Food and Drink

There is no shortage of awesome places to eat in Oaxaca, otherwise known as the 'land of the seven moles.'  The city is also the epicenter of artisanal mezcal - you'd be wise to seek out some of the restaurants and bars recommended below.

Check out these two enjoyable articles on Oaxacan food and mezcal from the New Yorker.

Restaurants

Casa Oaxaca Restaurante

The food at our reception will be catered by Alejandro Ruiz from the Casa Oaxaca Restaurante, but it is definitely worth a trip to the restaurant as well. It's located right next to the Templo de Santo Domingo and has a beautiful view. Reservations are highly recommended; ask to sit on the terrace. 

Address: Constitución 104-A, Centro, Oaxaca

La Teca

This restaurant is delicious and recognized as one of the best in Oaxaca. It is about 15 minutes from central Oaxaca, but worth the trip - it feels like you're eating in someone's living room (and the back patio is lovely). Great mole and estofado. 

Address: Violetas 200, Reforma, 68050 Oaxaca,

Origen

This is a great, centrally located restaurant headed by Rodolfo Castlellanos, who was named Mexico's top chef last year.  This place serves contemporary Oaxacan cuisine with seasonally-driven ingredients. Reservations recommended for dinner, not necessarily for lunch.

Address: Hidalgo 820, Centro; Telephone: +52 (951) 501 1764

Snacking

In addition to the incredible restaurants listed above, there's no shortage of Oaxaca street food - antojitos-  to snack on. 

Memelas

Memelas as similar to sopes - thick masa cakes, grilled on comal, topped with refried black beans and queso fresco, and sometimes topped with mole, salsa, cabbage, etc. These are often served earlier in the day so if you see a hot comal going, they're probably serving up memelas.

Tetelas

Tetelas are thin, stuffed tortillas folded into a triangle. They're prepared on a comal and typically stuffed with refried black beans, crema, queso fresco and whatever else you might want to put in there. Itanoní serves awesome tetelas.

Tlayudas

Tlayudas are kind of like a pizza - they're about as large, with a crispy corn tortilla as a base and a variety of toppings. Usually they come with asiento (pork lard), refried beans, queso Oaxaca, lettuce, tomato, and whatever meat you might want. Check out the Mercado 20 de Noviembre to find them.

Oaxacan Empanadas

Southern Mexican empanadas are different than the South American variety - in Oaxaca, they are more akin to quesadillas. These empanadas  are heated over a comal, layered with fillings of your choice (including moles quesillo cheese, meat, etc) and folded in half. Try empanada con flor de calabaza y quesillo (squash blossoms and cheese) or with mole amarillo (spicy yellow mole).

Chapulines

You shouldn't leave Oaxaca without eating chapulines. These are crunchy, garlicky, spicy fried grasshoppers. They're especially good with lime and hot sauce.

Carnes asada

Please do yourself a favor and check out the pasilla de carne asadas (grilled meat hall) in the 20 de Noviembre market. It's a smoke-filled, super popular meat mecca - you find a vendor, pick a meat, perhaps pick some veggies, and they will grill everything right up for you. If you can find a seat, the food will be delivered to you.

Drinks

Casa Estambul

This bar/restaurant is in a great space and has a spacious open-air courtyard in the center. They serve good food and cocktails and often have live music. 

Address: Allende 316, Centro

meZcaloteca

Mezcaloteca is a by-reservation-only spot that provides an education in mezcal. This bar doubles as a  nonprofit focused on cultivating and sharing knowledge of mezcal and has a meticulously-developed collection of locally produced spirits.

Address: 506 Calle Reforma, Centro

Mezcalogia 

This is a good spot for cocktails (particularly mezcal cocktails) - intimate with friendly bartenders and a good selection of spirits. 

Address: Calle de Manuel García Vigil 509, Centro

Cafe Brújula

This cafe serves up well-pulled Oaxacan-grown espresso. We like the cafe located at the address below - it has a nice open-air interior courtyard - but there are a couple of locations in the Centro Historio district. 

Address: Calle Macedonio Alcalá 104, Centro