Where to eat in Oaxaca, Mexico
And what local specialities to try while you're there
Oaxaca de Juárez is the capital of the Mexican state of Oaxaca and in the five short days I was there, quickly became one of my favourite places on Earth.
Oaxaca has an incredibly vibrant food and drink history which has been well preserved due to the state’s relative geographical isolation and lack of infrastructure. Some of the many local indigenous groups in the area live in such rural villages that they were never conquered by Spain, and they continue to resist the reaches of globalisation. The creation of traditional dishes from the abundance of local produce has been very effectively passed down from generation to generation, meaning that today Oaxaca has a very strong and rich local food identity.
If visiting the area, you’d be remiss not to try the local specialities.
Molé - Molé is a Mexican sauce that is often poured over cooked meats on tacos and is used in a vast range of Oaxacan dishes. Molé is made with many ingredients, including chillies, chocolate, spices, nuts and seeds. There are nine types of molé, though some are much harder to find than others!
Quesillo - Quesillo is a mild Oaxacan cheese that tastes similar to mozzarella and was clearly the inspiration behind cheese strings. It’s a textural sensation that is used in a lot of Oaxacan food including empanadas and tlayudas, but it’s delightful to eat raw straight out of the packet as well.
Tlayudas - A Tlayuda is a large fried or toasted tortilla, stuffed with beans, quesillo and sometimes meat. It’s a Oaxacan street food speciality, particularly favoured after a drinking session.
Memelas - A traditional Oaxacan breakfast, memelas are a fried or toasted tortilla, usually topped with beans and queso fresco.
Chapulines - Chapulines are small grasshoppers, usually deep fried and sometimes seasoned with chilli and lime. They’re used to add texture and seasoning on a variety of dishes.
Garnachas - A smaller, slightly thicker tortilla than a standard taco base, topped with pork fat, shredded beef and queso fresco.
Tamales Oaxaqueños - Tamales are a popular Mexican street food snack, though the Oaxacan variety differs slightly as they are wrapped with banana leaf instead of corn husk.
Mezcal - Possibly the best drink ever invented, mezcal is tequila’s more mysterious older cousin. Like tequila it is made from the agave plant, but takes on a smoky flavour from cooking the agave before distilling it. 90% of the world’s mezcal supply is made in Oaxaca where they believe that if you drink straight mezcal and nothing else, you won’t get a hangover. I would have to disagree.
If you’re lucky enough to be planning a visit, here are some of the spots I would recommend visiting for food:
Comedor Istmeño Casa Juchitán
Places like Comedor Istmeño Casa Juchitán are gold dust. They’re what we search for when we travel. Completely unique experiences that we’ll remember forever. Here there is no menu, and the two old women who run the joint speak no English. With a little help from Google translate we asked them to bring us whatever they’d recommend and we were rewarded highly with platters of the most moreish garnachas and empanadas. And two cervezas, of course.
A farm to table traditional Oaxaca cooking class
If you have any interest in food whatsoever (and if you’re reading this I sincerely hope you do) you must do a cooking class in Oaxaca. Food is a gateway to culture and history, and there’s no better way to open those doors when you’re travelling than learning to cook some of the native cuisine.
We booked our cooking class (£66pp) through AirBnB experiences; there are a few on there and I’m sure they’re all good. I learnt so much about Oaxacan and Mexican food and how to recreate some of my favourite dishes at home. The farm to table experience included picking fresh herbs from the garden and buying produce from a local market, which was a great way of understanding the context around the dishes we were cooking.
Boulenc
Boulenc is breakfast and breakfast is Boulenc. Visit the bakery for coffee and some of the best pastries you’ll have on your trip or relax in the restaurant and soak up the excellent atmosphere over brunch. The vibe is very Antipodean so don’t expect super authentic Mexican, but you’d be a fool to walk past without popping in.
Smoke Corridor
The smoke corridor is less about the food and more about the experience. Fans of chaos and noise will fit right in. Those who wander in are given a basket to fill with meat straight from the fiery grills of one of the stallholders. Purchase a tray of tortillas and salsas from one of the stores near the entrance and voila, lunch is served.
Mercado 20 de Noviembre
In Oaxaca, and elsewhere in Mexico for that matter, a lot of street names and markets are named after dates. I have yet to figure out why. One such place is the food market Mercado 20 de Noviembre in the heart of Oaxaca; a large warehouse divvied up into tens of food stalls from which you can procure almost every Oaxacan speciality there is. Go for lunch and pick up some foodie souvenirs to take home.
Tacos Roy
Tacos Roy is a chain, albeit not a very big one. Usually I avoid such places, but I asked a few locals where I could find the best pozole and tacos al vapor and all of them pointed me to Tacos Roy. Tacos al vapor are steamed tacos, usually stuffed with pulled pork and pozole is a Mexican meat stew. Both are worth seeking out.
Empanadas del Carmen
The empanada de Amarillo we ate perched on a plastic stool on the side of the road from Empanadas del Carmen was a highlight for me. Watching the tortillas be stuffed and toasted in front of us to a soundtrack of cheerful Spanish chatter as the day cooled is one of my favourite memories from the trip. Unsurprisingly, the empanada was exquisite.
Lechoncito de Oro
Lechoncito de Oro was quite literally a glowing beacon of light and suckling pig in the otherwise darker, quieter streets just outside the centre of Oaxaca. The beacon had attracted a substantial queue; always an excellent sign. The twenty minute wait allowed our anticipation for the promised tacos to marinate to perfection and boy did they hit the spot. Make sure you get the additional chicharónnes (fried pork rind) for extra crunch and flavour.
Sabina Sabe
Sabina Sabe has my heart, my liver and quite a significant chunk of my savings. I regret nothing. We walked through the door with the best intentions of leaving after one cocktail (when has that ever happened?) so naturally we stayed until closing, when we were scooped up by the staff and taken on a night out. It’s that kind of place. The mixologists at Sabina Sabe are wizards and didn’t bat an eyelid when we asked (very nicely) for drinks that weren’t on the menu. Part of me will always be sat at that bar, watching their delicious creations manifest.
If you’ve been to Oaxaca and have any further recommendations, please let me know in the comments as I shall definitely be returning. Soon.
All words and photos by Meg Houghton-Gilmour
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