Ceviche and pisco, taught like family. This Miraflores class led by Jose Antonio Castillo and Maria turns a simple night out into real cooking lessons, with two seafood dishes and cocktails made by you. It’s close to Kennedy Park, so it feels like you’re stepping out for dinner and ending up in someone’s kitchen-meets-bar workshop.

I love the tasting-first approach: exotic fruits, pisco macerates, and up to 10 pisco flavors before you even touch the shaker. You start learning what changes when you switch the pisco base, which makes the final drink feel like a choice, not a script.

One thing to think about: the cooking is hands-on, but some prep may be done in advance for speed. If you’re hoping to chop every ingredient from scratch, a couple steps might feel already moving along, and the menu is seafood-forward (though there is a vegetarian option).

Key Highlights to Know Before You Go

• Miraflores convenience: about half a block from Kennedy Park and roughly 5 minutes from many hotels in the area
• Small group size: limited to 8 participants, which keeps things personal
• 10 pisco flavors tasting: you choose your flavor and then make a Pisco Sour (or chilcano)
• Seafood dishes you make yourself: tuna tartar first, then their fish ceviche using a secret Lima recipe
• A home-style, art-filled experience room: Peruvian art plus an intro video covering coast, highlands, and jungle
• Photo and video keepsake: they take pictures during the class and share them after

Miraflores Location: Kennedy Park Nearby and an Easy Start

You’re in one of Lima’s most practical neighborhoods for a food class: Miraflores. The meeting point is right at the door of the Wong Supermarket with a red apron. From there, you’re not stuck crossing the city for “the experience.” It’s walkable, and it’s close to where you’ll already want to be in the evenings.

Why that matters: food classes work best when you can arrive relaxed. No frantic timing, no long taxi rides that make you show up hungry and stressed. If you’re staying near Kennedy Park, this is the kind of activity that feels like a natural part of your day, not a major mission.

Also, the class setup is designed for easy circulation. There’s an elevator, and you won’t have to deal with stairs. If you need a different schedule or a private mobility arrangement, you can ask. That’s a small detail, but it affects how smoothly your night goes.

Meet Jose Antonio Castillo and Maria: Hosts Who Turn Cooking Into Stories

This class isn’t run by a distant company. The instruction comes directly from the owners, and that personal touch is a big part of why it feels memorable.

Jose Antonio Castillo and Maria guide you through the why behind the food. The experience begins with you entering an exclusive room full of Peruvian art. Then you get a short video introducing Peru’s regions—coast, highlands, and jungle—so the tasting isn’t random. It’s a quick mental map: you’re about to eat like Peru, not just follow a recipe.

One of the most praised parts is how they welcome people like they’re friends from day one. Many people also highlight that Jose Antonio shares clear steps while talking about ingredients and techniques. It’s not just hands over food; it’s hands over context.

And because the hosts travel all over Peru, you get a sense that they’ve collected ideas, not just memorized a menu. That shows when you’re tasting pisco options and then choosing one for your cocktail.

Inside the Room: Art, a Peru Intro Video, and a Taste-First Pace

I like how this class starts with your senses, not your cutting board. You’ll watch the intro video that frames Peru geographically, then shift right into tastings. That pacing does two useful things:

1) It lowers the pressure. Before you’re cooking, you’re already relaxing into the evening.

2) It makes flavors easier to understand. When you taste fruits and pisco macerates first, the later dishes feel connected instead of like three separate courses.

The room itself is part of the appeal. It’s not a generic classroom. You’re in a space with Peruvian art and a welcoming vibe that fits what Lima does best: turning food into a cultural moment, not just a product.

Then comes the first truly educational segment: exotic fruit tasting and the history behind Pisco Macerado, the Inca drink. Even if you already know what pisco is, this part gives you language for what you’re tasting—why certain flavors show up and what people meant to create.

Exotic Fruits and Pisco Macerados: Learning to Taste with 10 Flavor Choices

This is where the experience becomes its own thing. Up front, you’ll taste exotic fruits, then learn about the history of Pisco Macerado. After that, you get to taste up to 10 different pisco flavors.

That number matters. In Lima, pisco is everywhere—but a class that lets you compare many flavors teaches your palate quickly. You notice the difference between fruit notes, herbal notes, and whatever else they’ve infused into their own pisco lineup. You’re not just drinking; you’re calibrating.

Jose Antonio and Maria are pisco producers, and they share their distillate story. That’s not trivia for trivia’s sake. It helps you understand why the pisco you choose later changes the final drink.

You’ll also learn about the official history and origins behind Pisco Sour. It’s the kind of background that makes the recipe feel earned. Instead of shaking something you’ve seen on menus, you’re making a cocktail with a clear cultural anchor.

Practical tip: slow down during the pisco tasting. Take a small sip, notice aroma first, then taste. The class moves at a good pace, but you’ll get more if you treat the tasting like a mini flight.

Tuna Tartar: Your First Hands-On Seafood Course

After the fruit and pisco tastings, you jump into cooking with a first course: tuna tartar. This isn’t the kind of class where you just watch a chef do the work. You’re making it.

The tuna tartar uses tuna fish of the day mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil, avocado, and lemon. It’s served on crackers. This matters for two reasons:

• It’s light and bright, so you’re not overwhelmed right away with heavy seafood flavors.
• The mix of soy + sesame + lime/lemon-style acidity gives you a clear “tartar” structure that’s easier to replicate at home later.

Also, tuna tartar is a smart bridge. Once you’ve mixed one seafood dish with a sharp citrus component, the ceviche course makes more sense. You’ll recognize how Lima uses acidity and seasoning to “finish” the fish.

One small consideration: depending on timing, some prep may be partly done already so you can focus on mixing and assembling. That’s not a deal-breaker; it just changes what you personally do with a knife.

The Bar Scene: Making Your Pisco Sour (or Chilcano) Your Way

Next you head into the professional bar. This is where the class turns into cocktail work with real choices.

You pick a pisco flavor from the 10 options. Then you make the official recipe of Pisco Sour together. The experience includes making one pisco sour or chilcano per person, so your final drink can match your preference.

Why this part is valuable: it turns tastings into results. You’ve already compared flavors, so now you’re applying what you learned. If you picked something fruit-forward earlier, you’ll see how it shifts the cocktail’s character once it’s mixed with the rest.

Also, Pisco Sour is one of those drinks where small differences matter. The class teaches you the method so you can recreate the texture and balance later. People also highlight that the host(s) explain the story behind pisco, which makes the cocktail lesson feel like a cultural workshop rather than a quick drink-and-go.

And yes, they shake. You’re not handed something already poured.

Lima-Style Ceviche: The Secret Recipe and the Final Seafood Payoff

The last course is fish ceviche, and this is the part that seals the night. You’ll prepare it using the hosts’ secret recipe that makes it unique in Lima.

You cook this after the tuna tartar, so the progression is smooth. First course teaches the seafood foundation and how acidity and seasoning work together. Then the ceviche course becomes the payoff: the finished dish where you taste the complete ceviche idea they’re aiming for.

From the way people talk about the experience, fresh fish and a soulful, confident flavor approach are key. Many people mention the fish was fresh, with the host(s) emphasizing quality ingredients. That’s exactly the kind of detail that matters with ceviche: if the fish isn’t right, no amount of citrus can fix it.

Once you make it, you eat it as part of the class. That’s important. A hands-on ceviche workshop is only half useful if you cook but don’t sit down to taste what you created in the middle of the session.

What You Take Home: Recipes, Recommendations, and a Good-Look Photo Set

The best part after the class is when you can recreate it later. During the experience, they take pictures and videos and share them with you. That’s a simple perk, but it helps if you want proof you actually did something beyond ordering dinner.

More useful: they send recipes and recommendations and tips from Lima, Paracas, Cuzco, La Selva, and Northern Peru. That means your evening doesn’t end when the ceviche is gone. You get a mini planning boost from the people running the show.

I also appreciate how practical their tips are. People consistently mention that Jose Antonio and Maria provide restaurant and activity suggestions. That’s the kind of local guidance that can save you time hunting online.

Included with your experience is unlimited water, so you’re not forced to buy bottled drinks just to keep hydrated while you’re tasting fruits and sipping pisco.

Price and Value: Is $40 Worth It in Lima?

Let’s talk money plainly. The price is $40 per person for about 2.5 hours. That might sound like a lot until you list what’s included:

• Exotic fruit tastings
• Tasting of pisco macerates, plus up to 10 pisco flavors
• History segments shown as videos and explained by the hosts
• One plate of tuna tartar per person
• One plate of fish ceviche per person
• One pisco sour or chilcano per person
• Unlimited water
• Photos/videos plus recipes and recommendations after

In other words, you’re paying for a lot more than a meal. You’re paying for instruction, multiple tastings, and two seafood dishes plus a cocktail you actually make.

For groups and couples, this value gets even better because you get a shared activity with food and drinks at the center. For solo travelers, it’s also a win because the small group limit (8 participants) makes it easier to talk and get personal tips.

Could it be expensive compared to grabbing a ceviche dinner? Sure. But this isn’t just dinner. It’s a skill-building, tastings-heavy evening with local ownership and a cultural story attached.

If you’re a food person and you like learning what makes a dish work, this is priced like a workshop, not like a cheap bite.

Who This Cooking Class Fits Best (and Who Should Think Twice)

This class is a great match if you want hands-on Peruvian cooking in Lima. It’s especially suited for:

• Couples on a date who want something interactive and not just a restaurant
• Food lovers who enjoy seafood and want to understand ceviche and tartar logic
• Cocktail fans curious about pisco beyond the basics
• Solo travelers who like small groups and appreciate host recommendations

It’s also a strong option if you’re worried about dietary needs. The info says there’s a vegetarian option, and you should tell them about allergies. One review specifically calls out gluten free/coeliac suitability and accommodation for gluten allergy, which suggests they take diet seriously. Still, don’t guess—message ahead with your needs so they can plan safely.

Who should think twice? If seafood isn’t your thing, the menu is still heavily seafood-based. Yes, a vegetarian option exists, but the signature experience is tuna tartar and fish ceviche. Also, if you want every single ingredient chopped by you from start to finish, some prep may be handled ahead of time for the flow.

Tips Before You Go: Languages, Timing, Allergies, and Making the Most of It

A few practical tips so you enjoy it fully:

• Arrive a bit early at the Wong Supermarket door with the red apron. That meeting point is specific, and it keeps everything calm.
• Tell them your language preference. The class runs in Spanish and English, so you’ll get the explanation in the language you choose.
• If you have allergies, tell them in advance. You’ll get a better answer that way, and they can plan what you’ll cook and taste.
• Bring your appetite. You start with fruit tastings, then you cook and eat two dishes, and you finish with your own cocktail.

Also, because you’ll be tasting multiple pisco flavors, pace yourself. You’re going to want to enjoy the final drink, not just survive it.

Lastly, use the photo/video moment. People love getting that memory, but it also helps you remember the steps later when you try to recreate the ceviche or Pisco Sour at home.

Should You Book This Miraflores Ceviche and Pisco Sour Class?

I’d book this if you want an authentic Lima evening that’s hands-on, close to your hotel, and built around Peru’s coastal flavors. The standout is the combination of 10 pisco flavors tasting plus cooking tuna tartar and their secret Lima-style fish ceviche. You’re leaving with both a full stomach and a clearer idea of how pisco and seafood flavors work together.

I’d skip it (or ask extra questions first) if you hate seafood, need very specialized allergy planning, or only want classes where you do every prep step yourself. Otherwise, for $40 and about 2.5 hours in a small group, it’s strong value.

If you’re in Miraflores and want more than a dinner reservation, this is one of those experiences that actually teaches you something you’ll use again.

FAQ

How long is the cooking class?

It lasts about 2.5 hours (starting times vary, so check availability).

What does it cost?

The price is $40 per person.

Where do I meet the host?

You meet at the door of the Wong Supermarket with a red apron. The activity ends back at the meeting point.

What food and drinks are included?

You’ll taste exotic fruits, taste pisco macerates, and then you’ll prepare and eat tuna tartar and fish ceviche. You also make one pisco sour or chilcano per person, with unlimited water.

Is there a vegetarian option?

Yes, there’s a vegetarian option. Tell the host in advance.

What languages are offered?

The class is offered in Spanish and English.

Is it wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The place has an elevator and no stairs. You can also request another schedule or private mobility assistance by contacting them.

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