Randall was an unbelievably great tour guide, and made Oaxaca come alive for us. He took us to…read morethree local distillers chosen to compliment and contrast each other, and we tried over 60 mezcals throughout the day. His personal relationship with each distiller made it feel like we were visiting good friends, and the entire experience was deeply meaningful. Randall also filled the tour with amazing discussions on everything from history to chemistry to mythology stories, gave us surprise additional mezcal tastings to test our palates, and extended the tour because we were all enjoying it so much. He is overflowing with knowledge on mezcal and very generous in sharing it. Mezcal Educational Tours was fantastic, and you should specifically request Randall. The entire day was the highlight of our trip to Mexico - we walked away wanting to return to Oaxaca and drink mezcal with Randall again.

Randall was our guide and his experience and deep wealth of knowledge made this the most fun and…read moreeducational mezcal adventure you could ever dream of. Didn't know a lot about this spirit but now feel I can speak about the origins, distillation process, variations, and a little bit about the culture surrounding the mezcaleros. It's a crash course! Randall is a gem and a really great guy, honored to have had his presence for the day and the meszcal legends he introduced us to. He really knows how to read the room, encouraged me to try more (try the pulque!) and I'm glad he did. Highly recommend!

We went here for our last night in Oaxaca. We got the tuna…read moretartar, mole sampler, and the octopus tlayuda. The mole dish was a little too sweet for our liking, but definitely interesting to taste the difference between them. Our server was the best! I'm so glad we were able to get a reservation last minute.

Amazing Oaxacan Michelin star restaurant. We had the tasting…read moreof different moles before we ordered our main dish. We loved the ambience and the friendly staff.

Incredible food. One my most memorable dining experiences in Oaxaca. I highly recommend the shrimp…read moreand tripe tacos, although everything else looks and smells amazing too. I can't wait to come back again and try other dishes.

Had an excellent dinner at ancestral. I was craving some mole and this place came recommend…read more 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.

Juan is not only an extraordinary tour guide but also an utterly delightful man. He has deep…read moreknowledge of Oaxaca which comes wrapped in a completely natural and comfortable manner. I wish we'd had another day or two with him. We had time to add on an additional couple stops and even had an earthquake during an excellent lunch!

Juan was an incredibly thorough tour guide. We used him for three days recently - one day at Monte…read moreAlban, one day at Mitla and one day to explore the artisan villages to the south of Oaxaca. His knowledge about the history of the area is incredibly deep. We learned so much and he was able to adjust his itinerary for us as he learned more about our interests. On an operational note, Juan was always really responsive via email, he arrived on time every morning and his car was really clean and comfortable. Strong recommend all the way around!

What went well? Everything. Food, service ambiance. Had at least one meal a day for a week.read more

We stopped because the place was absolutely stunning and we decided to get some food…read more We had the tortilla soup and the memelitas (mushrooms, zucchini flower and octopus), absolutely delicious! We also tried several of their mezcales. Definitely a must try kind of place!!

If you visit Oaxaca and want a standout cocktail bar, Selva is a must. It might not be all over…read moreTikTok, but after spending a week exploring the city, this was the place I kept coming back to. The staff is effortlessly cool and welcoming, and the space itself is clean with plenty of seating. An absolute must!

Stay away- they don't deserve your money. The owner shushed our friend who was taking a picture of…read moreour group- and the owner snobby WHITE lady said rudely to her- "this is not a public place, Keep it down!" My friend quickly said okay not understanding what had just happened until it hit her that she had shushed her. We had reservations and were ready to drop a lot of money for drinks but we asked a server who that lady was and he explained that it was the owner so we got up and left! Many of us were Mexican, others American but we were not about to be support such a place and be treated like that. Super super rude! The servers were nice and respectful though. So- again- don't come here. We weren't even loud but apparently the owner wants a library type of place- lame.

Sabina Sabe is a popular restaurant and bar located in the city center of Oaxaca. It was recently…read moreon the list of North America's 50 Best Bars. I thought it was funny when I got the menu and the food menu was only one page while the drink menu was five pages. The outside of the restaurant is blue-ish and the restaurant has multiple rooms. The ceviche del dia ($190 MXN) was a little sweet and not as tart or sour as others I've had. The tacos de sirloin ($170) were really good and were our group's favorite. The taquitos dorados de mole negro ($140) were okay; there was no meat just in case you were wondering. The aguachile rojo de camaron ($190) were good. The esquite con tuetano ($100) was not like a typical corn in a cup but it was closer to a corn soup. For drinks I had the pequeño gigante ($210) which was good. The paloma madura and paloma margarita were both favorites among our group. We went during the day and it wasn't that busy but supposedly it gets way busier and livelier at night.

I came here for the renowned drinks but also ended up loving their food! It's a super cute spot…read morewith tiles and open balcony doors. We were able to get a seat right away and the servers were super helpful. My friend wanted to try some mezcal and they let us taste a couple before choosing. We sat at the restaurant instead of the bar because it was cuter and I wanted food too. I tried two of their fruity mezcal drinks and loved both. I forget the names but one had watermelon, and the other had coconut and lime. I ordered cheese stuffed plantains with mole and this was soooo good. It was very filling too!

This place is amazing, starting with the service. These people make feel so welcome right from the…read morestart. Food is simply amazing and very tasty! My octopus was perfectly cooked. The place is so beautiful and decorated that aligns very well with the food. I highly recommend this place!

Loved this place so much we went twice. The ambiance is just…read morelovely the service is outstanding , the food is delicious and prices are ok. They start you off with a basked of free rolls, some with cheese inside. We ordered the tomatosalad and the beet salad and shared the suckling pig. That was plenty of food for two people. The suckling pig was truly the star! It was absolutely delicious! There is even a guitar player in the front for some nice ambient music. My favorite dinner in oaxaca!!

View is a 10 out of 10…read more We came here specifically for the roof top! There are lots of tables and seating available. There is a stage for live music and there is a breathtaking view of the most beautiful Cathedral in Oaxaca, Santo Domingo Service was super slow as the employees are understaffed, there was only one waitress, she was very overwhelmed, we sympathized with her and remained patient Drinks were good, view is amazing, prices are reasonable

Excellent service. Amazing food. Great ambiance. Perfect views of Templo Santo Domingo. Flawless…read moredrinks. We had an amazing time here.

This is a rooftop restaurant by Plaza del Danza. It is located in a hotel. You would walk in and go…read moreup the stairs (keep walking as you pass by the seats and hotel amenities). Note: make sure you place a reservation ahead of time. We didn't but we decided to wait (the estimated wait time was 25 minutes, but we were seated within 5-10 mins). We ordered the cocktails (tasted good - the mezcal mule could have been stronger but the mezcal old fashioned was strong). Food tasted great! I loved being able to watch the kitchen work and send out food. It felt like one of those high end restaurants. There is an english and spanish menu. Staff was attentive and made sure we were good with our orders. You can also pay by credit card. The restrooms are by the kitchen.

Lovely unassuming spot in the center of Oaxaca. Service was good and great prices considering the…read morebeautiful rooftop experience + deliciously prepared food. Most memorable for me was the soup -- don't remember the name but the broth was delicious and has a piece of corn on the cob in it. They had the traditional Oaxacan staples but what I loved is that they rolled the Tlayuda. A good spot to add to the list while visiting Oaxaca.