Oaxaca, the colorful capital city of the southwestern Mexican state of the same name, has something for everyone, be it the foodie in search of nirvana over a plate of mole, the creative in awe of its array of artisanal villages lining the valley floors, or the fiesta-ready culturist with their calendar marked and schedule stacked for the next Guelaguetza or Dia de los Muertos celebration.
At the heart of a land etched and shaped by mountains, valleys, rivers, and ocean and the ethnic, linguistic, and culinary diversity a landscape like that naturally creates over the centuries, Oaxaca is where it all truly comes together. Its checkerboard of mountain-ringed and UNESCO-protected colonial streets serve as a stage for it all, from the tasty garnachas of the Isthmus region to the red clay ceramics of San Marcos Tlapazola and the smooth and smoky mezcals of Santa Catarina de Minas and Santiago Matatlán.
Simply said, there’s a reason Oaxaca is one of the hottest destinations in Mexico and it has everything to do with this unique confluence of culture and its special way of appealing to travelers of every taste, budget, and genre. In this expert city guide to Oaxaca, we meet you wherever you may fall in the mix, with recommendations for everything from boutiques that come with bakery perks to social enterprise excursions and the mezcaleria with a mezcal master hiding behind its bar.
Where to Stay in Oaxaca
The Love Letter to Oaxaca One: GRANA B&B
This 14-room boutique bed and breakfast occupies an updated 18th century property in the heart of Oaxaca’s historic center. Started by three Mexican friends with a mutual love for Oaxaca’s rich culture and heritage, Grana B&B exudes that passion in every detail, from its hand-painted sinks, Talavera-tiled floors, consciously curated library bookshelf, and use of locally sourced art, textiles, and pottery throughout. Guest amenities include a daily complimentary Mexican breakfast, rooftop terrace where yoga classes are held, and access to curated guides filled with trustworthy tips and local advice.
The Five-Star, Design-Forward One: Pug Seal Oaxaca
Another historic property in Oaxaca’s Centro turned boutique B&B, the 20-room Pug Seal Oaxaca is as much a hotel as the canvas for Rafael Uriegas’ Zapotec-inspired murals. With pops of color everywhere and tons of texture throughout, every inch of this converted 19th century property is a feast for the eyes, all of it paying homage to the richness of Mexican culture and indigenous tradition. Guests can enjoy a beautiful breakfast spread each morning, a round-the-clock coffee and tea-making station stocked with local snacks and drinks, and plenty of peace and privacy throughout the stay.
The Breakfast-in-Bed One: Boulenc Bed & Bread
The 7-room Boulenc Bed & Bread is a unique boutique hotel concept, where guests get special access to the baked goods and beloved bites of the extremely popular Boulenc bakery situated just next to it. Every morning, the shared kitchen is stocked with complimentary fresh bread, pastries, homemade jams, fruit, juice, and coffee from the bakery and each afternoon an assortment of tapas appear, all to be enjoyed on the gorgeous rooftop terrace. If and when you’re tempted to sample the rest of Boulenc’s menu, you can have your meal delivered to your room or the rooftop terrace and skip the line altogether.
The Social Enterprise One: Hotel con Corazón
Hotel con Corazón is a 17-room boutique hotel with a social impact mission, investing its profits in local education programs and operating as sustainably and responsibly as possible. Situated on a quiet backstreet in Centro, it’s a peaceful place to stay with sun-soaked terraces, shaded patios, and a gorgeous jacaranda tree anchoring its central courtyard. A complimentary, traditional Oaxacan breakfast is served daily, beer, mezcal, and wine is always available at the on-site honor bar, and each of its spacious rooms come with a garden view, complete with chairs and a table to enjoy it from.
Where to Eat in Oaxaca
For the Best Tortilla You’ve Ever Tasted: Itanoní
What started as not your average tortilleria has become a Michelin-mentioned culinary destination in Oaxaca. The reason being Itanoni’s special reverence for heirloom varietals of corn and a refusal to mix breeds in their nixtamalized and stone-ground fresh masa, something most other tortillerias do. When you go, be sure to try the triangle-shaped tetela and a glass of corn and chocolate-infused tascalate, two Oaxacan specialties that are fading from menus all over town.
For a Woman-Powered, Michelin-Starred Meal: Levadura de Olla
For another bite out of Oaxacan ancestral tradition, this time with an actual Michelin Star slapped on its cuisine, head to Levadura de Olla. The young and talented Chef Thalía Barrios Garcia behind it all borrows mostly meat-free recipes and inspiration from her hometown of San Mateo Yucutindoo in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca, most of which she learned in the kitchen of her grandmother. Some of the must-try menu items include her machucados, salad of local tomatoes, and meatless tamales.
For Street Food Worth Standing in Line For: Tacos del Carmen
For a street food snack morning or afternoon, find Tacos del Carmen just one block west of the Santo Domingo Church. This beloved taco stand has been slinging all of the Oaxacan tortilla-based classics since 1977. Order a taco de quesillo (a mozarella-like Oaxacan cheese) with chorizo, tinga de pollo, or chile relleno inside, an open-faced memela topped with lard and cheese or quesillo, or, for the vegetarians, a squash blossom or mushroom quesadilla.
For a Veg-Friendly, Meal-in-a-Market Experience: La Cosecha Organic Market
Just beyond the pedestrian thoroughfare of Macedonia Alcala, La Cosecha Organic Market is a refreshing open-air food hall and market where you can find all of the typical local dishes and drinks, from mole and pozole to tlayudas, tamales, tejate, and omelets cooked on the comal. It’s a much calmer atmosphere than other market dining options like Mercado 20 de Noviembre and Central de Abastos, but guarantees fresh, organic, and high-quality meals that you can patch together from the various stalls.
Where to Drink in Oaxaca
For Specialty Coffee in a Cozy Setting: Cafeto & Baristas
For locally-sourced Oaxacan coffee brewed to perfection, Cafeto & Baristas, near the leafy Parque Llano, is the place. It’s cozy, three- or four-tabled interiors are alive with the scent of freshly ground coffee sourced from the Sierra Norte and Mixteca regions. Usually, there are a few fresh-out-of-the-oven baked goods to pair with your cup of coffee, too, as well as a small menu of sandwiches and salads.
For Mezcal Alongside a Master: Mezcaleria In Situ
A visual library of mezcal as soon as you walk through its doors and with staff well-versed in what’s inside each and every bottle, Mezcaleria In Situ is one of the best spots in town to taste your way through a flight of Oaxaca’s world-famous, agave-distilled spirit. Ulises Torrentera, the author of several mezcal books, is often behind the bar ready to pour you a few glasses alongside some commentary on the distillation process and taste profile of each.
For Something Divey, but Lively: La Cueva
Nestled on a quiet corner on the edge of Centro, La Cueva has the atmosphere of an elevated dive bar, compact, dim-lit, and often with a live band playing in the corner most evenings. All of its beverages, from its selection of craft beer, mezcal, and house cocktails, are thoughtfully curated by its founder French transplant and beverage afficionado Lucas Corse. Their Instagram page is a great place to keep up with their live musical acts and to see what’s on each evening, both musically and on the ever-evolving menu.
For Cocktails with Spunk & A Story: Selva
On the 50 Best Bars list for North America, Selva’s signature move is finding creative ways to capture the essence of Oaxaca, its culture and its flora and fauna, in each of its thoughtfully crafted cocktails. From Pasillo del Humo, a smoky, spicy number with mezcal, smoked campari, lillet, dry vermouth, and hints of chorizo and corn miso, to its namesake Selva, a jungle-inspired mix of mezcal, hoja santa, lemon, agave honey, chilli liquor, quesillo, basil, and juniper bitters, you’re in for a wild experience in a trendy setting with balcony seating.
Where to Shop in Oaxaca
For a Suitcase-Friendly Memento: Once in Oaxaca
Once in Oaxaca is the workshop, gallery, and coffee shop of Australian expat and artist Jaime Levin. Before he opened his cafe and gallery in the colorful Jalatlaco neighborhood of Oaxaca, he made a name for himself by literally drawing the city, its streets, buildings, people, everything. Today, those drawings capturing the finer details of Oaxacan life and culture are available for sale as postcards, prints, pins, stickers, and more at his gallery, the perfect souvenir with a story attached and a side of espresso if you’d like, too.
For Oaxacan Ceramics: Cooperativa 1050º
Oaxaca is known for its clay pottery, but Cooperativa 1050º adds another layer of reverence to the ancestral craft. At their shop and studio in Centro, you can purchase earthenware from artisans hailing from more than seven pottery-producing communities in the Oaxaca, Puebla, and Chiapas states. Everything for sale, from their mugs, pots, vases, bowls, decorative dishes, and more, are fair trade and support the cultural development and commercial transformation of the communities and the artisans who made them.
For One-of-a-Kind Art: Voces de Copal
Visually a work of art in and of itself, Voces de Copal is the shop and gallery of Jacobo and María Ángeles. Famous for their handcarved and painted fantastical creatures called alebrijes, the shop features their work as well as those of other artisans specializing in the same craft. Even if you merely browse and don’t buy, a visit to Voces de Copal is an excellent substitute for visiting the workshops and artisan villages, like San Martin Tilcajete and San Antonio Arrazola, that specialize in this ancestral craft.
For a Price Negotiable Souvenir: Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Just off the Zocalo, you’ll find the bustling Mercado 20 de Noviembre. While it’s as much a place to dine as it is a place to shop, it’s worth a wander for all of the above. Stock up on Oaxacan cheese, chocolate, coffee, mezcal, and maybe even some chapulines, too, or go for the aisles of price negotiable goods like leather handbags, hand-stitched linen shirts, green-glazed pottery, and other Oaxaca-made souvenirs.
Things to Do in Oaxaca
Get Under the Skin of Oaxaca’s Ancestral Culinary Traditions
Oaxaca’s culinary prowess, even when compared to other regions of Mexico, is due in large part to its unique complexity of cultures, climates, and economy. Many of its now world-famous dishes, drinks, and garnishes, like memelas, tlayudas, chapulines, tejate, and mezcal, are the fruition of frugality, a mountain-and-ocean-defined landscape, and a deep-rooted tradition of connection to the land and its bounty. Some of the best ways to experience Oaxacan cuisine are through its restaurants, markets, and kitchens, so why not sign up for a local-led tour of its best restaurants, like Oaxaca Eats Downtown Food Tour, or a hands-on traditional cooking class with a seasoned chef, like Susana Trilling’s Market Tour & Cooking Class at the gorgeous Rancho Aurora.
Make Your Mezcal Experience Multi-Dimensional
90% of Mexico’s mezcal comes from Oaxaca, so you’d be making a mistake not to try a sip while being so close to the source. Readily available on menus and at mezcalerias all over town, one of the best ways to experience this smoky spirit is always going to be by visiting a mezcal distillery, or palenque as they’re locally called. These oftentimes family-run, multi-generational operations take you inside the entire process, from the field to the bottle. Look for tours that take you to palenques still producing by ancestral methods, like WSE Travel’s Ancestral Mezcal Experience, for a glimpse into the centuries-old techniques and tools slowly but surely being replaced by modern technology.
Hike with Rescued Street Dogs in an Enchanted Forest
Get some fresh air on the shaded trails of Ixtepeji Forest in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca, just an hour from the city. Local adventure tour operator Coyote Aventuras partners with the non-profit dog rescue organization Caravina Canina to take travelers on a day hike with a few of Caravina Canina’s latest rescues. Every hike supports the socialization and training process for each pup pre-adoption and is a truly beautiful way for travelers to explore, get outside, and give back to a worthy cause while visiting Oaxaca.
Sweat It Out with a Traditional Temazcal Ceremony
Temazcal is a Mesoamerican indigenous tradition that dates back to pre-Columbian times and is perhaps one of the best ways to sample the more spiritual side of Oaxacan indigenous tradition. Similar to a sweat lodge or sauna, the basic concept is to use heat, herbs, and steam to purify and cleanse the body, mind, and spirit. During a traditional Oaxacan temazcal, there will also typically be a ritual of thanksgiving to the four directions, the earth, and the ancestors through songs, chanting, and musical instruments. While there are plenty of places to practice this ancient purification ritual, Nabani SPAcio Holistica and Ceviarem Temazcal, are two of the best in the city.
