Had an excellent dinner at ancestral. I was craving some mole and this place came recommend. There's several to choose from such a mole negro, yellow, and red. I asked my waiter which he recommend and ultimately went with the short rib with red mole. The red mole was delicious, I'm glad I got a side of tortillas to soak up the last of the mole. The short rib was cooked very well too. The roasted vegetables that came with the meat were delicious as well. It included carrots, corn, zucchini and cauliflower. The cauliflower was pretty bland but the rest of the vegetables were tasty. You must get the mole ice cream. Super unique and delicious. The dessert is served with a plantain and mole sauce as well as the ice cream. They serve complimentary tostadas, salsa and feta cheese. This was nothing special. The salsa was not very good and the feta cheese was an odd touch in my opinion. You can skip this is and save room for your entree and dessert. The inside of the restaurant is very elegant and nice. Mostly open air which I like. read more

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Easily one of the best meals of my life. Absolutely the best Mole that I've ever tried. Actually, a couple of them. We accidentally stopped in here a few days prior to grab a quick cocktail and lunch and based off of that knew we had to come back for dinner before leaving. The atmosphere like a lot of places in Oaxaca is just stunning covered by plants and beautiful architecture. This place has a really nice variety of Mezcal and traditional yet, creative dishes of Oaxaca. Each of the dishes felt very well crafted and thoughtful. The depth of flavor and everything really was remarkable. We tried some chorizo and queso croquettes a ceviche and a pork shank that you could've used a soft spoon to cut. The service was also very hospitable. One of those type of places you need to stop in. One last thing. Both Yelp and Google have the location wrong but just slightly. As you are walking on the unassuming street/alley you'll see it dip in a little side street with a lil coffee shop and what looks like maybe a dead end. It's actually tucked back there haha! read more

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Tucked away in a quiet part of town, Ancestral is unassuming and charming. It feels like a bit of a secret. The natural decor invites you in. The guacamole with cheese samples is a perfect starter. And my mole negro con pollo is one of the dishes I came for. It did not disappoint! There's a cocktail of the day here featuring mezcal. This day it was bright and refreshing. Service is impeccable which is another reason this restaurant is recognized by Michelin. All around amazing. read more

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Came back a couple of days later and absolutely loved this place. We were not able to do the testing menu, next tie. read more

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The food was good, but not great. There were moments when I thoroughly enjoyed the flavors and textures of the dish, while at other times, it felt like something was missing. Luckily, their delicious salsa helped elevate the flavors. The food was well-prepared, beautifully plated, and made with fresh, well-balanced ingredients. The setting was open and inviting, with plenty of trees thoughtfully spread throughout, creating a classy, outdoorsy ambiance. An overhang provided additional seating options and some relief from the sun. The atmosphere felt airy yet snug and comforting, with a well-curated selection of background music enhancing the experience. Service was decent but had its drawbacks. At times, the staff hovered a bit too much, which made it difficult to have uninterrupted conversations. However, they did provide excellent recommendations for both food and drinks, which was a plus. Expect to pay between 180 and 380 pesos per person, which is reasonable considering the restaurant's Michelin status. Overall, this is a solid spot for a well-presented meal in a beautiful setting. While some dishes needed an extra boost of flavor, the fresh ingredients and ambiance made for an enjoyable experience. --- La comida era buena, pero no excelente. Hubo momentos en los que disfruté muchísimo los sabores y texturas del plato, mientras que en otros momentos, sentí que le faltaba algo. Afortunadamente, su deliciosa salsa ayudó a realzar los sabores. La comida estaba bien preparada, bellamente presentada y hecha con ingredientes frescos y bien equilibrados. El entorno era abierto y acogedor, con muchos árboles distribuidos cuidadosamente por todo el lugar, creando un ambiente elegante y campestre. Un alero proporcionaba opciones de asientos adicionales y algo de alivio del sol. El ambiente se sentía aireado pero a la vez acogedor y reconfortante, con una selección bien cuidada de música de fondo que realzaba la experiencia. El servicio era decente, pero tenía sus inconvenientes. A veces, el personal rondaba demasiado, lo que dificultaba tener conversaciones ininterrumpidas. Sin embargo, sí proporcionaron excelentes recomendaciones tanto de comida como de bebidas, lo cual fue un punto a favor. Espera pagar entre 180 y 380 pesos por persona, lo cual es razonable considerando la categoría Michelin del restaurante. En general, este es un lugar sólido para una comida bien presentada en un entorno hermoso. Si bien algunos platos necesitaban un impulso adicional de sabor, los ingredientes frescos y el ambiente hicieron que la experiencia fuera agradable. read more

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I'm going 5 stars, though Jim G. and I enjoyed other restaurants more in Oaxaca.The ambience, the service, and the live music definitely take it up to 5. Be forewarned, most of the online-based map services will take you in the wrong direction! Luckily, we started going to the restaurant early (as we had a late reservation). After walking about 20+minutes in the wrong direction (taking us to a dead end street ABOVE the restaurant, where we'd need to scale down some embankment to actually reach the place), and having some lovely locals attempt to tell us how to get there, we arrived on time for our reservation. Quite large and beautiful restaurant. Everything is mostly outside, though you're protected from the elements by some of the walls. It was nice to see the sky and feel the breeze while listening to great music and enjoying some drinks. Of course we had some mezcal and I had to try the Coctel Del Dia, which in this case was mezcal, jamaica, and limon. It was tart and refreshing. For dinner we shared the Molotes de Platano, Aguachile de Tasajo, Pork Belly, and the Mole Negro Pollo. All the dishes had unique spins and were tasty, with the Aguachile and the Mole being our favorites. Rene was a great server and we enjoyed our meal, after we finally chilled out from our adventures walking through the farther reaches of Xochimilco, that is! read more

I can't believe this amazing restaurant was only a few minutes walk from out AirBnB in Xochimilco. We were lucky to squeeze in without a reservation thanks to the wonderful hostess who took pity on us. We started off with amazing Mezcal Margaritas (no more tequila for me) accompanied by crispy, thin breads, spicy salsa, marinated vegetables (kinda like giardiniera) and some marinated fresh local cheese. My wife had the dorado with shrimp mole verde which was amazing! I was bold and went with the tasting menu with bar pairing. The pairing consisted of two house mezcal, pours of local beer, and 2 wines and they brought us both a chilled drink made from coffee liquor and mezcal for dessert. Service was very attentive and the music was excellent. Course 1 - A bean empanada with mole verde chicharrones and octopus 10/10 Course 2 - Steak chilaquiles in a lime driven broth and a crispy tortilla on top 10/10 Course 3 - Tableside seafood soup boiled with hot stones. A first for me, super cool and delicious, just a tad salty for my taste. 8/10 Course 4 - Dorado with bone marrow and Mole verde. Never would have put these things together but it was amazing! 10/10 Course 5 - Pork belly with fruit mole, so crispy and not fatty beautifully complemented by the fruity/complex mole 10/10 Course 6 - dessert. It was a chocolate/mole football that was not a touchdown. No fans of this 2/10 This is definitely a spot not to miss in Oaxaca. I recommend reservations during high season. read more

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We tried a few higher end restaurants here and Ancestral was the best all around experience . Really unique traditional food in a lovely interior setting, with live music and relaxed but attentive service and very reasonable prices. The table side prepared fish soup was a fantastic show and tasty too. Be sure to try the moles! Many to choose from and great desserts too. I'd go back if I had more time . read more

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Maybe they were having an off day - but everything was lacking from the food to the service during dinner. The waiter kept tapping the menu on the back of our chair to rush us and was impatient in explaining the menu. The flavors for the dishes were also off and some lacked flavor. The drinks were also meh. Wouldn't be back. read more

Great upscale restaurant in Oaxaca. Inviting ambient outdoor space, friendly wait staff, great drinks! Balanced flavors and good sized portions. Could've eaten a whole bowl of just the risotto read more

This charming restaurant in the Barrio Xochimilco (Oaxaca's oldest neighborhood, which is just north of the centro historico - a 10/15 minute walk from Santo Domingo) ended up being one of my favorite meals from our vacation in Oaxaca. The restaurant is stunning. It's all outdoors, but there is a shaded/covered section, where we sat. The garden is lush and green, with tons of trees and plants. They have two menus; they serve their breakfast menu from 8:30am to 12:30pm and their lunch/dinner menu from 2 until they close. We were there around 11:30, so we enjoyed food from their breakfast menu. We shared a tetela with chorizo, which was fantastic. My husband enjoyed his enfrijoladas with eggs, while I thoroughly enjoyed my quesadilla with huitlacoche. The quality of the food was great; I would order anything on their menu, and I'm sure it would be great. They offer great beverages also (I wish it had been the weekend so I could have tried one of their atoles, but I enjoyed a fresh agua fresca. The service was also wonderful - everyone was friendly. Overall, just a lovely restaurant for lunch. Definitely make a point to visit Xochimilco and check out this delicious restaurant serving traditional Oaxacan cuisine! read more

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What a gem, after an early tour of Monte Albán we wanted a late lunch. This was with in walking distance of our VBRO. They worked us in if we could be finished in an hour and a half. The restaurant has Wi-Fi accessed from the QR code on the bottom of a plate then the menu is on top. Once you open it you have a choice of English or Spanish. We began with Mezcal Margaritas and beer. For starters we shared the grapefruit salad and fish ceviche. The salad had beets, pea shoots, lettuce and grapefruit with a mild citrus dressing. The ceviche was beautifully prepared with finely minced vegetables and a fermented pineapple dressing added at the table. The main dishes were grilled octopus with a mild mole, a turkey croquette with mole over rice with a surprise turkey liver pate that was amazing. Additionally we had grilled shrimp over quinoa and beef barbacoa with mole. The restaurant is open air with roof and plantings. There are two bars and the cooking is done in an open kitchen to one side. Very upscale and reservations recommended. read more

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I was really disappointed by the tasting menu. It was both very bad value and overall not a satisfying meal. My biggest complaint is that two side-by-side courses were comprised of the same fish. A soup course that consisted mostly of large chunks of a the meaty white fish (I think Dorade), was followed by a large filet of the same fish. This was followed by a dry, simply dressed center cut pork chop. Half the meal, in a large block, was comprised bland, super simple preparations of a timid white protein, and became a slog to get through. If you look at the menu, you find a large variety of meat, offal and seafood dishes, and the plates delivered to tables near us looked much more interesting and appetizing. Most of the items in the tasting are offered on the main menu, with prices in the 200-350 mxn range for a large portion. We were getting tasting size portions for a set price of $1500 each . I suspect we could have split six items off the menu for not much more than 1500mxn total and had a much more diverse selection, that would have been a little less artfully presented but a much more interesting meal. On the positive side, the staff was very professional, the beverage pairing was a generous and fun selection of wines, beers and mezcals, and the first and last courses were pretty good. But considering how great the food is in Oaxaca, this overall seemed like a big expensive fail. read more

Delicioso y me llevé un mezcal orgánico. Lo recomiendo muchísimo a cualquier turista . read more

Professional service, great ambiance and location. We had drinks and dinner day one. Went back for breakfast day two. We agreed breakfast was delicious - chilaquiles read more

My wife and I found our way here after a quick Google search. Way worth it. We both got the tasting menu which was incredibly generous. I'm not sure if and when they change their menu so I won't go into details about dishes. But this was not what I expected but was completely wonderful. The first was a wonderful ceviche, a rock soup with fish and prawns and my favorite dessert I think I have ever had with amaranth a bit of ice cream and an ice cream cone filled with nut paste, and apples. This was not what I thought so my expectations were completely subverted. read more

Everything about this restaurant is perfect. The food is truly as exquisite and fresh as the pictures show. The service is impeccable and kind and the ambiance is lovely with the greenery and ancient stone. They are very conscientious and knowledgable about food allergies. Amazing restaurant! read more

Rad, delicious and welcoming, try the cameron y trips tacos, fantastic! The food in Oaxaca has been amazing in general but we we're pointed here for dinner and it was a nice end point to the day. All the dishes were delicious but the Cameron y Tripa tacos were the winner. read more

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Amazing experience! This is definitely a place to hit when you were in Oaxaca. The food is incredible and the atmosphere is so cool. They also had a guitar player. We were on a date and it was very romantic, but they were also a couple of families enjoying, the atmosphere as well. This is definitely a bucket list place to hit when you are in town. read more

Magical place...the food is amazing, the service is outstanding, the atmosphere and look is beautiful .... And the live music on Saturdays rocks! read more

Ancestral Cocina Tradicional - Desayuno - Mexican Near Me - Oaxaca, OAX

Located in a dead end street. Real nice restaurant in the city of Oaxaca. Great service and delicious food. Everyone was so nice and polite and had really good knowledge of the menu. read more

Beautiful place I loved it! The food is delicious and the service was great, everyone so friendly

Food was amazing & authentically cooked in open view kitchen to cater for a wide range of tastes. Great service for breakfast. Hidden away so it is tricky to find but worth the walk! read more

This is my favorite high end restaurant in Oaxaca They have super high end food and play music in right in front of you I especially recommend the shrimp and tripe tacos which are probably my favorite tacos in Oaxaca and possibly Mexico I also had read more

Nice quaint hole in the wall. The menu is limited but it has all the favorites for Oaxaca. It's great for lunch (limited crowds) or dinner, lights and outdoor space is beautiful. Try the chapulines, you can't leave Oaxaca without doing so. read more

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I can think of nothing to say but WOW! From the first moment - the natural rustic setting, a break from the bustle of the city- to the stuffed squash blossoms, a knockout! To the pork belly, which makes me weep with pleasure, to the little girl dancing in the aisles, every moment here was memorable. I also enjoyed the smile on the chef's face when he saw our delight. I cannot wait to return! read more

This was one of my favorite places to eat in Oaxaca. I was lucky enough to share a few things with friends so I got to try a lot of their menu and it was all amazing. The different flavored tortillas at the start of the meal are phenomenal. The mole negro was incredible. The tlayuda with tasajo was amazing. The tetela was great. And the caldo de piedra was an experience - they cook it with hot stones in front of you. In general, I care more about the food than the ambiance at a restaurant but this place has both! Nestled in amongst the plants, we watched hummingbirds go by while stuffing our faces. And it's in a beautiful little barrio that's worth exploring. Street art outside the door, traditional food inside, the occasional hummingbird. What more could you want? read more

Not sure how this place has so few ratings! I just discovered it on recommendation from a tour guide. The food is EXCELLENT! I tried the tasting menu and it was amazing with only one or 2 misses. Beautiful presentation and nice staff who tolerated my bad Spanish. read more

Amazing food and ambiance! Beautiful, peaceful garden restaurant just a short walk north of the Centro in the neighborhood of Xochimilco, recommended by a lifelong Oaxaquena! Spent over 3 hours enjoying this lovely, uncrowded respite from city noises for a leisurely mid-afternoon meal, and was treated to delights I can't even name. I ordered the Garnachas Istmenas entree (quite good), but was also given a lovely morsel (gorgeously presented) as an appetizer as well as a tortilla with queso/pepper and a salsa picante. Dessert was the Mousse de Chocolate con Poleo which was so artfully plated that I had to take several photos, with its gorgeous nasturtium, strawberry, and sugar-coated mint leaves garnish! The setting is perfect, the food is so beautifully presented, it all felt like a huge treat for a very reasonable price. I'll be back! read more

Best mellow atmosphere and pretty garden. Great food and drinks. A relief after the Centro hyped and crowded restaurants. So relaxing.