Oaxaca is known by foodies, insiders, and all Mexicans, as the food capital of Mexico. This colorful city has the most famous cuisine in the whole of Mexican cuisine. You will find all the traditional dishes here, of which the Mexicans are (justified) very proud on.
We went to Oaxaca for more than 5 weeks! Not only to discover the magical place but also to try out all the Oaxacan food. So we know a dish or two you have to try when in Oaxaca. Provecho amigos!
The food capital (of the world?)
Mexico is known as one of the best kitchens in the world, and if you count Oaxaca as the best kitchen in Mexico, then Oaxaca might have the very best food in the whole wide world. We wanted to test that claim out for ourselves so that we can tell our readers if that claim has any truth to it. It does my friends, it does!
So read on about all the dishes and drinks you need to try when in Oaxaca, and get ready to feast!
And also get ready to gain a pound or two from all the feasting eating, because dining is the main attraction in Oaxaca. The tasty, affordable, and quality food makes it that you just never want to cook a meal at your hotel or Airbnb. Its just too good!
Holy mole!
Before visiting Mexico we had never heard of mole (the right pronunciation is mo-lay). But after eating our way through Oaxaca for a whole month, we fell in love with this delicious thick tasty sauce…
Mole is one of the most traditional dishes from Mexico. It is a thick, rich in flavor, and super tasty sauce made from more than 30+ ingredients that cover dishes like meat or enchiladas. There are 7 different kinds of moles, and we tell you all you need to know about it in this extensive tribute to mole.
If you ask us, and we have become quite the experts, the very best mole negro can be found at the Alhondiga Reforma. The enchiladas with mole negro here are made by original recipe and are sooo delicious.
Tlayuda
Tlayudas, pronunciation pla-yu-das, is a traditional dish and probably the most famous Oaxacan street food. It is a Mexican style ´pizza´, and they can also be open or folded, like al calzone pizza. The tlayudas remind us also of the German ´flammkuchen, because of the thinner crust.
Tyaludas are made of a very big crispy tortilla, with a spread of black beans, optional meat or Oaxacan string cheese, some avocado, and tomato slices, topped with lettuce and flower squash blossom. And you can find them everywhere in Oaxaca, and especially in and around the streets surrounding the Zocalo. And also a lot of restaurants will sell them with a variety of toppings. A good starting point for your first tlayuda is the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, a big indoor market with lots of traditional dishes.
We think the flavor is quite flat and would prefer a pizza over a tlayuda if we had to choose, but with some spicy salsa on top, you will like this dish as a big late night snack.
Mezcal
Oaxaca is the home of mezcal, the big brother of tequila, but with a wayyy stronger taste. And you can get plenty of mezcal all over Oaxaca City. There are even special bars and stores designated to help you get drunk from mezcal. These bars are called mezcalerias by the way and they have a whole bunch of different kinds of mezcal.
You are supposed to consume mezcal slowly, so just sip it and don´t shot it. The first sip opens your palate and will be quite strong. The second sip will be “less aggressive” and the third “will be like music”.
We don´t really fancy strong drinks. An occasional beer or cocktail is fine, but sipping mezcal is not something we personally like. But who cares what we think! You (could) love mezcal!
A big tip if you are into mezcal; go on a tour to a mezcal farm and check out how they make the mezcal with your own eyes. And of course, have a tasting there! ????
Oaxacan Chocolate
There are no cocoa trees in Oaxaca, but the city is on an ancient trading route. As a result, chocolate has become very important in Oaxaca. It even plays a role in their ceremonies and rituals, like births and weddings. The former tribes of the Maya, Zapotec, and the Aztecs used it even for trading and for currency. And chocolate is nowadays still very much present in Oaxaca.
The Oaxacan or Mexican chocolate tastes different than the chocolate you´re used to. Mexican chocolate is made from cacao nibs, a lot of sugar, and some added cinnamon. Due to the high sugar content, the texture is grainy compared to normal chocolate, and it is a lot sweeter!
We personally liked the Oaxacan hot chocolate as a drink, but the grainy chocolate as a typical chocolate bar was not our favorite.
Check our Instagram Stories from Oaxaca to see more food inspiration
Tejate
Tejate, pronounced teh–ga–tay, is a drink made from toasted corn, fermented cacao beans, toasted mamey (a tropical fruit) pits, and flor de cacao. All the ingredients are mixed with water in a big clay pot. It is a pre-hispanic drink made by local vendors and sold on the streets or in or nearby the Mercado 20 de Noviembre.
The taste is quite subtle; it is like cold chocolate milk with a lot of water in it. It wasn´t quite what we hoped it would be. We would prefer a nice Oaxacan chocolate drink over tejate any day!
Tamales
Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish made with a corn-based dough mixture that is filled with pork or chicken marinated in mole or salsa or it is filled with beans and cheese. After preparing they are wrapped and steamed in corn husks, but they are removed before eating.
We think tamales is a very popular dish because all day and night long you hear the vendors on their bikes screaming `TAMALE TAMALE`. They had those big microphones on them, which made the call sound like PARTEY PARTEY to us. We always laughed when we heard this call to party 😉
Go for the best tamale to Casa Taviche, because they serve them with an own tasty twist. It´s very good, affordable, and the ambiance here is beautiful. Their menu is varying, so they don't always have them on it, but it was the best tamale we had! Otherwise, you can find them everywhere on the street. Listen closely for the partey partey-sound, ha!
Chapulines
Capulines are grasshoppers, and you will see them a lot in Oaxacan dishes and sold separately on the streets. It is a typical Oaxacan traditional snack,… and yes we ate them too!
The grasshoppers are roasted and seasoned with several spices. They are very crunchy and you can taste the spices. We liked trying chapulines, but we didn´t think much of the taste. Actually quite bland and boring. The crunchiness was the most memorable of the bite.
If you dare, you will find them on almost every corner outside the Mercado 20 de Noviembre or in the streets between the Zocalo and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre. You can even get them on a tlayuda!
Tuna nieves
Tuna icecream…? No, not that tuna! Tuna in Oaxaca means the fruit of a cactus plant. They mixed it with shaved ice and it is called tuna nieves. You will see nieves all over town in many flavors, but we think that tuna nieves are the most unique flavor you probably never had before. A must-try. We liked it and even ordered another one!
Located in the Benito Juárez Market is Nieves Chagüita: a nieves shop with a lot of flavors including tuna, which has existed for 200 years!
But wait, there´s more…
Crunchy tostadas with all kinds of toppings, freshly grilled tortas (sandwiches), spicy salsas in many flavors (salsa macha is by far our favorite!), street tacos, the Oaxacan quesillo (stringy Oaxacan cheese), the beautiful flower squash blossom, freshly made guacamole, and so much more!
Try it all. Some dishes might not always look that pretty, but the taste of it will be very memorable. Oaxaca truly has one of the very best kitchens in the world. We might even say that it can compete with beloved Italian cuisine!
We ate out twice a day when we were in Oaxaca City, and we thoroughly loved it. Yes, we gained a couple of pounds, but that's the price you sometimes have to pay for living the life. It´s just too yummy!
Did we inspire you with all this food (porn) from Oaxaca? Bueno! Let´s book a flight and hotel here, and turn those food dreams into delicious memories!
Let´s feast!
So, now you know all you need to know about the famous food and traditional dishes of Oaxaca, Mexico. The final thing you need to do is to book that ticket to Mexico and get yourself a nice hotel!
Be sure to check out our recommendations in accommodation: ► The 7 best accommodations in Oaxaca City
Disfrute de su comida!
More Oaxaca articles:
► Top 10 Things to do in Oaxaca City
► Mexican mole in Oaxaca: a love story (that will fill your hear… belly!)
► 3 things we didn´t like about Oaxaca City
► What to eat and drink, when in Oaxaca
► The best coffee shops and digital nomad work spots in Oaxaca
More Travel Inspiration: Top 10 Things to Do in Oaxaca City, Mexico
