Food · Oaxaca · Mexico
What to eat in Oaxaca
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Oaxaca, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. João Sousa assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Mole negro, Tlayuda and Tasajo and cecina. In the 20 de Noviembre market, choose meat from the butchers, have it grilled over charcoal and eat it at shared tables with tortillas, onions and salsas bought from passing vendors. Comida, the main meal, is eaten from about 2pm to 4pm; many fondas offer a set comida corrida of soup, main and drink at a modest price.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Mole negro
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 6
- Tipping
- Tip about 10–15% in sit-down restaurants and a few pesos at market fondas.
- Food experiences
- 4
11 foods to try
Dish
1.Mole negro
Oaxaca's most famous mole, a near-black sauce of toasted chiles, chocolate, nuts, seeds, spices and charred tortilla, usually served over chicken or turkey. It is one of several regional moles, alongside rojo, coloradito, amarillo, verde, chichilo and manchamantel.
Where: Fondas in the 20 de Noviembre market and traditional restaurants in the centre; mole pastes are sold by the kilo in the Benito Juárez market.
Street food
2.Tlayuda
A large, thin, crisp tortilla spread with asiento (unrefined pork lard) and black beans, topped with quesillo, cabbage and tasajo or chorizo, then folded and toasted over charcoal. It is the city's signature evening snack.
Where: Evening street stalls across the city and the grill stands in the 20 de Noviembre market; ask for it sin asiento for a vegetarian version.
Dish
3.Tasajo and cecina
Tasajo is thinly sliced salted beef and cecina enchilada is pork rubbed with chile; both are grilled over charcoal and wrapped in tortillas with grilled onions, chiles and guacamole.
Where: The Pasillo de Humo in the 20 de Noviembre market, where you pick the meat and have it grilled on the spot.
Snack · Vegetarian
4.Quesillo
Oaxaca's mild, stringy cheese, wound into balls like a ball of yarn and pulled apart in strands. It melts into tlayudas, memelas and quesadillas and is known elsewhere in Mexico as queso Oaxaca.
Where: Cheese stalls in the Benito Juárez market; buy a small ball to eat as it is.
Snack
5.Chapulines
Toasted grasshoppers seasoned with garlic, lime and chile, eaten by the handful or in tacos with guacamole. They are crunchy, salty and sour, and a long-standing part of the Oaxacan diet.
Where: Market vendors in the Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets sell them by the scoop; try a small portion first.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
6.Memelas
Thick oval tortillas pinched at the edges, spread with asiento and black beans and topped with crumbled cheese and salsa, cooked on a comal. They are the classic Oaxacan breakfast.
Where: Morning stalls in markets and on street corners; Mercado de la Merced east of the centre is popular with locals for breakfast.
Drink · Vegetarian
7.Oaxacan hot chocolate (Chocolate de agua o de leche)
Cacao ground with sugar, almonds and cinnamon, whisked into water or milk until foamy and served with pan de yema, an egg bread made for dunking. Chocolate atole topped with cacao foam is another version.
Where: The chocolate mills on Calle Mina and Calle 20 de Noviembre near the markets grind cacao to order and serve cups at their counters.
Drink · Vegetarian
8.Tejate
A cold, pre-Hispanic drink of maize, cacao, mamey seed and rosita de cacao flowers, beaten by hand until a pale foam forms on top, served in a painted gourd.
Where: Tejate sellers in the Benito Juárez market and village markets such as Tlacolula and El Tule.
Drink · Vegetarian
9.Mezcal
An agave spirit whose hearts are roasted in earth pits, crushed and distilled; most of Mexico's mezcal comes from Oaxaca. Espadín is the common agave, while wild varieties such as tobalá and tepeztate are rarer and pricier.
Where: Mezcalerías around Santo Domingo and the Andador, and palenques in Santiago Matatlán along the Mitla road.
Street food
10.Empanada de amarillo
A large corn-dough turnover filled with chicken in mole amarillo, a yellow-orange mole flavoured with the herb hoja santa, cooked on a comal until blistered.
Where: Market stalls and street comales, especially in the mornings and at the Sunday Tlacolula market.
Dessert · Vegetarian
11.Nieves
Hand-churned water and milk ices in flavours such as leche quemada (burnt milk), tuna (prickly pear), mezcal and rose petal, a city tradition for generations.
Where: Stalls on the plaza in front of the Basílica de la Soledad and in the city's markets.
Food experiences
Pasillo de Humo lunch
In the 20 de Noviembre market, choose meat from the butchers, have it grilled over charcoal and eat it at shared tables with tortillas, onions and salsas bought from passing vendors.
Chocolate mills on Calle Mina
Watch cacao being ground with sugar and cinnamon in the long-established mills near the markets, then order a cup of hot chocolate with pan de yema at the counter.
Palenque visit
On the road to Mitla, family distilleries in Santiago Matatlán show the earth-pit ovens, stone tahona mills and copper or clay stills, followed by tastings.
Market cooking class
Local cooks lead morning market walks followed by hands-on classes in moles, salsas and tortillas, ending with a shared meal.
Quick bites and street food
- Tlayuda — Evening street stalls across the city and the grill stands in the 20 de Noviembre market; ask for it sin asiento for a vegetarian version.
- Quesillo — Cheese stalls in the Benito Juárez market; buy a small ball to eat as it is.
- Chapulines — Market vendors in the Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets sell them by the scoop; try a small portion first.
- Memelas — Morning stalls in markets and on street corners; Mercado de la Merced east of the centre is popular with locals for breakfast.
- Empanada de amarillo — Market stalls and street comales, especially in the mornings and at the Sunday Tlacolula market.
Vegetarian options
Of the 11 foods in this guide, 6 are usually vegetarian: Quesillo, Memelas, Oaxacan hot chocolate, Tejate, Mezcal and Nieves. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Comida, the main meal, is eaten from about 2pm to 4pm; many fondas offer a set comida corrida of soup, main and drink at a modest price.
- Tlayudas are mostly an evening food; look for street grills that start up after dark.
- Reserve the best-known restaurants near Santo Domingo a few days ahead, and weeks ahead around Día de Muertos.
- In markets, each vendor charges separately for what they bring to your table; pay as you go.
- Drink bottled or purified water, and prefer busy stalls with high turnover.
Tipping
Tip about 10–15% in sit-down restaurants and a few pesos at market fondas. Guides and cooking teachers usually receive 10% or more.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Buenos días | Good morning |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much is it? |
| La cuenta, por favor | The bill, please |
| Sin carne | Without meat |
| Salud | Cheers |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Oaxaca famous for?
Mole negro, Tlayuda, Tasajo and cecina and Quesillo. Oaxaca's most famous mole, a near-black sauce of toasted chiles, chocolate, nuts, seeds, spices and charred tortilla, usually served over chicken or turkey.
+Is Oaxaca good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Quesillo, Memelas and Oaxacan hot chocolate.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Oaxaca?
Tip about 10–15% in sit-down restaurants and a few pesos at market fondas. Guides and cooking teachers usually receive 10% or more.