Paceño Plates La Paz Food Tour with 12+ Tastings

As evening falls across La Paz, the city's kitchens begin one of their busiest shifts. High in the Andes, generations of Aymara cooks have shaped a cuisine built for mountain life, drawing on native grains, giant corn, dried potatoes and recipes that warm both body and soul. Spanish traditions layered new ingredients onto ancient foundations, while the city's dramatic geography created neighbourhoods with their own distinctive food cultures. Tonight, we'll explore them one bite at a time.

Before we get started, your tour reflects the local cuisine and the limitations of traditional eateries mean we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction. Here's an honest appraisal so nobody is disappointed:

Suitable for mild peanut and tree nut allergies, and no seafood diets
Possible for lactose intolerance though some tastings will be unsuitable
Unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, gluten intolerance, pescatarians and halal diets.

Your evening begins in the heart of the old city beside the Museo Costumbrista Juan de Vargas, where tradition is served from the very first stop. A cooling helado de canela, delicately scented with cinnamon, offers a surprisingly refreshing welcome at altitude before warm humintas, soft steamed corn cakes wrapped in their husks, remind us just how central maize has remained to Bolivian cooking since long before the arrival of the Spanish. From here we'll board one of La Paz's most remarkable attractions: the Mi Teleférico. More than simply public transport, this vast cable car network has transformed life in one of the world's steepest cities, connecting communities that once felt worlds apart while offering extraordinary views over the rooftops below.

The higher we climb, the heartier the cooking becomes. We'll pause for golden cheese-filled pasteles, paired with steaming api, the rich purple corn drink infused with cinnamon and cloves that has been warming Paceños through cold Andean evenings for generations. Dinner continues with two dishes that speak to Bolivia's mountain heritage. Saijta de pollo pairs tender chicken with the distinctive tang of freeze-dried Andean potatoes, while deeply comforting lamb caldo de cordero has long restored workers after long days in the high-altitude air.

As twilight settles across the valley, we'll continue exploring the flavours of Bolivia beyond the familiar. Flaky jawitas, delicate pastries filled with cheese from the lush Yungas region east of La Paz, are accompanied by a chilled glass of mocochinchi, the beloved drink made from dried peaches gently simmered with spices. Back aboard the cable car, the city unfolds beneath us as houses climb impossibly steep hillsides in every direction. After floating above one of the world's highest capitals, we'll return to street level for crisp fried habas, smoky salchicarne - grilled Bolivian sausage, beef and potatoes - and generous spoonfuls of fiery llajua, the fresh chilli salsa found on almost every Bolivian table. A final warming pause at a traditional tea house introduces té con té, a deceptively gentle cup of tea finished with a splash of Bolivian spirit that's guaranteed to take the evening chill away.

We'll end where La Paz truly comes alive after dark. Around Plaza Mayor de San Francisco, the pavements fill with street vendors serving the dishes locals crave once the sun goes down. Bite into a smoky chorizo sandwich, watch charcoal-fired anticuchos sizzle over glowing grills, then finish with wonderfully crisp tripitas, golden fried tripe served with potatoes and plenty of llajua. By the time we reach the plaza, you'll have experienced far more than an evening meal. You'll have travelled through the cable cars, neighbourhoods and mountain traditions that continue to define La Paz, a side of Bolivia's highest capital that few visitors ever discover without a local tastemaker showing the way.