Showing 1-23 of 23 results
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1254 Marco Polo, Central Branch
Marco Polo's popular Pino Suárez branch occupies a long, shady, garden patio, with attentive waiters and good-value food. The large breakfasts come with bottomless cups of coffee; from noon until closing, antojitos (tortilla-based snacks like tacos), ceviches and oven-baked seafood are the main draws.
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1254 Marco Polo, Downtown Branch
Marco Polo's popular Pino Suárez branch occupies a long, shady, garden patio, with attentive waiters and good-value food. The large breakfasts come with bottomless cups of coffee; from noon until closing, antojitos (tortilla-based snacks like tacos), ceviches and oven-baked seafood are the main draws.
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Café Alex
Airy, full of people, clean and comfortable - Alex is a great place to fill up on good cheap food. The breakfast combinations (around $38 to around $48 ) are good value and so is the around $50 lunchtime comida corrida (set menu).
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Café Brújula
A great stop for good coffee, fruit smoothies, breakfasts (including waffles with fruit), salads, and home-baked bread, cakes and cookies. It's endowed with free wi-fi and is popular among artists and expats.
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Café Los Cuiles
Los Cuiles is a lovely spot for breakfast and for good light eats (including organic salads) or drinks such as mango lassi or organic coffee at any time of day. Popular with visitors and local students alike, it has a handy central location, free wi-fi and a spacious lounge-gallery feel.
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Casa Crespo
The 'Teatro Culinario' (Culinary Theater) dinner in the lovely patio of this guesthouse - by reservation only - is an incredible experience of approximately seven dishes in which ultra-creative chef José-Luis turns local ingredients into amazing works of art with unique flavors and textures. Drinks are included in the price.
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Casa del Ángel
This small, quiet café adjoins a yoga studio and health-food store near El Llano park. It serves salads, veggie burgers, juices, teas (including Indian chai), good breakfasts and very good whole-wheat sandwiches.
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Casa María Lombardo
Thick white walls give a suitable ambience for the well-prepared Mediterranean food here. The wood-oven pizzas and the chicken, steak and salmon grills are all good choices. Sit in the front room to watch the chef tossing the pizza bases for extra elasticity.
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Casa Oaxaca
This restaurant run by the Casa Oaxaca hotel works magic combining Oaxacan and European ingredients and flavors: witness the crispy duck tacos with red mole, or the isthmus-style venison tamales . Presentation is outstanding, and all is enhanced by the courtyard setting and a good selection of wines.
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Cenaduría Tlayudas Libres
Drivers double-park along the entire block to eat here. The tlayudas are large, light, crisp, hot tortillas folded over frijoles, quesillo (a stringy goat's cheese from Oaxaca) and your choice of salsa. They make a filling, tasty meal, but half the fun is taking in the late-night scene as motherly cooks fan the streetside charcoal grills. Sit around on benches or at tables in the adjacent building.
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Comala
This neat and trendy café, with a gently revolutionary theme, serves up tasty and satisfying salads, burgers, sandwiches, egg dishes and Oaxacan specialties including tlayudas and enfrijoladas, and enchiladas (corn tortillas in bean/tomato/chili sauce with assorted fillings).
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El Asador Vasco
Upstairs at the southwest corner of the Zócalo, the Asador Vasco serves up good Oaxacan, Basque and international food. It's strong on meat, seafood and Oaxacan specialties. For a table overlooking the plaza on a warm evening, reserve earlier in the day.
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La Biznaga
The work of two brothers from the Distrito Federal, La Biznaga composes terrific fusion dishes - the choices are written up on boards above the spacious courtyard, which is ringed with slick art. You might go for a salad of spinach, grapefruit, bacon and walnut to start, followed by beefsteak with pasilla chilies, plums and mezcal . There's a good-value set lunch for around $80 .
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La Cafetería
La Cafetería has a good position near the northwest corner of the plaza, and serves reliable Oaxacan dishes.
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La Casa del Tasajo
The bright courtyard here is a fine spot to enjoy Oaxaca's beef specialty, tasajo . It comes with rice and frijoles in a variety of original ways, including on a spit with onions, green peppers and bacon.
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La Olla
This excellent little restaurant and café produces marvelous Oaxacan specialties from cactus tacos to camarones a la diabla, (prawns in a hot chili-and-tomato sauce) and good rye-bread tortas, juices, and salads, all with an emphasis on organic and local ingredients. Breakfasts are excellent.
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La Toscana
Oaxaca meets Tuscany at elegant La Toscana, occupying a beautiful, white-pillared, art-hung courtyard in Colonia Jalatlaco. The delicious dishes on offer run from beef medallions in Gorgonzola sauce to prawns with pineapple purée and a ginger-and-chili sauce.
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María Bonita
Come here for economical and tasty traditional Oaxacan food. Precede your fish, steak or mole with a good appetizer or soup, such as the sopa Xóchitl (squash, squash blossom and sweet corn). There's a good breakfast range too. The old building is on a noisy corner, but the tasteful art and relaxed service make it all OK.
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Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Cheap oaxaqueño meals can be had in this market south of the Zócalo. Most of the many comedores (small eateries) serve up local specialties such as chicken in mole negro (cooked in a very dark sauce of chillies, fruits, nuts, spices and chocolate). Pick a comedor that's busy. Many stay open until early evening, but the food is freshest early in the day.
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Pan & Co
This European-style bakery turns out delicious baked goods, including multigrain and fruit breads, real croissants and Danish pastries.
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Pizza Nostrana
Small, popular Nostrana is always a sound bet for pizzas and pasta. The entrance is actually on Allende, just off Alcalá.
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Restaurant Flor de Loto
Flor de Loto takes a pretty good stab at pleasing a range of palates, from vegan to carnivore. The chicken brochette (around $48 ) is large and tasty, while vegetarian options include spinach burgers, meatless enchiladas and verduras al gratín (vegetables with melted cheese).
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Restaurante Los Danzantes
Delicious Mexican fusion food and a spectacular architect-designed setting make Los Danzantes one of Oaxaca's most special dining spots. An old colonial patio now sports high patterned walls of adobe brick and cool pools of water in a highly contemporary configuration, half open to the sky. Welcoming young staff serve up a small but first-class selection of food: try one of the excellent duck dishes.
Showing 1-23 of 23 results
