Mexico Tour Operator and Travel Agency Specialists have a new culinary offering for clients heading to Acapulco: the Ruta Gastronómica de Acapulco, a three-and-a-half hour tour giving travelers a taste of the regional cuisine of Guerrero State with visits to several neighborhood restaurants, a market and a mezcal cocktail spot, all lining Acapulco Bay.
This new tour allows vacationers easy access to this gourmet bounty, a delicious, colorful feast for eyes and taste buds, linking foods of the Aztecs and the Spaniards, with accents from across the world, much of it grown and raised locally on the rich soils just inland or freshly caught along the Mexican Riviera’s beaches.
Called Come Acapulco: Ruta Gastronómica de Acapulco, or Eat Acapulco: The Gastronomic Route of Acapulco, the all-in-one tour provides a way to sample three different restaurants, an open air art gallery and a traditional market. The Ruta shows the city off in spectacular form and was designed with several kinds of travelers in mind, including those already familiar with Acapulco who want something different, gourmands and others who explore beyond the beaches to know more about Mexican cuisine, cruise company passengers as a half day tour, and as an option for MICE planners who want to add a fun outing, company retreat or employee bonding experience to their next Acapulco convention.
Two forces behind this deeply researched fun and educational tour include UAGro, the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, and CCGM, the Conservatario de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana, in consultation with UNESCO. It’s highly participatory, with travelers playing chef, learning to prepare much of what they eat.
Travelers get to know almost the whole coastline of Acapulco Bay, with first stop, Restaurante La Cabaña, a beach club restaurant in Caleta, on Peninsula de las Playas. Here, vacationers prepare their own Ceviche Acapulco, freshly caught fish diced together with lemon and other garnishes. If travelers have never learned how to cut open and serve coconuts just off the tree, they will now!
Next stop is Casa de los Vientos, or the House of the Winds on Calle la Pinzona, where Diego Rivera, Mexico’s most important artist, spent time mourning the death of his wife artist Frida Kahlo. In 1956, he created stone, glass and tile murals along the outside walls lining the street, celebrating Mexico’s heritage, from the cultivation of corn to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god Aztec legend says founded Mexico City, then called Tenochtitlan. Adults and children alike will love this part of the tour, as they explore, touch, learn, and take lots of selfies!
The third stop is Mercado de la Progreso in Colonia Progreso, a neighborhood just inland from the coast, where visitors learn to make Acapulco style Bolillo con Relleno, a local dish with pork and other stuffings, Tacos de Barbacoa made with tasty shredded beef, and the spicy, delicious, Chilate, a local soup with chicken and other ingredients, all while exploring a colorful, traditional market and mingling with locals.
Drink a toast to Mexico during the next stop at Restaurante Rosmar, inside of Parque Papagayo, a leafy, palm-lined water park famed for its giant Mexican piñata sculpture. Here, visitors get a special tasting of the traditional and locally famous Pescado a la Talla, a fish dish prepared with onions, garlic and other seasonings, and cocktails made with Mezcal de Guerrero, the local spirit treasured by Acapulco residents. Expert cocktail masters mix this delicious elixir, explaining the history of the drink. There’s even a chance to buy a bottle to remember the occasion or as a gift for someone who wasn’t lucky enough to be on the tour!
The final stop is Restaurante El Jaguar in front of the Acapulco Golf Club. Here, vacationers learn to make the local delicacies Pan Guerrerense and Picaditas Costeñas, a seasoned bread and various local morsels loved here along Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The half-day tour includes several tasting menus, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, a guide and van transportation for up to 14 passengers, at a local cost of $800,00 Mexican pesos [per passenger], about $42 US dollars at current exchange rates.
The Ruta Gastronómica de Acapulco brings vacationers close to the food and culinary history of the region, a fun, educational way to see another aspect of Acapulco, whether visiting the beach resort for the first time or to discover a new side of an already well-loved destination.
