My daughter is a huge fan of Enrique Olvera , she has been to all of his restaurants , Cosme and Atala are her favorite restaurants in NYC . She was very excited to try Criollo , the meal started with a bang , the ceviche was delicious and so was the roasted cauliflower followed by a tomato jicama and fig salad and stuffed zucchini but after that it was down hill , the fish , the pork were tasteless and over cooked and the real nose dive was the dessert course which was an old fashioned pastry horn filled with something and a sweet milky drink so uninspiring that as a trained pastry cook , I was ashamed for the chef . The tab was reasonable for fine dining but the food was just ok . The restaurant has a tasting menu every night . The cocktails were great but my husband's cocktail glass was whisked away even before he finished his drink ! I don't think I'll go back again to this one , so disappointed! Well, one consolation, compared to his other restaurants this one is very reasonable . read more

After an initial disappointment being seated at a picnic table on the gravel "back-40" behind the polished interior, we came to appreciate the informal, tree-covered, beer-garden atmosphere. It fits with the cuisine. Despite Chef Olvera's Pujol roots, this is not tweezer food; nor are they demanding tweezer food prices. Despite generally being skeptical of beverage pairing options, the MX$400 price made it a relatively low cost and simpler option given the lack of any type of menu. The opening fish tostada w fried cheese ball paired with a Demi-sec Spanish sparkling wine were the weakest efforts of the evening. A small crisp salad of greens with local apples paired with a hibiscus mezcal cocktail worked better. An excellent squash tamale in chocolate mole with a ginger mezcal cocktail was delightful with the tanginess of the ginger offsetting the richness of the mole. An interesting pulpo with romaritos paired with a Vena Cava Cab-blend was the standout dish with the bitterness of the greens complimenting the unctuousness of the pulpo and romesco-like sauce. The penultimate course was a ban mi inspired pork sandwich with pickled red onions on a soft bolillo. The simpleness of the dish contrasted with the sophistication of the pulpo. The hoppy beer pairing worked--depending on how much you like hoppy beers. The postre was a yogurt flan served in a jar accompanied by several fruits and a chocolate truffle paired with a final fruit cocktail (I couldn't follow the Spanish to catch exactly what it was) was a light ending. Service was good and the eclectic clientele made for fun people watching. Funnest of all were the two pet rabbits called the Kardashians. Worth a visit but nothing I'd return for. read more

My wife and I ate at Criollo while we were in Oaxaca. Criollo has no menu, as the chef selects the most freshest ingredients and produce for the day, so the courses are different each day. Everything was superb - especially their service. They accommodated my wife, who was not feeling too well in the stomach, by making her a mild vegetable soup and chamomile tea - instead of the full course menu. (She said it even tasted amazing). It actually felt like someone in the kitchen truly cared for her physical well being. This is what top notch customer service looks like. Not only were we impressed, but we were also very touched. We highly highly recommended this place if you are visiting Oaxaca. read more

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Lovely setting. Good food. A little slow but worth it if you're not in a rush and/or have small children.

Amazing place in Oaxaca. The food and hospitality from Adrian were the highlights of the night. Thanks ! read more

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This is the best dinner I've had in Oaxaca, hands down, after 5 summers of great meals. Not to knock the other greats in town-- they're all wonderful-- but this was the most innovative and well-executed. Service and booze pairings were impeccable. Ambience is magical. I ate here twice in one week, a bad idea since each meal is the size of four regular meals. You'd want to be aware-- I wasn't-- that the only menu is a tasting menu. That said, the kitchen and bar both bent over backwards to accommodate dietary restrictions on several of the courses and pairings. I never would've guessed the substitutions weren't part of the regular menu. The menu changes daily, which is shocking considering the effort they put into each course. That said, here were some highlights for us between the two visits-- -local herbs (chapiche, etc.) in a guacamole salad with rice "chicharron" -red snapper ceviche with fresh tomatillos, all lightly smoked -melt-in-your-mouth blue corn tamale with red mole and garlic greens -tender red snapper, perfectly grilled, with potato puree and green mole -red fruit sorbet with fresh strawberries -banana bread pudding with fresh cream and toasted cacao nibs -fried soft-shelled crab with a drizzle of tamarind sauce -kiwi sorbet -roasted cauliflower in a toasted almond mole -purslane, cactus fruit, and tomatillo salad -delicate yellow corn tamale in a yellow mole with fresh herbs The pairings with these were all great-- a combo of cocktails using fresh ingredients like cactus fruit and homemade rompope, local craft beer, tepextate and pulquero mezcals, and great Baja California wines (one really good nebbiolo blend and another nice sauvignon blanc). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. read more

Criollo counts as two of the most special dining experiences of my entire life. We arrived to Oaxaca on Christmas day, unsure that any food options would be available (don't worry -- there's plenty available), but had made a reservation to be sure we wouldn't go hungry for the holiday. For an amazing price of ~$50/person, we were treated to an exceptional prix fixe menu of octopus, oyster, mahi mahi ceviches, suckling pig and lamb tacos, raw oysters, lobster stew, calamari, and delicious homemade paletas (ice cream pops) of every variety. Drinks were included in the price (essentially all you could eat/drink) and service was exceptional. We returned for dinner a few nights later and were wow'd once again. Six courses blended traditional and modern recipes and techniques to create something magnificent. Service was impeccable. While the dinner tasting menu is not inexpensive, the quality, ambience, and overall experience was an incredible value. I cannot recommend Criollo highly enough!!!! read more

My sister and I came here one night because she said Enrique's restaurant in Mexico City was her favorite in the world and she has been everywhere literally. So the place is very nice and modern we were seated at a fairly large table in the courtyard. They had 2 dinner choices one with drinks one without. We both chose the dinner with drinks. The "cocktails" I have to say were all delicious flavor wise but they were suppose to have Mezcal in them. We tasted no Mezcal in any of the cocktails which was disappointing. You do get a shot of Mezcal and white and red wine though. Our meal started off with the usual toasted blue corn tortillas and 2 salsas which were just okay nothing amazing. Next was quesadillas with roasted pumpkin or squash that again was pretty basic nothing stood out. After that was grilled vegetables with warmed greens which was pretty bland not that flavorful. Served next was a frijole tamale this was somewhat tastey but nothing that made me think one of the best restaurants in Oaxaca. Then came the fish dish which I was excited for but disappointed in the end. The fish and sauces all tasted the same nothing complex or flavorful or anyting that caught your taste buds. Then came a mole and vegetable plate cauliflower, green beans, potato's all pretty tame and bland. The mole as well nothing to rave about. Last was 2 desserts one apple ice cream which was probably the best flavor wise and texture. Then the last dessert was their take on bread pudding with Oaxacan chocolate, grilled apple and cream. The chocolate was the only thing that stood out on that plate. Overall I think they were trying to go with basic native flavors but the really failed on taste. Nothing was memorable nothing made me say OMG that is so delicious even if it was just simple. I've tasted better mole at the Mercado Merced. I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed especially for the price. read more

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Really good service and high quality ingredients. The one dish of the tasting menu (its just a tasting menu for approx $600 peso everyday wether it be lunch or dinner) that really stood out to me was the tamale with the chocolate mole. It was hands down the best Mole I had tasted in my 1 month journey thru Mexico. The cooked yellow fin tuna in a red, tomato based broth (I believe), was one of the entrees. It was not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of fish that tastes as if it was stewed in a sauce....While the fish was fresh, I would of rather saw that presented as sushimi (like I've seen in other photos). The other entree dish however rebounded my taste buds. And that was a pork rib in some variation of a tomatillo sauce. Nice job. Pretty presentation. I do feel that its certainly worth the cost & trip to eat here while in Oaxaca read more

Really nice atmosphere with open-air patio. Had some enjoyable dishes, especially the tostadas con pollo y mole, and the tortillas were phenomenal. Definitely a worthwhile experience. read more

Our excitement at trying Sr. Olvera's outpost in Oaxaca was exceeded only by our disappointment at the meal. Service, locale and the space are lovely. Presentation is beautiful. But the prix fixe, set tasting menu was uniformly bland. It is hard to know what Olvera is trying to accomplish, other than a fascination with delivering flavors via things in the form of paste. Several of the courses featured monotonous flavors and texture, without sufficient, contrasting spice, acidity or pop. And it's very expensive. There is terrific food in Oaxaca; better to go elsewhere to find it. read more

Fantastic food. Delicious, gorgeous and relaxing. Beautiful place.

The chef indeed is very creative using ingredients from Oaxaca, reflected in true flavors from this spectacular land.

Hands down best meal in Oaxaca after 11 days eating all over. 7 course tasting menu. Every dish was incredible. Come here now. Words can't do it justice. read more

overrated- super expensive tasting menu, and the food was not good at all! icing on top was i got food poisoning from this restaurant do not go read more

Was really disappointed with this restaurant. I guess I had high hopes for an Enrique Olivera restaurant. To guests who want to dine here, this is not a fine dining restaurant but a higher end restaurant with a casual vibe. Service was fine, not bad but not great either. Unfortunately there was a party in the space next door with bad wedding reception music blaring all night. Also the food was subpar. Details like bad/ old cilantro and herbs that were gritty, and flavorless black beans are just unacceptable for a place like this. basic stuff. The menu is uninspired and food is trying to elevate the local food but they fail miserably. service has no sense of pacing so as soon as you finish one course, another is served almost immediately. The only part of our 7- course meal that shined was a 2-inch barbacoa taco that came early in the meal. I did not listen to other reviews when they were disappointed. I just wish I did. This is not worth your time or money. Older Oaxacan women cook way better than this place! read more

This restaurant has a nice ambience but it was disappointing because at brunch the coffee was barely warm and very weak and the poached eggs part of a beautifully designed eggs benedict dish arrived cold under salted and without any chiles . The fruit salad was mainly bananas, apples, and terrible strawberries which I can get at home . The markets are overflowing with gorgeous local mangos, pineapple. What happened? read more

Very recommended, each day they have a special menu, the place coussy was awesome and the 7 course menu had a fabolous taste, each plate was specially elaborated with special care, the menu that is served is enough, they even offer us the opportunity to chose to repeat one of our favorite (without extra cost). We talk to chef Arellano, who took the time to talk us about his story. You must go read more

We read mixed reviews about this place before coming, but decided to come anyways and it was very worth it. Service is impeccable. Food is innovative but still very oaxacan. The architecture of the building and the courtyard is quite beautiful. They only have Mexican wines and they are quite nice-which is rare in Oaxaca. Expensive? Yes but for the equivalent back home, it would have costed us at least twice the price. Of course, if you don't like gastronomy, don't go there but otherwise go and enjoy :) read more