The Best of Santa Maria de la Ribera
Overview
Available languages
3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Santa María la Ribera, little known to most travelers, is a beautiful, 19th-century neighborhood of cafés and restaurants, plus traditional shops you’re starting to see less of in Mexico City. On this tour, you’ll visit the best places to eat in the area and you’ll learn the stories of the vendors and entrepreneurs who are shaping the modern character of this close-knit, artsy neighborhood. Some of the tour's highlights include visiting a working tamales factory that offers more than 20 varieties daily, strolling through the local market to see how a traditional city market looks and feels, popping into a neighborhood cooking school and restaurant that helps locals who may want to start their own food businesses. You'll also stop by a pulquería that’s drawn neighborhood residents for more than 100 years.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
One agua fresca and one coffee or tea at the end of the tour
A generous taste of traditional Mexican pulque
One Mexican microbrew or Mezcal
As much food as you can eat (enough food for a large breakfast and lunch combined)
Transport to/from the meeting and end points of the tour
Souvenirs
Tip for your guide
Additional personal beverages, outside what’s included on the tour itinerary
What To Expect
Santa Maria la Ribera
Santa María la Ribera was founded in the 1860’s, and it still retains its turn-of-the-century character. On this tour, designed by our expert culinary guide Nico Garcia, you’ll visit a range of local places that highlight just how special this neighborhood is. You’ll stop at a neat local garden, where you’ll make your own herb-infused Mexican salt. You’ll visit a working tamales factory that offers more than 20 varieties daily—a place we think supplies the best tamales in the city. Plus you’ll do a quick stroll through the local market, to see how a traditional city market looks and feels. You’ll pop into a neighborhood cooking school and restaurant that helps locals who may want to start their own food businesses. And you’ll stop by a hidden pulquería—a place with swinging saloon doors and no sign—that’s drawn neighborhood residents for more than 100 years, each imbibing the fermented Mexican beverage that traces its roots to prehispanic times. You’ll also see some of the landmarks that make Santa Maria la Ribera what it is, including a century-old geology museum. As a sweet treat, we’ll also try buñuelos, or crunchy, fried dough topped with sugar syrup.
Options
The Best of Santa Maria de la Ribera
Reviews
27 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Go on the Santa Maria tour with Toti and Clara!
421whitneyy,
Aug 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Highly recommend this tour with Toti and Clara! Super informative, fun, and delicious. This was my second tour with Eat Mexico and would use them again.
Best tour ever!
matthewmE6670JV,
Aug 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Toti & Clara were THE best. So knowledgeable and fun! They made special accomodations for food restrictions and allergies. The food was delicious and we left stuffed!
Good food, good company
CarolH2284,
Jun 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00As luck would have it, it was just me on the tour. Fernando was excellent company as we ate a wide range of delicious food. My favorites were the banana leaf wrapped tamales at Tamales Cintli and the outstandingly delicious consumé at Casa Chacón. This was my 3rd tour with Eat Mexico. Highly recommend.
Amazing food and a wonderful guide. Try this one if you love food.
Jason G,
May 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Really loved this tour of neighborhood food. We sampled different foods from street vendors, small shops and even some fine dining. There was plenty to eat, with generous servings, and extras tailored to our interests. Toti was a wonderful guide. She explained the history of the neighborhood and the food we tried. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone. If you like to eat great food definitely add this one to your trip plans.
Food with a foodie friend
Saliena G,
May 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Toti’s tour was more than just authentic—it was a journey through food without borders. Each stop offered a rich taste of culture and connection, blending flavors and stories from across regions in a way that felt both intimate and expansive. Toti’s passion and knowledge transformed each bite into an experience, making us feel not like tourists, but like welcome guests at a global table.
Fantastic Food, History and Culture Journey through Santa Maria de la Ribera
CSNY83,
Jan 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a fantastic food, history and culture journey through Santa Maria de la Ribera with our guide Nico Garcia. He was knowledgeable and engaging. He accommodated one our dietary preferences. We visited 5 places ranging from street food to a very nice fine dining restaurant, tasting everything from baked goods to tamales to grassshoppers. We highly recommend this tour and Nico in particular (who created the tour).
Wonderful Introduction to Traditional Foods
U9330XOdianel,
Dec 21, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our private tour with Clara was fantastic. She is a lovely woman and an attentive guide who introduced us to a variety of traditional foods and ways of cooking. We had a private tour for 2 couples, and she was careful to attend to the needs of each of us. I highly recommend this tour and Clara.
Wonderful Into to Mexican Cuisine
ramonar160,
Oct 14, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My husband and I had a lovely time with Nico, he is charming, friendly and very easy going. We got the opportunity to try things which were new to us and also very delicious. The tour was an excellent blend of walking around and then stopping for bites in and around the neighbourhood. It was one of the highlights of our trip and I would highly recommend it. We came away with a better understanding of the food history/ culture of Mexico City. Nico also recommended 2 restaurants nearby to our hotel and both were excellent.
Off the beaten path gem of food & history / Experencia más original de comida & historia
M B,
Oct 8, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I LOVED this tour! I happened to be the only one on the tour with Nico; Nico was amazing and could tell me a lot of interesting history about the dishes and neighborhood that really brought the whole experience to life. The food was delicious and as it was just me, was adjusted a bit based on things I was more familiar with to try different things off the menu. I had a great traditional chocolate drink and a quesadilla with chapulines (grasshoppers), a traditional tamale, fresh made tortilla, a walk through the mercado and some melt in your mouth barbacoa tacos, tetelas (think a tortilla-based triangle stuffed with beans - kinda like a ravioli), some mezcal, and a delicious concha filled with nata. Nico gave me some suggestions for other places to eat in the city and I enjoyed discussing the hiatory of Sta María, the city, and his culinary journey. I will definitely recommend this tour to my friends and family and look forward to someday taking another Eat Mexico tour.
Best tour in Mexico City!
J1563WPjefft,
Sep 21, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a wonderful tour put on by Nico! He genuinely loves his city and it shows. This was so much more than just a food tour. He is so knowledgeable about the history behind everywhere we went. This was by far a highlight of our entire trip.
From MX$2,050.00
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Operated by Eat Mexico Culinary Tours