Atlanta Cooking Classes

Choosing a Class

How much do Atlanta cooking classes cost?
Unexpected Atlanta’s two cooking classes, Southern Essentials and the Spice Lab, are each $45 per person for 1.5 hours. Gratuity is not included, so please bring cash for your guide.

How long are your cooking classes?
Both classes last 1.5 hours.

What is the best cooking class in Atlanta?
The best cooking class depends on what you want. If you’d like a short, hands-on class that teaches Southern cooking alongside Atlanta’s food history, our Southern Essentials class in downtown Atlanta is rated 5.0 on Tripadvisor: in 1.5 hours you make flaky biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea for $45 per person. If you’d rather experiment with flavors, our Spice Lab lets you blend two custom spice mixes to take home.

What makes Unexpected Atlanta’s cooking classes different?
Our classes pair hands-on cooking with the history and culture behind the food. Alongside making biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea, or blending your own spices, you hear the stories of how these foods came to be. Our founder, culinary historian Akila Sankar McConnell, wrote A Culinary History of Atlanta, and our local guides bring that history to every class.

Which Atlanta cooking class is best for first-time visitors?
Southern Essentials is a great starting point if you want a hearty taste of Southern food and history: you make flaky biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea. If you’d rather experiment with flavors, the Spice Lab lets you blend two custom spice mixes to take home.

Is there a Southern cooking class in Atlanta?
Yes. Unexpected Atlanta’s Southern Essentials class is a hands-on, 1.5-hour Southern cooking class in downtown Atlanta where you make flaky biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea while learning the history behind each dish. It’s $45 per person, and guests take home recipe cards, their jam, their pimento cheese, and any leftovers.

Where can I take a biscuit making class in Atlanta?
Unexpected Atlanta offers two ways to make biscuits in Atlanta: the Southern Essentials class at our downtown visitor center, where you make biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea for $45, and the Historic Market Food Tour & Hands-On Biscuit Class at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, which pairs a market tour with a biscuit-making class for $75.

Is your Southern cooking class a full dinner?
No. Southern Essentials is a 1.5-hour class focused on three Southern staples: biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea. What you make is enough for a hearty snack, not a full dinner menu. If you’d like more food in your day, our Historic Market Food Tour & Hands-On Biscuit Class pairs a market tour and tastings with a biscuit-making class.

Are your cooking classes like a traditional cooking school?
No. Our classes are short, hands-on experiences built around a few dishes and the stories behind them, not multi-course technique courses or full dinners. They’re a good fit if you’d like to learn a classic Southern staple or experiment with spices in about 90 minutes, whatever your skill level.

When are the cooking classes held?
Class days and times change with demand, so our booking calendar always shows the current schedule.

At the Class

What will I make in the Southern Essentials class?
You’ll make flaky biscuits, homemade pimento cheese, and sweet tea, and you’ll learn the stories and techniques behind each one. Guests take home recipe cards, their jam, their pimento cheese, and any leftovers.

What happens in the Spice Lab?
Your guide tells the story of how spices traveled the world and shaped Atlanta’s history and cuisine, and you join guide-led spice experiments that show why cinnamon doesn’t mix with water and how flavors bloom, toast, and rest. Then you’ll create two custom spice blends to take home, and try them on a popcorn snack.

Do I need cooking experience?
No. Our classes are for everyone, from seasoned cooks to people who burn water. Your guide leads each step so everyone can follow along.

Do you accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies?
Yes. We can accommodate all dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free guests. Please note your needs in the booking notes when you book. Gluten-free and dairy-free biscuits in the Southern Essentials class will not rise like the classic version. Please tell us about severe food allergies in advance. Our guides carry Benadryl but not epinephrine auto-injectors, and we cannot guarantee against cross-contamination in a kitchen where we use flour, butter, and cheese.

Are Atlanta cooking classes good for kids?
Yes. Children enjoy these hands-on classes. Guests ages 6 and up are welcome, and children must be accompanied by a guardian.

How big are the classes?
Southern Essentials is capped at 16 guests, and the Spice Lab at 12. Our public classes are shared with other guests. Private Southern Essentials classes are available for groups of 8 to 45, and private Spice Lab classes for groups of 8 to 140.

What should I wear?
Wear comfortable clothes. Closed-toe shoes are not required, and aprons are available for purchase.

Location, Parking, and Access

Where are your Atlanta cooking classes held?
Both classes are held indoors at our downtown visitor center at 121 Luckie Street NW, two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park and across from the Luckie at Cone Atlanta Streetcar stop.

Is there parking near your cooking classes?
Yes. Parking is plentiful near our visitor center but costs extra. The Atlanta Streetcar stops across the street, so many guests ride transit.

How do I get to your cooking classes without a car?
Take the Atlanta Streetcar to the Luckie at Cone stop, which is directly across the street from our visitor center at 121 Luckie Street NW.

Are your cooking classes wheelchair accessible?
Yes. Let us know ahead of time so we can prepare.

Is gratuity included?
No. Gratuity is not included in the $45 price. Please bring cash if you’d like to tip your guide.

Rainy Days, Hot Days, and Downtown Atlanta

What is a good indoor activity in Atlanta on a rainy day?
Our cooking classes are a good rainy-day choice in downtown Atlanta, a hands-on alternative to museums and attractions. Both classes are held entirely indoors in our air-conditioned visitor center at 121 Luckie Street NW, so rain doesn’t change your plans.

What is a good thing to do in Atlanta on a hot day?
Our cooking classes are a cool, comfortable way to take a break from the heat. Both the Southern Essentials class and the Spice Lab are held entirely indoors in our air-conditioned downtown visitor center at 121 Luckie Street NW, so you can cook, taste, and learn without being outside.

What is a good downtown Atlanta itinerary for a rainy day?
On a rainy day in downtown Atlanta, you can visit the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, both indoors and about a 10-minute walk from our visitor center, and add a 1.5-hour hands-on cooking class at 121 Luckie Street NW in our air-conditioned space. Our booking calendar shows current class times, so check availability before you plan your day.

Is there a cooking class in downtown Atlanta?
Yes. Both of our cooking classes are held at our visitor center at 121 Luckie Street NW in downtown Atlanta, two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park and across from the Luckie at Cone Atlanta Streetcar stop. Southern Essentials and the Spice Lab are each 1.5 hours and $45 per person.

What is there to do near Centennial Olympic Park?
Centennial Olympic Park is two blocks from our visitor center, in the heart of downtown. Nearby you’ll find the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, about a 10-minute walk away, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, about a 15-minute walk. A 1.5-hour cooking class at 121 Luckie Street NW fits easily into a day downtown.

What attractions are near your cooking classes?
Our visitor center at 121 Luckie Street NW is in the heart of downtown Atlanta, two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park. The Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola are about a 10-minute walk away, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is about a 15-minute walk. The Atlanta Streetcar also stops across the street at Luckie at Cone.

Can I take a cooking class before or after visiting the Georgia Aquarium or World of Coca-Cola?
Yes. Our classes are 1.5 hours and about a 10-minute walk from both, which makes them easy to fit into a downtown day. Our booking calendar shows current class times.

Are your cooking classes close to Mercedes-Benz Stadium?
Yes. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is about a 15-minute walk from our visitor center, so a class is easy to fit in before or after an event.

Date Night, Groups, Gifts, and Locals

What is a fun cooking class for a date night in Atlanta?
Our Southern Essentials class and Spice Lab are both social, hands-on, and 1.5 hours, which makes them a fun date-night activity for couples in downtown Atlanta. You’ll cook, taste, and learn the stories behind the food together for $45 per person, and it’s easy to pair with dinner downtown. Our booking calendar shows current class times.

Are your cooking classes good for birthdays and celebrations?
Yes. Guests have booked our classes to celebrate birthdays, and we host private cooking classes for celebrations of all kinds.

Do you offer private cooking classes or team building in Atlanta?
Yes. Unexpected Atlanta hosts private cooking classes for groups of 8 or more, including corporate groups, team outings, celebrations, and other events, and either class can be upgraded to a private experience. Private Southern Essentials classes accommodate up to 45 guests, and private Spice Lab classes up to 140. We can also bring the Spice Lab to your conference or event. Tell us about your group or see our team building cooking classes.

Are the classes good for Atlanta locals?
Yes. Our classes are designed for both Atlanta locals and visitors, particularly people looking for something different to do in the city.

Can I give a cooking class as a gift?
Yes. Gift certificates are available online. Buy a gift certificate.

About Our Company

Is Unexpected Atlanta the same company as Atlanta Food Walks?
Yes. Unexpected Atlanta Tours & Gifts was formerly known as Atlanta Food Walks. It’s the same company, and we’ve led Atlanta tours since 2015.

Are your cooking classes the same ones listed on Tripadvisor, Viator, and Airbnb Experiences?
Yes. Our classes are also listed on Tripadvisor and Viator under slightly different titles, and our Southern Essentials class is also listed on Airbnb Experiences. They are the same classes run by Unexpected Atlanta. The Southern Essentials: Biscuits & Pimiento Cheese Class is listed as the “1.5 Hour Southern Essentials: Biscuits and Pimiento Cheese Class,” and the Atlanta Spice Lab Experience as the “1.5-Hour Atlanta Spice Laboratory Spice Blending Experience.” Prices, group sizes, and cancellation terms on third-party sites may differ from ours.

Booking and Cancellation

What is your cancellation policy?
All guests who have booked with Unexpected Atlanta directly can cancel with a full refund, or move their reservations up to 24 hours before the start of the tour.

Purchasing Cancellation Insurance allows guests the following further accommodations:

• The ability to cancel with a full refund up to 12 hours before the tour’s start time (minus ticketing and insurance fees).
• The ability to move reservations up to 12 hours before the tour’s start time.

If you would like to move your reservation up to 12 hours before the tour’s start time and have not purchased tour insurance for your reservation, please call Unexpected Atlanta directly and we’ll be happy to facilitate the purchase of tour insurance at that time in order to do so.

Tours booked after 24 hours without the purchase of Cancellation Insurance will not be eligible for refunds. Tours booked with the purchase of Cancellation Insurance will not be eligible for refunds 12 hours before the start of the tour.

We cannot give refunds or partial refunds for guests that:

• Do not arrive on time.
• No show.
• Or, join a different tour out of their own error.

Unexpected Atlanta reserves the right to cancel tours at any time should there be Force Majeure events, including dangerous weather that may impede the operations of tours, or impact the safety of guests. In this event, Unexpected Atlanta will reach out to guests to resolve issues with any affected reservations.

Unexpected Atlanta also reserves the right to cancel tours at any time if the 2 person minimum has not been met. In this event, Unexpected Atlanta will reach out to guests to resolve issues with any affected reservations.

Reservations made through third-party sites such as Viator, Tripadvisor, or Get Your Guide follow that site’s cancellation policy.

Explore more Atlanta tours: Food tours · Neighborhood and history tours · Martin Luther King Jr. History Tour · Team building cooking classes · All Atlanta tours

Prices, classes, and availability updated October 2026.