If you are a Foodie, You NEED to Add This Mexican City to Your Bucket List

IF YOU LOVE FOOD THEN YOU NEED TO VISIT OAXACA 🤤

And if you want to know more about Oaxaca, you’re in the right place because this article will shine a light on why you should come to Oaxaca if you are a foodie.

If you want to know What is Oaxaca Known for? — food! But that’s not all.

In this list, I’ll talk about 3 things that make Oaxaca special, including the types of food you should try as well as the markets you need to visit to try some iconic Mexican dishes.

Ready to discover all things Oaxaca food-related? Let’s dive in!

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links, meaning when you make a purchase, I earn a small commission. Affiliate links cost you nothing to use, and help keep my content free. It’s a win-win for us both. For more info, see the Disclosure Policy.

1. Traditional Oaxacan Food

different types of moles at Mo-Kalli Oaxaca — A rich sauce made since pre-hispanic times, mole is one of the best **traditional foods from Mexico**.

Traditional Oaxaca foods are unique and incredibly regional, and Oaxaca City is often called the Foodie Capital of Mexico.

In fact, UNESCO declared all traditional Mexican food an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind in 2010.

Some of the best chefs in Mexico, like Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo of Casa Oaxaca, Enrique Olvera of Criollo Oaxaca, and Cecila Flórian from Las Quince Letras, have Oaxacan restaurants.

Oaxaca also has an exciting street food culture, as seen on Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America (Season 1, Episode 3, “Oaxaca, Mexico”).

In it, you’ll see the Oaxacan tlayuda, and more.

Here are five of the must-try Oaxaca foods and drinks, starting with the best-known Oaxaca foods, the seven moles:

🥣 Oaxaca Mole

mole on a plate at Alfonsina Oaxaca Restaurant — The mole paste is added to a liquid, usually water or meat stock, then slow-simmered for hours, sometimes even days, until thick.

What is mole from Oaxaca?

Oaxaca mole is unique because it’s a thick marinade paste, and also a sauce, a sauce and a full meal.

Mole is commonly served with rice and chicken or turkey, or used as a sauce, as with enmoladas.

This is a Oaxacan take on enchiladas, which are usually topped with salsa, though mole is used in Oaxaca.

Mole recipes vary, but in general, they consist of these flavors and ingredients: 🌶️spicy chiles, acidic red or green tomatoes, sweet fruits and chocolate, local spices, and thickeners like nuts, seeds and even tortillas.

The ingredients are crushed and worked into a paste, then mixed with water or stock, and slow-simmered for hours, or even days, until thick.

It is often served on a plate with rice and a protein like pork, turkey or chicken.

There are seven types of mole from Oaxaca, including mole negro (black mole), mole colorado (red mole), mole verde (green mole), and mole amarillo (yellow mole).

You’ll find mole in restaurants all over Oaxaca City and Oaxaca state.

In fact, you’ll find it all over Mexico, as mole is the National Dish of Mexico, so be on the lookout in these best Mexico City restaurants, and beyond.

🍽️ Oaxaca tlayudas

oaxaca tlayuda on a plate — Tlayuda are cooked over an open flame on charcoal grills, which give them a nice crispy exterior.

When it comes to the question — What is Oaxaca famous for? It’s the food, but there’s more to Oaxaca food than just mole.

Tlayudas (pronounced tuh-lie-you-das) are the most beloved of all Oaxaca street food.

What is a tlayuda?

They’re often referred to as a Mexican pizza, because they do look like a pizza — though there’s no similarities in flavor to Italian pizza.

To make a tlayuda, you start out with a gigantic tortilla; larger than what you’d use for a burrito.

The tortilla is smeared with asiento (unrefined pork lard), and placed to toast over charcoal or a traditional cooking comal.

This large, flat cooking surface is used for many Oaxaca street food dishes.

After toasting the tortilla on the comal for a few minutes, refried beans, tomatoes, onions, shredded lettuce or green cabbage and avocado are placed on top, along with quesillo.

This is the famous Oaxacan string cheese, beloved throughout Mexico and beyond. It is a fresh cheese made by hand and then rolled into a ball.

After cooking for another few minutes, the tlayuda is folded into fourths, and the Oaxaca cheese continues to melt.

(Note: To really get the technique down, consider one of these best Oaxaca cooking classes.)

For those who want to add meat, it is usually just placed on top of the folded tlayuda. Most tlayuda shops offer tasajo, a dried jerky-style steak, and chorizo (sausage).

For the best tlayudas in Oaxaca, head to the local markets.

🫔 Tamales Oaxaqueños (Oaxacan Tamales)

tamales at Restaurante Alfonsina Oaxaca Mexico — Wrapping up a tamales hojas (leaf tamales) in a **banana leaf**.

🫔 Tamales are eaten almost everywhere in Mexico, though tamales oaxaqueños (Oaxacan tamales) are made a bit different.

In Mexico, a tamal consists of a masa (corn) mixture, which is often covered in a salsa or sauce, and steamed to cook. This part is the same in Oaxaca.

After preparing the masa, Oaxacan chefs place the mixture in a plantain (banana) leaf, unlike the more commonly-used corn husk.

Throughout Oaxaca, you’ll often see tamales called tamales hojas (leaf tamales), as “hoja” is the Spanish word for leaf.

🍽️ Memelas (Memelitas)

memelas oaxaca foods — Wondering, *What is Oaxaca famous for?* Food is a big part of the equation.

Memelas (pronounced mem-ell-uhs) are the most beloved Oaxaca antojitos. The word antojitos means “little snacks,” or appetizers.

You might also see or hear them called memelitas (little memelas).

Commonly eaten earlier in the day for breakfast and lunch, memelas are basically open face tacos, though they use a thicker tortilla, similar to that of a sope.

They are made on a cooking comal, and topped with all ingredients including Oaxaca cheese, refried beans, your choice of meat and salsa.

Memelas are the perfect grab and go snack, but locals also head to the Oaxaca mercados (markets) to eat them.

🤤 Memelas Doña Vale

woman cooking on a comal in oaxaca mexico — **Memelas Doña Vale** has some of the best memelas in Oaxaca City.

You can try memelas in markets all over the city, but there’s one place more popular than the rest — Memelas Doña Vale.

In fact, some say it’s among the best places for memelas in Oaxaca, if not the best.

Memelas Doña Vale in Mercado Central de Abastos is a must-try on any Oaxaca City foodie tour. It was even featured on Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America show.

The chef and owner, Doña Vale (Ms. Vale), is known for her memelas and also her unique salsa morita.

This delicious, hand-made salsa uses chile morita, a smoked jalapeño pepper that’s similar in taste to a smoky chipotle.

🧉 Oaxacan Tejate

tejate mexican drink in oaxaca — Tejate is an ancient chocolate and corn drink, lovingly called “the drink of the gods.”

Tejate (pronounced tay-ha-tay) is a centuries-old chocolate and corn drink.

While that flavor combo may not sound appetizing, this ancient drink has stood the taste test of time.

In fact, Oaxacans love tejate so much, they often call it the bebida de los dioses (drink of the gods).

Tejate is made by hand in large clay bowls, by liquifying a mixture of fermented cacao (chocolate) beans, toasted maize (corn), toasted pits of mamey (tropical fruit), and flor de cacao (cacao flower).

It is served cold, and very refreshing on a hot Oaxaca day.

Since it has been around since prehispanic times, each region, city and family will have their own unique tejate recipe.

However, even with variations, tejate generally tastes like a more complex chocolate almond milk.

2. Oaxacan Mezcal

bottle of mezcal in Mezcaleria In Situ mezcal bar, one of the best Oaxaca mezcalerias — In Situ is one of the **best mezcalerias in Oaxaca City**, as it has one of the largest selections.

Oaxacan mezcal is a distilled spirit that can be made from more than 30 varieties of the maguey (agave) plant. If mezcal sounds like tequila to you — it kind of is.

Much like how champagne is essentially a sparkling wine from the city of Champagne, France, tequila is a kind of mezcal from the city of Tequila, Mexico.

If Tequila, Mexico, is the home of tequila, Oaxaca is the home of mezcal.

To show how much Oaxacans love their mezcal, there’s this common saying:

Para todo mal, mezcal. Para todo bien, también. (This means, “For everything good, mezcal. For everything bad, mezcal as well.”)

In Oaxaca, mezcal comes served in a copita (mezcal cup), often with a plate of orange slices and sal de maguey (maguey worm salt).

This is the same worm that’s in a tequila bottle; though never a mezcal bottle.

Note: This beloved drink is meant to be sipped not taken as a shot. When you visit all the best Oaxaca mezcal bars, remember to sip!

In terms of flavor, mezcal tends to be a bit smokier than tequila, as it’s smoked underground in the fermentation process. However, not all mezcal has a smoky flavor.

The best mezcals come from Oaxaca, Mexico — like Ilegal Mezcal, Montelobos and 400 Conejos, Mexico’s best selling mezcal.

🥃 Best Oaxaca Mezcal Tours

One of the best things to do in Oaxaca Mexico is take a Oaxaca mezcal tour at a distillery to see the entire mezcal process.

It starts with harvesting the agave, then smoking it underground, then distilling it, and finally, tasting the final product.

After you taste some, you’ll be able to buy your favorite one(s).

3. Colorful Oaxaca Markets

Tianguis outdoor market in mexico — A *tianguis*, or temporary open-air market that is usually only there one or two days per week.

Oaxaca is known for many things.

It’s one of the most ethnically-diverse states in Mexico, home to some of the best food and mezcal in the country, with stunning natural landscapes and beaches — and the colorful Oaxaca markets.

The mercados in Oaxaca City are ideal for souvenir shopping, but also a place to get an affordable meal and hang out where the locals go.

In short, exploring the local markets is a must on your Oaxaca itinerary.

Here are three of the best Oaxaca markets that you won’t want to miss when traveling to Oaxaca Mexico:

🛍️ Mercado Benito Juarez Market

fruit and veggies at a market in oaxaca mexico — You’ll find everything from clothing and textiles, to **mezcal** and fresh produce, at Benito Juarez Market in Oaxaca City, one of the best markets in Oaxaca.

One of the best things to do in Oaxaca City is stroll the city’s mercados.

Of the most-visited, there’s Benito Juarez Market Oaxaca, perfect for shopping and sampling traditional Oaxacan foods and drinks, like aguas casilda.

If you’re looking for a place to buy inexpensive Oaxaca souvenirs, this is it.

Here, you’ll find traditional Oaxacan garments, huarache shoes, floral headbands, artesanias (artisan handicrafts), colorful embroidered purses, leather goods, and much more.

🛍️ Mercado 20 de Noviembre Market

pasillo de humo AKA smoke alley in oaxaca city november 20 market — Visit all the best Oaxaca markets, including Mercado 20 Noviembre Oaxaca, on the **Eating with a Local at the Markets** tour where you’ll sample from the best food stalls.

🔥 Oaxaca Pasillo de Humo in 20 de Noviembre Market

Located inside the Mercado 20 de Noviembre Market, you’ll find Pasillo de Humo AKA Oaxaca Meat Hall.

In English, pasillo de humo actually means smoke hall or smoke alley — and yes, this is a smokey part of the market.

Here, there are rows of vendors selling meats and veggies a la carte that you can buy and have cooked al carbon (over charcoal).

The smoke imparts a delicious flavor, and the aroma in the air is intoxicating.

🛍️ Tlacolula Sunday Market in Oaxaca

Here’s one of the more fun facts about Oaxaca Mexico: Tlacolula Market is the oldest continuously-run local market in Oaxaca — and it has been around for several centuries.

Nowadays, you can buy everything from fresh produce and prepared foods, to locally-made mezcal and handicrafts at the Tlacolula de Matamoros Market.

Every Sunday, thousands of vendors, tourists and locals head to the Tianguis de Domingo Tlacolula, AKA the famous Sunday Tlacolula Market.

It can be chaotic, but in the best way, as you’re enveloped in the colors and sounds of local Oaxaca life.

If this seems intimidating, book this Tlacolula Market Tour with Adal, and let a local show you around.

Looking to Discover More Unique Places in Mexico?

woman standing in the circlular pad in cenote suytun — **Cenote Suytun**, located in the Yucatan Peninsula, is a visitor favorite.

Mexico is a large country — the 14th largest country on Earth by size — and it’s also the 6th most biodiverse diverse country in the world.

Though it’s mostly known for beaches, there’s a lot more to Mexico than that. Check out these Mexico articles to discover parts of the country you never knew existed.

⚠️ Before You Go — Get Your FREE Guide!

Head here and enter your email address to download your FREE Mexico guide (5 Things You Don’t Want to Forget to Pack for Mexico) and get Mexico travel tips, tricks and more sent straight to your inbox.