or your money back
All ingredients, utensils, and apron provided — nothing to bring
Hands-on cooking experience guided by a bilingual local instructor
Full meal (appetizer, main dish, dessert) + unlimited drinks
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
401 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Chef Winnie for the win!
A2483GUstephanief,Jun 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Chef Winnie was amazing!! Super accommodating and funny. Would book again.
Panamá Cooking class.
Kimberly S,Jun 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was a fun, interesting and informative cooking experience. Chef Winnie has everyone participate and share in the experience, which makes the class even better.
Great experience
keris845,Jun 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great time, enjoyed the experience tremendously. I would definitely book again. Like a family gathering. I enjoyed the food and drinks.
Fun to the last taste
Seun K,Jun 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Experience is great. We had a great time shift when he was really attentive and funny and answered all of our questions. It was a fantastic experience.
Everybody’s got make a living…….
Kerry W,May 26, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Winnie was a very nice French expat making a living teaching tourist how to make a few simple dishes. The food was decent and the experience friendly however it was not very authentic. I have visited Panama many times over 20 years and thought this was a great opportunity to learn to make dishes I had enjoyed. Wrong. Arroz con pollo made with pineapples and no olives, capers or seasonings and with plain white rice mixed into an unseasoned chicken stew with huge chunks of tomatoes. No Mam. Also don’t think for $95 you will get a meal out of this session. You will literally be “cooking” enough to get a spoonful of each dish. You will need dinner after this 4 hr session. The pepper sauce also was unseasoned and basic and not spicy. Literally a couple of peppers blended with vinegar. Thats not how it’s done…. She was nice and the food didn’t taste bad it just wasn’t very Panamanian. Wish course was taught by a native or someone who understood the cuisine better. This was disappointing.
Great experience in the cooking class
P6521XXpatriciab,May 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had the best time. It was great to have the experience with Winnie as our guide. We loved the relaxing environment, we learned a lot, and overall had a blast. Thank you!
Yummy evening!
R4872GWkimberlyb,May 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Lovely evening! Winnie was a gracious host and even as a seasoned cook, I picked up several new tips! Especially appreciated learning about the Panamanian foods and cooking styles. We had a couple of vegetarians in our group and she easily accommodated them. Great time!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
jacobmF2510YS,May 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing !! Food was great and Winnie was fabulous.
Super fun/ nice and relaxing evening
Beer0172,May 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a super fun experience during the cooking class! We were only with winnie because no other people had signed up. We had a super relaxed conversation and it was well explained what we were going to make / do. We started with a delicious mojito and then went to all the other dishes. You do the vast majority of it all yourself. Nice to make everything yourself and then be able to taste😁 At the end you will be forwarded all the recipes and you can make them again at home. We definitely recommend this cooking class! Thanks winnie🙋🏽♂️
Panamanian Cooking Class with Chef Winnie
GoPlaces32387604376,May 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00OMG....you must do this cooking class if you are visiting Panamá. Chef Winnie is the absolute best. She taught us 10 recipes. It was so fun and the food was amazing. There was great conversation and her guidance and knowledge were absolutely amazing! She was so patient and so attentive and went out of her way to make sure we had everything we needed and all of our questions were answered. Once again, this is a must do, if you are visiting Panamá! I promise, you will NOT be disappointed! Thanks Chef Winnie! We can't wait to cook these recipes for our families when we return home! Khim and Terrance
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