What to eat and drink in Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca is always at the top of mind whenever us Mexicans think of the best food in the country. This land of extraordinary ingredients is a true meeting point between pre-Hispanic and Spanish traditions.

At its heart are endemic staples such as native corn, cacao, chiles and quelites, alongside beans, herbs and even insects, all transformed through ancestral methods.

Thanks to its many microclimates, Oaxaca offers a dazzling variety of produce that keeps kitchens seasonal and inventive. Mole negro (with its more than 30 ingredients) and mezcal may be emblematic, but you’ll also find tlayudas, chileajos mixtecos, and hand-patted tortillas warm from the comal here too.

Today, this deep-rooted culinary heritage blends seamlessly with a modern dining scene that’s even recognized by the Michelin guide, making Oaxaca a must for anyone eager to experience the authentic taste of Mexico.

Wake up to sweet pastries and craft coffee

Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s most productive coffee regions, and you can taste that richness in every cup. 

Grown in the state’s fertile highlands where altitude, volcanic soil, and humidity nurture the beans, Oaxacan coffee is known for its smooth body, balanced acidity, and subtle notes of chocolate, nuts, and caramel. These qualities make it one of the country’s most beloved brews; it is often produced by small family growers.

Mexico’s long baking tradition, influenced by Spain and enriched by local creativity, has given rise to dozens of sweet breads with whimsical names: concha (shell), cuernito (horn), oreja (ear) and chilindrina – to name a few. 

Among them, pan de yema is a morning favorite in Oaxaca, a soft, golden bread made with egg yolks that’s deeply rooted in the region’s traditions. Similar to a brioche yet lighter and sweeter, it’s an everyday staple and a symbol of Oaxacan hospitality.

Enjoy coffee and pastries in a local cafe, a bustling market stall or in your hotel courtyard, knowing that every cup reflects the soul of Oaxaca: warm, earthy, and full of character.

Where to try it: Boulenc, Pan con Madre, Café Café. 

Indulge in colorful moles

Few dishes capture the essence of Oaxaca like mole, a pre-Hispanic sauce that has evolved into one of Mexico’s most emblematic culinary creations. Made from a wide variety of chiles such as chilhuacle, pasilla and ancho peppers, combined with seeds, nuts, spices and herbs, each version embodies the land and culture from which it comes.

Oaxaca is known as the “land of seven moles,” a rainbow of flavors that includes mole amarillo (yellow); coloradito (light red); colorado (deep red); verde (green); manchamanteles (fruit-stained); chichilo negro (smoky black); and mole negro (the most revered of all, it is velvety, and complex, balancing sweetness, spice, and depth).

A great place to taste them is Los Pacos, a beloved Oaxacan institution founded nearly 40 years ago by Francisco “Don Paco” Canseco and his wife, “Doña Soco.”

Now led by their daughter Laura Canseco Florián, the restaurant continues to preserve the family recipes while promoting fair trade and the conservation of native chiles. The mole negro here is rich, deep, and frankly unforgettable.

Another great option is Casa Oaxaca, where chef Alejandro Ruiz refines ancestral flavors with garden herbs and handmade tortillas while offering astonishing views of Santo Domingo. Don’t miss the short-rib in manchamanteles or the duck in mole coloradito with guava compote.

For a contemporary, sustainable approach, Los Danzantes has earned both a Michelin star and a Green Star for its excellence and environmental vision.

Blending tradition with innovation, it serves dishes like shrimp tlayuda with chintextle salsa or their iconic dish Moles Danzantes de Oaxaca with mole amarillo, rojo, chichilo, negro y manchamanteles.

Where to try it: Los Pacos (Reforma), Casa Oaxaca (rooftop near Santo Domingo); Los Danzantes (Centro Histórico). 

Bite into traditional tlayudas at the mercado

One of the city’s most iconic experiences is visiting Mercado 20 de Noviembre. Here, tlayudas (large, thin, crispy corn tortillas topped with beans, cheese, meat, and salsa) come piled with quesillo, asiento (pork lard) and tasajo (thinly sliced beef).

Inside, wander into the famous Pasillo de Humo (Smoke Corridor), where families grill cecina enchilada, chorizo oaxaqueño, ribs, and even ubre de res (cow udder) over open charcoal fires. The air is thick with smoke (hence the name), and plates are served with tortillas warm off the comal.

Beyond the tlayudas, market stalls offer other corn-based favorites: tetelas (triangle-shaped pockets filled with beans); memelas (thick tortillas topped with chileajo sauce and cheese); and tamales de chepil (steamed corn-dough mixed with this local plant and queso fresco – fresh cheese). 

You’ll also find quesadillas de huitlacoche, stuffed with this prized corn truffle known as “Mexican caviar.”

Where to try it: Mercado 20 de Noviembre (20 de Noviembre 512, Oaxaca).

Indulge in Oaxaca’s ancient taste 

Eating insects is a practice rooted in centuries of tradition and deep respect for nature. Long before the Spanish arrived, local communities were already harvesting grasshoppers, maguey worms, and ants as vital sources of protein, iron, and calcium. 

According to Gastronómica Huaje, around 26 varieties of insects are consumed across the state, and dishes featuring chapulines (grasshoppers), chicatanas, and gusanos de maguey remain central to the Oaxacan table – not as novelties, but as an expression of identity, heritage and flavor.

In markets like Benito Juárez or 20 de Noviembre, baskets overflow with roasted chapulines, crunchy and lightly seasoned with lime and chile. They’re eaten as a snack, sprinkled over guacamole or tlayudas, or folded into tacos with beans and cheese. 

Each bite offers a satisfying crunch and a distinct earthy tang (some say they taste of toasted corn). Meanwhile, maguey worm is more delicate and smoky, often found in salsas or ground into salt to rim a glass of mezcal.

In June, as the first rains wash the valleys clean, Oaxacans await the fleeting season of the chicatana: large, winged ants that emerge for just a few days after the first storm. They’re toasted on a clay comal until their wings fall away, then blended into rich, nutty sauces like mole de chicatana or salsa de chicatana with chile costeño.

Once considered food for warriors and emperors, these insects now inspire some of the city’s most renowned chefs, who reinterpret ancestral recipes for contemporary palates.

Where to try it: Michelin-starred Levadura de Olla Restaurante and markets like Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre.

Taste heritage recipes rooted in family and tradition

Oaxaca’s culinary soul lives in kitchens where memory and heritage guide every dish. At Tierra del Sol, chef Olga Cabrera celebrates her Mixtec roots (Ñuu Savi, “people of the clouds”) through a restaurant project that includes an artisanal bread shop, with freshly baked bread; an atolería (an atole stand) that revives ancestral drinks; and a rooftop where tortillas are made on the comal with mountain views. 

Cabrera highlights quelites, chiles, and heirloom corn and honors local farmers whose stories thread through each plate. The huachimole, a favorite of Cabrera’s husband, has become a house signature.

For nearly three decades, Celia Florián has preserved and evolved the flavors she inherited from her grandmother and mother at Las Quince Letras. A proud Oaxacan, she left a banking career to champion traditional cuisine and elevate local ingredients.

Today, she presides over the Association of Traditional Cooks of Oaxaca, has been featured on Netflix’s Street Food Latin America, and has received multiple awards, including a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide.

In her restaurant, Oaxacan heritage takes shape in garnachas istmeñas (a thick fried corn tortilla topped with shredded beef, curtido, salsa, and cheese), sopa de guías de calabaza (made from the shoots and other parts of the squash plant), and a trilogy of moles that let you taste the diversity of the region.

Where to try it: Tierra del Sol (near Templo de Santo Domingo); Las Quince Letras (Centro Histórico).

Sip sweet ancestral drinks

Oaxaca’s mornings are best sipped with ancestral drinks like atole, a pre-Hispanic hot beverage traditional across Mexico and Central America, made from nixtamalized corn dough mixed with water or milk, then sweetened and flavored with seasonal ingredients. At La Atoleria, you can try seasonal versions like coconut, guava or tamarind.

Then there’s tejate, a frothy ancestral blend of maize, cacao, mamey pit and flor de cacao, once known as the “drink of the gods.” Often sold at street stalls and served cool in clay cups, it’s both a ritual and a refreshment, connecting every sip to centuries of tradition.

Just as essential is chocolate de mesa, the cacao mix of cinnamon, almonds and sugar that has fueled Oaxacan households for generations.

Family brand Mayordomo remains the city’s most enduring staple, with chocolate sold in bars and powders so you can take the flavor of Oaxaca home.

Where to try it: La Atolería (inside Tierra del Sol) for seasonal versions; market stalls across the city for classic tejate and Mayordomo chocolate.

End your journey on a saccharine Oaxacan note

Oaxaca’s desserts are as rooted in tradition as its moles, often highlighting native ingredients like corn, cacao, and native fruits. Found everywhere from bustling markets to fine-dining restaurants, these sweets can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Try a scoop of nieve artesanal de tuna (cactus fruit ice cream) that captures the desert’s freshness, or a tamal de dulce con pasas (a sweet version of Mexico’s beloved steamed corn dough wrapped in corn husks, soft and fragrant from the heat of the pot). 

Another favorite is the empanada dulce de leche, filled with creamy sweetness and baked until golden.

For something uniquely Oaxacan, taste nicuatole (a pre-Hispanic corn-based dessert similar to a gelatin) which is made in clay pots by local women using yellow corn, sugar, and cinnamon. Its smooth, silky texture (sometimes infused with coconut, pineapple, or chocolate) earned it recognition as a part of Oaxaca’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

During the holidays, don’t miss buñuelos drizzled with cane syrup or red sugar (a type of minimally refined cane sugar or red-tinted sugar used to add color to desserts).

Brought from Spain during colonial times and inspired by ancient Mediterranean fritters, these crispy pastries have become a Mexican staple of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Where to try it: Local markets like 20 de Noviembre or La Merced; Itanoní for traditional corn-based sweets; and Sabina Sabe for dessert pairings with mezcal.

Follow the Mezcal route

More than a spirit, mezcal is Oaxaca’s liquid heritage, a drink distilled for generations and now considered one of the world’s finest artisanal liquors. Its roots run deep: families who once migrated north returned to their lands to plant agave varieties like Espadín and Tobalá, transforming traditional techniques into a thriving local industry. 

Each drop represents years of patience: planting, harvesting, roasting, milling, fermenting, and double distilling – and supports thousands of Oaxacan families.

Since Oaxaca earned the Denomination of Origin in 1994, mezcal’s reputation has soared. Today, it’s compared to fine whiskies and wines, prized for its complexity and the sense of place it carries with every sip.

Just 20 minutes from the city, the town of Santiago Matatlán – known as the “World Capital of Mezcal” – produces nearly half of the world’s supply. 

Visiting a palenque offers a glimpse into these family-run distilleries, where maestros mezcaleros guide you through agave varieties like Arroqueño, Espadín, Madrecuixe, Tepextate or Tobalá, each with its own character.

Prefer to stay in town? Oaxaca City brims with mezcalerías where experts curate flights of small-batch spirits, each sip showcasing the diversity of agaves and artisanal distillation.

Where to try it: Take a tour with Mezcal Educational Tours; or head to a local mezcaleria like In Situ; Los Amantes; Mezcalogía; Sabina Sabe; Los Danzantes; La Locura; Mezcaloteca.

Vegetarians and vegans

While Oaxaca is famous for meaty tasajo, chicken mole and smoky chorizo, vegetarians won’t feel left out. Many menus spotlight roasted vegetables, beans and corn in creative ways.

For example, Casa Oaxaca highlights include roasted cauliflower in peanut mole and wild mushroom risotto, while Tierra del Sol draws on corn and seasonal quelites for plant-based dishes rich in flavor and heritage.

Foods worth trying 

Quesillo: Oaxacan string cheese, stretchy and buttery

Tasajo: Thin-sliced, lightly cured beef, often grilled.

Mole manchamanteles: It translates to “table staining” – a fruity mole, usually with pork or ribs.

Chapulines: Toasted grasshoppers, zesty and addictive.

A year in food

July (Guelaguetza)

Oaxaca’s biggest celebration of identity brings together parades, music and regional dances, but also an irresistible showcase of tamales, moles and mezcal tastings across the city.

August–September

Fine-dining kitchens highlight the season’s bounty with creative takes on chiles en nogada (a dish that originally comes from neighboring Puebla).

Late October–November (Día de Muertos)

Expect altars blooming with cempasúchil (marigolds), pan de muerto fresh from the oven, and steaming cups of Oaxacan chocolate, all offered to honor ancestors during one of Mexico’s most iconic festivities.

December (Noche de Rábanos)

Held every December 23, the Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes) turns Oaxaca’s main square into a fleeting open-air gallery, with many food stalls where radishes, flowers and corn husks are carved into whimsical figures, an ephemeral tradition rooted in colonial Christmas Eve markets.