If you like chocolate, Oaxaca is going to spoil you. Chocolate here isn’t a once-in-a-while treat. It’s woven into everyday life — you’ll drink it, eat it, and find it hiding in one of the state’s most famous dishes, sometimes all in the same day. So let’s go through all of it: how to drink…
If you come to Oaxaca and don’t eat a tlayuda, you haven’t really done Oaxaca properly. A tlayuda is basically a huge, thin corn tortilla, usually around 30 cm across, that gets toasted over a comal or charcoal until it’s crisp around the edges but still flexible enough to fold. It’s one of the most famous…
When you come to Oaxaca, there’s one drink I think you absolutely have to try: tejate. I’ll be honest — it’s probably my favourite drink in Oaxaca. And considering how much good food and drink there is here, that’s saying something. The funny thing is that tejate doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves. You’ll…
Oaxaca has a reputation as the food capital of Mexico, and it’s not hard to see why. The ingredients are local and deeply rooted, the techniques go back centuries, and the variety is genuinely unlike anywhere else in the country. Whether you’re eating at a market stall, a family restaurant, or off a street corner…
If you want to understand Oaxaca, spend a morning in its markets. Not a quick walk-through — actually stop, eat something, watch how people move through the stalls, listen to the noise. Markets here aren’t tourist attractions with a side of local color. They’re where the city does its daily business: buying breakfast, picking up…
In Oaxaca, it’s called quesillo. Outside Oaxaca, it’s called Oaxaca cheese. Say the wrong one in the wrong place and you’ll get a very specific look from the person behind the market stall. That small naming dispute is the first thing worth knowing about this cheese — because it tells you something important. Quesillo isn’t just…
Oaxaca is considered Mexico’s culinary capital — and a cooking class here is one of the best ways to actually understand why. It’s not about following a recipe. It’s about standing in a market with a local cook who knows every vendor by name, learning why this chili and not that one, understanding what makes…
Oaxaca has a serious claim to being Mexico’s best food city. That’s not a bold statement — it’s something food writers, chefs, and the Netflix Street Food: Latin America series have all arrived at independently. And the reason isn’t the fine dining. It’s what’s cooking on the street corners. Street food in Oaxaca isn’t a budget option…
Mole is everywhere in Oaxaca. You’ll spot it on restaurant menus, piled high in market stalls, and cooking in enormous clay pots at celebrations across the state. But here’s the thing — mole isn’t just a sauce. In Oaxaca, it carries real weight. It takes hours, sometimes days, to make properly. It shows up at…
Discover the treasures of Oaxaca that are nominated for the best of Mexico in 2025 and could take the crown. 2025 brought many surprises to Oaxaca, and its gastronomy and beautiful landscapes were clearly the stars once again, positioning the state to win prestigious awards. Specific destinations like Puerto Escondido and several restaurants received nominations…