Best food in Oaxaca

Never have we visited a single region with so many unique food and drink offerings than when we visited Oaxaca. It is the undisputed food capital of Mexico. Every street corner seems to have its own street cart or truck firing up the ubiquitous comals (grills) which seem to be used to cook most of the best food in Oaxaca.

People gather around a street food stall with a red truck nearby on a sunny day in Oaxaca. — Queuing begins in the morning for Oaxaca’s best street food.

There are some excellent restaurants in the city specialising in the best traditional food from any and all of Oaxaca’s eight regions. Heritage varietals of simple ingredients are revered, such as the seven types of corn found on the menu at Itanoni, the seventeen types of bean presented to us at Tierra del Sol, or the eleven varieties of tomato on our plate at Levadura de Olla.

More than that, there are so many items of food and drink which we tried on this Oaxaca trip that we had never tried before. By the end of the trip, we were like locals – picking our favourite memelas, tamales, tlayudas, and of course, tacos.

Plates of tacos with lime wedges, red and green salsas, and a side of pickled onions and peppers.

I was in particular excited to try the elotes and esquites (street corn), however we somehow ran out of time. Obviously a reason to go back.

We stayed in a Booking.com apartment in the Centro neighbourhood followed by a treat upgraded couple of nights at Suites de la Parra. Staying so central to Oaxaca City made everything easy and walkable. For our two nights at Suites de la Parra, we also got to enjoy rooftop loungers in the sun for in between our many, many big meals.

So – what is the best food in Oaxaca?

A crowd gathers at a street food stall on a sunny day, surrounded by trees and parked cars. — Crowds enjoy Tortas in the sun at La Hormiga.

Mole

Chances are if you’ve eaten in a Mexican restaurant before you’ll have heard of mole. Yet, chances are if you have eaten mole in a Mexican restaurant outside of Mexico, you’ve probably only tried the chocolate version. Oaxaca is the home of mole. While we visited the markets, we saw large heaps of it in its solidified form. We could not believe that this was the base of the dish.

If you eat mole in Oaxaca you have to try all seven versions. These range from the light Verde and Amarillo versions all the way through to the Mole de Fiesta “party versions.” Hilariously this is exactly what it sounds like – a mole so big and so rich that they’re only break it out for the parties. This includes the traditional Negro that you are likely most familiar with already.

Ceramic taster pots of various moles, brown, red, yellow, and green in colour. — Mole tasting at Restaurante Coronita

Best mole in Oaxaca

We went for a tasting at Restaurante Coronita, and we had the Three Generation Mole at Tierra del Sol restaurant. Coronita was a little bit old school as a restaurant but we really enjoyed the mole tasting there. They brought out of platter of seven different moles and told us about them all and in which order to eat them. We also had an unlimited amount of tortillas to go with it. The dish at Tierra del Sol – along with all of their food – was exquisite.

Plate of turkey leg with dark mole sauce, sesame seeds, and garnish on a wooden table. — Three Generation Mole at Tierra del Sol

Tlayudas

A tlayuda is sometimes lazily referred to as Mexican pizza. Instead of mozzarella and pepperoni, it’s topped with black bean paste cooked with large amounts of pork fat instead of sauce, and topped with stringy Oaxaca cheese and some kind of barbecued meat. It has a crispy rather than doughy base. It’s also often folded in half rather than served open. This was probably our go to favourite dish throughout the trip.

Vendor preparing food at a street stall with colorful sign, wearing a mask and gloves, surrounded by ingredients. — Tlayudas being prepped on the street at La Chinita. First, on the right, with pork fat. Then on the left with black bean and cheese.

Person grilling food outdoors at night, with others nearby. Colorful tablecloth and plates in the background. — Meat and tlayuda on the grill outside Tlayudas Libres Doña Martha

Best tlayudas in Oaxaca

Some of the best tlayudas we had in Oaxaca were street food. Tlayduas La Chinita is a streetside set up which is absolutely heaving well into the night. Pick up some beers at the Oxxo nearby and settle in for some super cheap delicious food and an amazing show.

Tlayudas Libres Doña Martha also has a streetside barbecue but additionally has an indoor dining area where you can sit and eat. This is a soft drink only offering but they are happy for you to bring your own booze.

Honorable mentions go to Tlayudas Las Animas which is set in the very heart of Oaxaca City within a beautiful outdoor courtyard with a giant grill. This was one of the first places we ate. We actually intended to come back but the family who ran it went on vacation!

Tlayudas El Negro was the only actual seated restaurant in which we ate a tlayuda. It was delicious and made with premium arrechera, but perhaps not worth the premium (in comparison) price tag it came with compared to the others despite some fun live entertainment. Nevertheless a fun evening.

Memelas

Not too different from tlayudas, but much smaller, memeles are another of Oaxaca’s best foods. Memelas are made from masa, the standard cornmeal and lime base that tacos and tamales are made with, and topped with a variety of fresh cheese, sauces, and meats. Most came topped with the signature stringy Oaxacan cheese. These are small and snack sized and it’s hard to find a street corner in Oaxaca without someone cooking some up!

Person preparing food on a large griddle, spreading sauce on flatbreads, outdoors on a city street. — Memeles prepped on the comal at Memelas San Agustín

Best memelas in Oaxaca

Some of the best memelas, and certainly our favourites, were at street food stall Memelas San Agustín. Everything that came off their comal was amazing, and we thought they were especially hospitable which added to the experience. I think a memela was around 20 pesos. It is delicious as a snack or you can load up on a few for a meal!

Tetelas

Tetelas are little triangular pockets made of masa and filled with beans, cheese, and sometimes meat. They can be surprisingly hard to find in Oaxaca despite being some of the regions best traditional food.

The best corn-based food in Oaxaca created on a large ceramic comal in the kitchen of Itanoni, next to bowls of vibrantly coloured side dishes. — The comal in the kitchen of Itanoni

Best tetelas in Oaxaca

We had a fancy garnished version at Tierra del Sol, but for a proper rustic version we headed to Itanoni. Itanoni is a seated restaurant in the Reforma neighbourhood of Oaxaca. They make masas with seven different types of corn. They are dedicated to heritage varieties grown by independent farmers. You can try many foods and drinks made with corn here. We stopped by for an early breakfast of tetelas on our way out to see Hierve el Agua. All of the food here was a good cut above street food and a proportional price tag to match. Cash only!

Tetelas, dipping sauces, on a brightly coloured table cloth. — Tetelas breakfast at Itanoni

Tamales

Using – you guessed it – masa as a base and along with other fillings like meat and cheese, tamales are prepared by wrapping this filling into a corn husk or a banana leaf and steaming. We had tamales a couple of times in Oaxaca City.

Tamale wrapped in a banana leaf on a brown plate, placed on a colorful floral tablecloth. — One of four different tamales on the Terraza Istmo menu

Best tamales in Oaxaca

One Sunday night we went to our local Terraza Istmo, where we had many snacks and many beers on their roof throughout our stay. On this particular night we ordered all of their tamales to share between us. They are light and soft kind of like a cornbread or cornmeal made with other fillings as well.

One of the best lunches on our Oaxaca trip was at Levadura de Olla. Levadura de Olla is a proper dining experience, one of the few actual genuine restaurants that we went to on this trip. Everything on the menu was innovative and different while also still being a complete Oaxacan classic. One of the dishes that we enjoyed here on a Saturday lunch was tamales.

Tortas

I won’t spend too much time talking about tortas simply because they are sandwiches. They are just a classic sandwich made on a white Panini style bun filled with ham and cheese and other sort of fillings, and then grilled on a griddle, kind of like a grilled cheese would be.

Vendor grilling sandwiches with ingredients like meat and cheese at a food stall. — Tortas on the grill at La Hormiga

Best tortas in Oaxaca

The best tortas we had in Oaxaca were at La Hormiga, a food truck permanently parked up out front of a park square. Everytime we passed this place it had a queue of locals waiting and laughing with the servers. We had our tortas sitting on a bench sitting in the sunshine, but most people had them to take away.

Two sandwiches on a blue plate are placed on a weathered bench in sunlight.

Best tacos in Oaxaca

Last but certainly not least is tacos. Tacos are surely everyone’s favourite Mexican dish or at the very least the most popular. Here are some of the best places to have tacos in Oaxaca City.

Chefinita

A small street food cart which sits just outside one of the main markets in the city of Oaxaca. It opens only after dark and it’s not open seven days per week, so be sure to check before going. It was one of the first places we went for a taco in Oaxaca. On our first trip, it was absolutely bustling. It was crowded with local people eating tacos off actual plates and with actual cutlery in spite of being served from a small cart.

Man in red apron prepares food at a bustling market stall with customers around.

We ordered a couple of their house specialty tacos and an order of their famous pozole. The meat is slow cooked and rolled into a small taco which you can order individually. Most people seemed to be ordering four or five at a time. We had eaten quite a bit already that day so we only ordered one. This turned out to be a mistake because we ordered seconds straight after eating our first. Their hot sauce is absolutely wild so use sparingly the first time. If needed there is an awesome local bar a couple of doors down to cool your mouth down with an ice cold Corona. We went back to Chefinita several times to enjoy these delicious 20 peso tacos.

Two rolled tortillas on a bright green plate with a red background.

Taqueria Tacoma

Sam’s favourite taco place in Oaxaca. This was an actual traditional style taqueria rather than a street food vendor. There are seats in the restaurant and you place an order with a server who brings you the tacos, but it is extremely casual.

Street food stall with cooks preparing tacos al pastor, stacks of plates, and ingredients on the counter.

We ordered one plate of one of each of their five tacos each. Like many of the casual restaurants that we ate at in Oaxaca, they did not serve any alcohol but were very happy for us to bring in a beer from the Oxxo down the road. I don’t think we spent more than 100 pesos on a meal between the two of us including these Oxxo beers. It was delicious and truly great value.

Tacos del Carmen

My personal favourite was Tacos Del Carmen. This is a small cart in the north end of the city. It is open only for breakfast and lunch and closes shortly after. Each taco was 17 pesos and there was a selection of fillings from which to choose. We came a bit late on the first day, a Friday afternoon, and they had already sold out of a few of their different fillings. It is clearly a locals favourite.

Two women prepare and cook food at an outdoor market stall, with rolled items on a large stove. — Tacos on the comals at Tacos Del Carmen

When we returned we also tried a couple of non-taco dishes which were not as good and a little bit difficult to eat over a paper plate. I would still highly recommend coming to Tacos Del Carmen but as the name might suggest, stick to the tacos.

Two rolled tacos on a white plate with green, red, and orange sauces, held above a tiled sidewalk.

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