Where to Eat in Oaxaca: Market Tours, Mezcal and Tasting Menus
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
- Oaxaca City’s food scene runs from smoky market grills to Michelin-listed tasting menus.
- Volaris is the only airline flying nonstop from LAX to Oaxaca, and the flight takes about four hours.
- Oaxaca Eats, owned by Oaxaca-born guide Lorena Rubio, runs four-hour food tours through the markets and restaurants of the historic center.
- Oaxaca made about 90% of Mexico’s certified mezcal in 2023, according to the industry’s regulatory council.
- Two Oaxaca City restaurants hold a Michelin star in the 2026 guide, and Tierra del Sol and La Olla from this story’s list hold Bib Gourmands.
- Grana, the bed-and-breakfast where this story’s trip ends, earned one Michelin Key in 2025.
ETA: 4 hours, 9 mins. from LAX.
The moment you step foot into Oaxaca de Juárez, your senses are heightened.
From the smell of the busy motorways coming from the airport, to the heightened chaos of the world around you. Then suddenly a colorful world comes alive – deep blues; purples; reds – even the yellows all pop.
All the while, eyes feast on typography, shapes and architecture.
After the fall of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) in 1521, the Spanish set out to conquer Oaxaca due to its rich gold deposits. What came from that was the immense growth of a Spanish-style city. However, the richness of the Oaxacan culture permeated, reclaimed and found an oasis in lands that were truly Mexican.
Renowned for its tlayudas, traditional chapulines (Grasshoppers) and maguey worms, Oaxaca dares to try something transformative, with one’s palate. Out of this comes respect for one’s surroundings and the courage to take a leap of faith in a foreign land.
There is something alive about Oaxaca. Something real.
You begin to wonder if you are in Europe or in the Americas. Suddenly you’re thrown into the bustle, the noise, the scenography. From street merchants to the markets, it all feels homemade: touched by hands of artisans continuing their rooted cultures for centuries.
Where to See Oaxaca’s Colonial Architecture and Monte Albán
Start in the historic center, which UNESCO listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987 together with the ruins of Monte Albán. UNESCO says the Spanish founded the city as Antequera in 1529 and laid it out on a checkerboard grid. That grid makes the old center easy to explore on foot.
Santo Domingo de Guzmán is the church to see first. Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says work on the church began in 1575 and it was consecrated in 1611. The former cloister next door has held the state’s regional museum since 1972, so you can see the building and the region’s history in one stop.
Look at the color of the stone as you walk. In June 2026 the International Union of Geological Sciences named Oaxaca’s cantera verde, a green volcanic tuff, a Heritage Stone. Mexico News Daily reports it was used for the cathedral, the Government Palace and the Macedonio Alcalá Theater.
Monte Albán sits on a hilltop a short drive west of the center. UNESCO says the Zapotec capital flourished from about 500 B.C. to A.D. 850. INAH lists the site as open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m., and admission for foreign visitors is 210 pesos. If you’d rather not face the ticket line, INAH sells tickets online.
Bring water and a hat for the sun, since nearly the whole visit is outdoors. UNESCO places the city and the ruins in a valley between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre del Sur, and Britannica puts the city’s elevation at about 5,085 feet.
1. Tlayudas at El Escapilario (Andrew Niklas Curtis ) 2. Tierra del Sol, Tortilla Experience (Andrew Niklas Curtis ) 3. Mezcalera (Andrew Niklas Curtis)
Perhaps you enter a local Mezcalería, experiencing a distilling tradition that has permeated local bars and restaurants in Southern California and the U.S.
Tasting Mezcal in the State That Makes Most of It
Most of Mexico’s mezcal is made in this state. The Mexican Regulatory Council for Mezcal Quality, known as COMERCAM, said in its 2024 statistical report that Oaxaca accounted for 90.51% of the country’s certified mezcal in 2023, out of about 12.2 million liters.
Mezcal is distilled from agave. The agave variety changes the flavor a lot, so ask the bartender to let you sample two or three types side by side. Espadín is the most widely planted agave, and wild agaves usually cost more per pour.
Santiago Matatlán, which Visit Mexico labels the mezcal capital, is the last stop on the tourism board’s mezcal route east of the city. The route also passes El Tule, Teotitlán del Valle, Tlacolula and Mitla.
If you want someone else to drive, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator runs a private Ruta de Mezcal day tour that ends at a family-run palenque, or distillery, in Matatlán. The company lists it at $395 for one or two people and $195 for each additional person. Lunch isn’t included, and you get half your money back only if you cancel at least 10 days out.
Or maybe you meet Lorena Rubio with Oaxaca Eats Food Tours, a local who helps guide visitors navigating the markets, the restaurants, and the bars.
Beginning your breakfast in Mercado Orgánico, an establishment with local vendors from Choccolatte, juice, as well as tortillas: All local top-of-the-line Oaxacan visionaries.
Then you move to Mercado 20 de Noviembre, where locals promise you meals your palates have never encountered. If you’re a vegetarian, it could be intimidating – but with Lorena’s knowledge you can find solace. But, if you’re a carnivore, any table anywhere is yours.
From tasting the markets to the street food, Lorena brings you to one of her favorite spots in Oaxaca: Casa Taviche.
How to Book a Market Tour With Oaxaca Eats
You can book directly on the Oaxaca Eats website, which lists two set tours and a customizable one. The Classic Downtown Oaxaca Food Tour starts at 10:30 a.m. or 4 p.m. and costs from 2,300 pesos. The Food & Cocktail Tour in Oaxaca at Sunset starts at 4 p.m. and costs from 2,600 pesos. Both run about four hours.
The company says the classic tour stops at four restaurants for up to 15 food and drink selections, including mole, mezcal, chocolate and chapulines. Guides speak English and Spanish. For a custom date or a dietary question, you can contact the company by email or WhatsApp before you book.
Lorena Rubio was born and raised in Oaxaca City. She started at Oaxaca Eats as a guide and later managed it, and the company’s about page says founders Kay and Dean Michaels transferred ownership to her in 2022.
The markets are where you’ll find the everyday side of Oaxacan cuisine. At the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, the grilled-meat aisle called the Pasillo de Humo has stalls that each run their own wood-fired grill. Food and Pleasure reports you can buy tasajo, cecina and chorizo there, along with tortillas, green onions and avocado, and build your own tacos at the table. El Financiero puts the usual check at 100 to 200 pesos a person, so have pesos ready. Tortillas and drinks are sold separately, and the same market sells aguas frescas to enjoy with your tacos.
Here’s the 411 on where to Eat in Oaxaca:
- Tierra del Sol
- Pitiona Cocina de Autor
- Casa Taviche
- La Cosecha Mercado Organico
- El Escapulario
- Tacos del Carmen
- La Olla Oaxaca
- Alfonsina
Tasting Menus and Michelin-Listed Restaurants in Oaxaca City
Levadura de Olla and Los Danzantes Oaxaca are the only restaurants in the state with a star in the 2026 Michelin Guide. The guide also gives five places in the state a Bib Gourmand, its award for good value, and two of them are on the list above.
At Tierra del Sol, Michelin says chef Olga Cabrera runs three businesses in one building on Reforma. There’s a bakery up front, a counter called the Atolería that pours coffee and hot chocolate, and a rooftop restaurant up the stairs. La Olla, the other Bib Gourmand on the list, is run by chef Pilar Cabrera.
Alfonsina takes more planning. Michelin calls it a reservation-only restaurant about a half-hour drive south of the city, down several bumpy dirt roads in San Juan Bautista La Raya. Chef Jorge León runs it with his mother, Doña Elvia, and the meal is a relaxed tasting menu of traditional dishes. Book through the OpenTable link on Michelin’s page and arrange a round-trip taxi, since the location is outside town. OpenTable says it’s about 10 minutes from the airport, which makes it an easy stop on the day you land or leave.
Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante, from chef Alejandro Ruiz, has a rooftop patio next to the Templo de Santo Domingo. Michelin lists it at the $$$ price level and notes a banana dessert with mezcal caramel, so save room. The restaurant’s site posts a seasonal à la carte menu, so a group can order several dishes to share at a special dinner. It opens at 1 p.m. daily and takes reservations through OpenTable.
For a full tasting menu in town, Criollo, from chefs Enrique Olvera and Luis Arellano, serves only a tasting menu at outdoor tables under the trees. Michelin puts it at its top price level, $$$$. For something more casual, Michelin says Ancestral Cocina Tradicional, under a thatched roof in the Xochimilco neighborhood, makes memelas and tetelas on a comal by the entrance.
Moles, Atole and Caldo de Piedra to Look For
Mole is the first dish to order. Mexico News Daily names the state’s seven moles as negro, rojo, verde, amarillo, coloradito, chichilo and manchamanteles, and menus here offer a much wider variety than that. Order two different moles at the same meal if you can, since a dark, slightly sweet negro and an herb-heavy verde taste very little alike.
Atole is a hot drink made from masa, water and spices, and the chocolate version is champurrado, according to Britannica. Look for it at breakfast stalls in the markets.
Caldo de piedra, or stone soup, comes from the Chinantec community of San Felipe Usila in northern Oaxaca. Cooks put fish, tomato, onion, chile and herbs in a bowl and drop in river stones that have been heated until they’re red-hot, which cooks the soup in a few minutes. ADN40 reports that Oaxaca’s state congress declared it part of the state’s intangible cultural heritage in 2021. Near the city, Atlas Obscura says Chinantec owner César Gachupín serves it at his restaurant, Caldo de Piedra, in Tlalixtac de Cabrera. Call ahead, because hours posted online don’t always match.
Can You Learn to Cook Mole on a Trip to Oaxaca?
Yes, and some classes start with a market visit. Seasons of My Heart runs its class every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $150 per person. The price covers transportation from downtown, a tour of the Central de Abastos, a hands-on class at Rancho Aurora in Etla and a five-course meal the group helps create.
Chef Kaelin Ulrich Trilling usually leads it. The school says the menu changes with the season and usually includes a mole or another main dish with tortillas. Bring pesos if you want to shop at the market.
Michelin says Pilar Cabrera of La Olla also runs a cooking school, Casa de los Sabores. Contact the school directly for dates and prices. Before you book any class, ask whether you’ll grind the mole from scratch and whether you’ll make a table salsa too, so you know what you’ll learn to make at home.
Then you find yourself back at your bed & breakfast, Grana. Grana feels like home, from the staff to the kitchen. You feel an overwhelming sense of support and discovery, from local insights to an immaculate breakfast.
There’s deep Oaxacan culture steeped into Grana, from their wall of cactus (the namesake Grana coming from the insect that grows on the Cactus), to how the color from the succulent reflects throughout the B&B. This isn’t just a hotel, this was a celebration of the Oaxacan spirit.
(Camila Cossio (Courtesy of Grana B&B))
(Camila Cossio (Courtesy of Grana B&B))
From mornings with chocolate to inviting yoga on the rooftop, Grana invites those visiting from anywhere to escape into the lifestyle, the artisanry and the culture of Oaxaca.
Grana has since picked up recognition from Michelin. When the guide announced its first Keys for Mexico in October 2025, it gave Grana one Key, its hotel award. Michelin’s listing describes 15 rooms in an 18th-century house, with a rooftop that looks out at the city and the mountains.
If Grana is full, the historic center has a small selection of other high-end places to stay. Quinta Real Oaxaca is in the former Santa Catalina de Siena convent on Calle 5 de Mayo. Hotel Escondido Oaxaca, from Grupo Habita, has 12 rooms in a 19th-century house joined to a neo-Brutalist addition, according to Michelin.
Planning an Oaxaca Food Trip From Los Angeles
If you’re flying from LAX, Volaris is the only airline with a nonstop to Oaxaca, and the flight takes about four hours. Flight-schedule site FlightsFrom shows it running about four days a week, so check the schedule on Volaris before you lock in hotel dates.
Día de Muertos is celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, and it’s one of the busiest times of year in Oaxaca. Book rooms and restaurant tables well ahead for late October and early November, and check the city’s official events calendar for this year’s program. The Guelaguetza festival takes place each July.
The U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel advisory rates Oaxaca state Level 2, which means exercise increased caution. It says there are no restrictions on travel for Oaxaca City, Monte Albán, Puerto Escondido or Huatulco, which matters if you want to add a few nights on the coast. It does bar U.S. government employees from part of Federal Highway 200 and from the Isthmus region, so read the full advisory before you plan a road trip.
When your taxi rolls in, you’ll depart with a lunch packed by Grana to send you back to the airport, back to Los Angeles – already thinking about other places to visit in North America and what parts of your palate have evolved on the visit.
From the congested motorways to the security checkpoint …
You’ll leave forever changed. If the trip leaves you inspired, consider submitting some of your favorite moments to share your best vacation photos.
Want to see all the action from our trip? Explore more from the Travel by LA Times Studios magazines, and follow Travel by LA Times Studios on TikTok now to watch the full video journey from Oaxaca, Mexico!
