A restaurant guide for Oaxaca City from two foodies with a taco fetish
Since this food guide lists literally EVERYTHING we ate in Oaxaca I’m giving each place a rating score out of 10 to help you prioritize which are worth trying. Check out the video below for a 20 sec preview.
*important note* – we’re traveling for an extended period. If we were in Oaxaca City for a week, we might eat at more high-end restaurants but our priorities this trip were: budget-friendly and eating like the locals.
Take a Cooking Class in Oaxaca
Casa Crespo – Mole Cooking Class – 8/10
There are many great options for cooking classes in Oaxaca but we specifically wanted to learn how to make mole. We happened to book at Casa Crespo on a busy day and because our party was large we made and ate nine different dishes including ceviche, tamales, tacos al pastor, two different moles and we pressed our own tortillas.
I hate when bloggers won’t link to outside sources because they’re worried they’ll lose ad revenue or whatever. I’m going to link to a bunch of blogs and resources that I used and that were invaluable to us.
On that note, here’s where I found a list of the best cooking classes in Oaxaca.
Look for a cooking class that includes a market tour (the Casa Crespo one does) and you can get a twofer. You can absolutely tour the markets on your own, but it’s fun to have someone with you who knows the different produce and herbs local to the Central Valley.
Oaxaca Food Guide References
There were two Eater articles that were hugely helpful to us when trying street food, navigating the markets and seeking out Oaxacan specialties:
A Street Food Guide to Oaxaca City by Eater
The 32 Essential Restaurants in Oaxaca by Eater
Oaxaca is very modernized from a food safety standpoint (it wouldn’t be a foodie haven if it wasn’t) but you might be nervous so we wrote a blog post about Food Safety and Finding Restaurants in Mexico.
If you find yourself lost in a bunch of Spanish language food names, we made a handy dandy Guide to Mexican Street Food and Specialties.
Here’s a friendly reminder to tip and tip well. We tipped 20% minimum which is often just a few $usd.
Street Eats in Oaxaca
We’re big into trying as much Mexican street food as possible and this was my all time favorite quote from Eater about where to get lunch in Oaxaca:
“When it comes to lunch tacos, there are really only two options: the taco stand up the street from the Carmen Alto church or the taco stand down the street from the Carmen Alto church.”
Sarah Menkedick for Eater
We obviously tried both… AND the tortas cart at the park
Tacos de Cazuela (the taco stand up the street) 7/10
This place is great and has a ton of options. The tacos are served rolled which was new. We had the papas y chorizo and whatever else looked good that they were already cooking for someone else. A lot of our meal decisions in Mexico are made by pointed to someone else’s dish and asking the server “Disculpe, qué es eso?” “Excuse me, what is that?”
Empanadas del Carmen (the taco stand down the street) 8/10
Very similar to the taco stand up the street but this place has a little more seating. The tacos here are rolled as well and it had a salsa station which was nice. We had both the chile relleno and the papas y chorizo tacos.
Tortas la Hormiga – 7/10
What a great spot! La Hormiga gets an extra point because it’s in a beautiful neighborhood park with plenty of places to sit and enjoy your torta. Plus, it was open every time we went by, a rarity for street food. We tried several tortas and liked the cubano torta best and the alambre torta (like steak and cheese) second.
Aguas Frescas From Whoever – 8/10
We drank iced agua frescas from various street vendors on a regular basis and it was always an excellent idea. If they mix the simple syrup in fresh then you can ask to adjust your sweetness level. Try horchata and jamiaca. Our favorite agua frescas are gauyaba (guava) and guanabana because they’re less sweet.
The Best Market Food in Oaxaca
Smoke Hall (Pasillo de Humo) at 20 de Noviembre Market – 9/10
This is as close to perfection as you can get eating in Oaxaca. A cheap, delicious and chaotic cultural and gastronomic experience. Each time we went we got the same thing: 1/4 kilo tasajo (beef), 1/4 kilo cecina (spiced pork) and 1/4 kilo chorizo (for 2 people). Buy tortillas from the tortilla lady, grab some salsa, limes and grilled peppers and feast!
If you have no idea what a smoke hall is, we have a whole Guide to Oaxaca’s Smoke Hall.
Pro Tip: The Smoke Hall at 20th of November is open on Sunday afternoon when many restaurants are closed.
Doña Vale at Central de Abastos – 7/10
Doña Vale is featured on every food guide, blog, vlog and foodie TV show (netflix, etc) so we felt obligated to try it out. It’s still quite good but I do think the hype is overdone. The sauces are yummy and we left very satisfied but there are many options for excellent market food that don’t require a trip to Abastos. We got one of each special sauce memelas with fried eggs and tasajo.
If you don’t know, Central de Abastos is a gigantic maze of a market. It’s a sight to see but it can be overwhelming. (Here’s our Market Guide to Oaxaca to help you choose which markets to explore and what food to eat.) To find Doña Vale, you enter the Abastos roughly where the google maps marker directs you. Then start hunting for the pink painted bathroom – she’s around the corner. Get there early or be prepared to wait.
Juice Place at Central de Abastos – 7/10
The juice place across the way is good if you’re already at Doña’s but I wouldn’t make a special trip to any juice place in particular because they’re all very good.
The Memelas Lady at Mercado Sanchez Pascuas – 9/10
Our cooking instructor recommended this spot and we ended up eating breakfast here multiple times. To find it, first find Angelita’s juice bar and the tamales and memelas are across the aisle. This was our favorite memelas spot and we tried everything but especially liked the chicken and (again) the papas y chorizo.
The Tamales Lady at Mercado Sanchez Pascuas – 9/10
I dream about this meal. These tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and you can sit and eat or take some to go. The chicken mole tamal is decadent and delicious. If you learn one thing from this food guide, I hope it’s that the best food in Oaxaca is served at the markets.
Pro Tip: I learned that in Mexico the singular of tamales is one tamal (not tamale)
Super Jugos Angelita at Mercado Sanchez Pascuas – 7/10
The juices here are great but it’s special mostly because it’s across from the memelas lady and the tamales lady. We really liked the jugo verde (green juice). Pro tip: Guayaba-based drinks have a TON of small hard seeds which they leave in for digestion.
The easiest way to find this little trifecta of delicious market food is to enter Sanchez Pascuas Market from the backside – off Calle de Tinoco y Palacios and look for Angelita’s sign. If you enter from the front, just walk all the way through and enjoy the market.
Fonda Rosita at La Merced – 7/10
Chilaquiles is hands down my favorite Mexican brunch dish and this spot serves the quintessential recipe. We often like to try the rojo and the verde versions and will pair them with fried eggs or pork and chicken respectively. At Fonda Rosita the sauces are phenomenal but the tortillas come out fairly soft and I wish they were a bit crunchier.
Important! Monday is 2 for 1 chilaquiles at Fonda Rosita. However, a serving of chilaquiles is enormous so you might regret getting 2.
Barbacoa at the Sunday Market in Tlacolula – 7/10
Barbacoa is a traditional Sunday meal in Mexico so it makes sense that this is a specialty of the Sunday Market in Tlacolula. Even though barbacoa means barbecue, what is served is actually stewed meat that you can order standalone or as tacos.
I can’t remember which food stall we ended up at but look for one that offers handmade hot chocolate if you like something sweet with your salty meal. We tried both the goat and lamb barbacoa as tacos.
Memelas at Tule Market – 5/10
The memelas here were good but basic. Almost every stall offers exactly the same menu which is common practice in many market food halls. In this situation you can go where the locals have congregated or you can walk around until you smell something particularly delicious.
Nieves at Tule Market – 6/10
You can get nieves many places, no need to make a special trip outside of Oaxaca. Reminder that we have a Glossary of Mexican Food to help you remember what all these things are.
Restaurants and Cafés in Oaxaca
Boulenc Bakery – 8/10
I’m specifying Bakery because we did not end up going to the sit-down restaurant. Boulenc is on all the blogger lists which means there’s a line of tourists out the door all the time. With so many incredible places to eat, lines aren’t worth it to us, but the bakery had delicious quiche, pizza rolls, croissants, and loaves of bread and you’re in and out in a few minutes with a warm breakfast. Fair warning: this is French food.
La Atoleria – 8/10
Admittedly, this is the only place we tried atole, but it’s a top rated spot because of the signature 8 flavors of atole offered and the utterly perfect presentation. We tried a chocolate atole which is similar to a thick hot chocolate. La Atoleria is within Tierra del Sol; one of the top restaurants in Oaxaca City.
Café Brújula – 8/10
Café Brújula is a successful local coffee brand with several locations in Oaxaca City. Their shop across from Templo de Santo Domingo gets an extra point for convenience and the great view. Lincoln is a coffee snob and he genuinely liked the coffee here. I drink tea and mostly enjoyed the ambience and the awesome custom floor tiles.
Tacos Roy – 7/10
Tacos Roy was our go-to for a quick, cheap and filling dinner. They offer a variety of tasty meats in various forms of taco. Favorites included the pastor and the ribs (costilla). We ordered them as tacos or tacos con queso but Lincoln really liked the gringa and the volcan was fun to try.
Your tacos come with a tower of toppings including several salsas, pickled veg, onions and limes. Another local chain; there are a handful of Tacos Roy throughout Oaxaca City. We went to the Reforma location because it’s near the grocery store.
Latte Raza – 7/10
This place is so cute! It became a favorite for a laid back sit-down breakfast in the Reforma neighborhood. The chilaquiles and the hotcakes were great and even better when you enjoy them upstairs on the adorable rooftop patio. Grab a jugo verde or limonada mineral with your meal.
D’Villa Tortas – 7/10
Okay these tortas are massive. I was able to eat half of my cuban torta and was pretty psyched to bring the other half home for leftovers the next day. D’Villa is a local chain but an awesome cheap torta for when you need good grub quick.
Tortas Lalita – 5/10
This place had pretty good tortas but they’re comparable to Tortas la Hormiga and the ambience at Hormiga is way better. The staff was friendly but I think this is mostly a take-out place. However this is how we discovered the Jalatlaco neighborhood so we’re super glad we tried it out.
Honchos Casa de Churros – 9/10
Holy shi— you guys. These churros are going to ruin you for churros for the rest of your sad churro-less life. Get the stuffed churros (churros rellenos) and choose your favorite flavor. We liked the nutella, choco oax, and coffee best. I don’t even know how to describe this warm, gooey, crusty goodness except to say that these should 100% be illegal.
Fun factoid: While I was digging into this company I found out that they have one other location and it’s in San Antonio, Texas!
Mezcalite Pop! – 8/10
This is not everyone’s cup of tea but it is 100% mine. This shop serves a frozen drink/dessert called a chamoyada. Choose your flavor(s) and either non-alcoholic or Mezcal-infused. Customize your toppings and devour – it tastes like a frozen Skwinkle on steroids. When in doubt ask for your server’s recommendation (that’s what I did). They also serve a variety of paletas.
I realize that’s a lot of foreign food words, so here’s our Mexican Food Guide again.
Donas y churros El Vega 7/10
These churros are cheap and good but the best thing about it is that it’s right outside the Smoke Hall at Mercado 20 de Noviembre so you can get a quick sweet bite to go after your huge meat dinner. I recommend the chocolate dipped churros.
Grabe Katsu 8/10
Sometimes you’re craving something a little different and this Japanese-inspired restaurant is adorable and delicious. It’s a family affair with the brother as the chef/owner and his sister doing all the graphic design and making the beautiful ceramics. We loved the gyoza, the tuna poke and the chicken katsu.