A game plan for eating tacos in Oaxaca: where to eat, what to order, and what to skip.
Oaxaca is many things: a UNESCO World Heritage city and the heart of Mexico’s mezcal country. But let’s be real — you’re going for the tacos, tlayudas, and street-side quesadillas, and you’re going to need a game plan.
The Tlayuda to Start With
Let’s start with the non-negotiable: the tlayuda, a large, thin, crunchy, partly fried or toasted tortilla spread with toppings. Mercado 20 de Noviembre, a block-sized market just south of Mercado Benito Juárez in the centro, has tlayuda and tostada stalls outside, plus breakfast and lunch stalls and a smoky meat hall.
Typical toppings include asiento (unrefined pork lard), refried beans, Oaxaca cheese, and a meat such as cecina enchilada (chile-rubbed pork) or tasajo (beef). It’s massive and crispy.
The Sunday Barbacoa
The Sunday market in Tlacolula, about 30 km from Oaxaca city, is the largest and busiest market in the Central Valley, and it’s known for barbacoa. The local version is made with goat in a dark red broth and served with fresh corn tortillas, cabbage, radishes, cilantro, and lime.
Get there early, because the main street is closed to traffic on Sunday mornings and the market is huge. This is peak Oaxaca: no Instagram aesthetic, just serious food and Sunday morning chaos.
The Mole You Have to Try
Oaxaca is famous for its seven moles, and if you only try one, make it a mole negro. La Olla (Reforma 402, in the Centro Histórico) is a sit-down restaurant that serves mole negro as a smoky, complex sauce with chicken breast, a plantain and sweet-potato purée, and rice. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed Mondays, according to its own site, and the menu changes with the seasons.
Pro tip: sit down, eat slowly, and let the flavors actually register. Mole isn’t fast food; it’s a complex sauce with a long ingredient list. Respect the process.
The Taco Stand
For tacos, look for tasajo (thinly sliced, grilled beef) and cecina (thinly sliced, chile-rubbed pork) at market stands and comedores. Get the salsa on the side.
What to Skip
Don’t waste time on any place that claims to have “authentic Oaxacan street food” but has tablecloths, a menu translated into half a dozen languages, and nobody local eating there. The busiest stalls with local customers are usually the best bet.
Also, don’t skip breakfast. The markets, including Mercado 20 de Noviembre, have breakfast stalls. Breakfast is sacred in Oaxaca.
The Mezcal Pairing You Didn’t Know You Needed
After dinner, head to a mezcal bar. In Situ (Vicente Guerrero 413) is a mezcal bar with well over a hundred bottles, and the staff can explain how they differ, so ask for help choosing. Listed hours are afternoons to late evening and it is closed on Sundays, so check before going. Mezcal isn’t tequila. It’s smoky, complex, and pairs well with the residual spice from all those tacos.
Drink slowly. Savor it. Then order another round.
Final Thoughts
Oaxaca isn’t a place you “do” in a weekend. It’s a place you sink into. The food is the entire point. Don’t rush. Don’t plan every meal. Just wander, follow the smell of wood smoke and grilled meat, and eat whatever looks good.