Absolutely delicious! Highly recommend asking for a mocha…read morebut hot chocolate, foam & all!

Cute hidden spot. Would recommend. The staff was so nice and gave me lots of recommendations to go…read more My favorite was the banana nut bread with coffee

I was interested in getting a little pre-dinner drink somewhere and El Destilado came highly…read morerecommended to me. Upon arriving I asked to be seated on the rooftop which they obliged with no issue. The upstairs ambiance is upscale without being stuffy. They played contemporary music but it wasn't too loud. The drinks menu is interesting and there are a lot of creative options for cocktails. I ordered a drink called the GOAT margaritas and it was STRONG but balanced. Cocktails run around $180-230 pesos. The main menus are 6 and 9 course tastings but they also have somewhat reasonably priced a la carte bar snacks. I debated ordering something but didn't want to spoil my appetite which was already happening as they brought out complimentary chips and (excellent) salsa with my drink. Service was a tad on the slow side but I wasn't in a hurry. Would absolutely return!

We ate our last dinner in Oaxaca at El Destilado, and I'm glad we did. It was a great way to end…read moreour trip. El Destilado offers a few options: a 6-course meal and a 9-course meal. (They also offer a bar menu with snacks and drinks on their rooftop if you're not up for a whole tasting menu situation.) We did the nine-course menu, and we couldn't resist adding on the drink pairing. I can usually pass on a drink pairing, since they can be really expensive and I feel pressure to keep up. But El Destilado's drink pairing was too varied and unique to pass up! Each of our nine courses came with very different beverages - two cocktails, two glasses of wine (the wines were great natural wines, but I kind of wished they offered Mexican wines; I think there are some really incredible natural Mexican wines being made now!), one craft beer (brewed in Mexico), one sake (brewed in Mexico, the first Mexican sake company), one pulque (made in house; it was fantastic), and one port (with dessert). (I think I'm missing one! I believe there were 9 - one for each course. Maybe the last one is the little bottles of mezcal they gave us with the little dessert snacks as our last course?!) I often worry that the portions of a tasting menu will be too large, and I won't be able to enjoy the meal. But I really enjoyed El Destilado's portion sizes and progression. Our first course was a plate of three small snacks (tiny versions of Oaxacan dishes), and many other courses were very light (a tomato/vegetarian dish, a single ravioli in a bowl, a raw fish course, a cooked fish course, a shared main)... It was a smart way to serve a lot of great dishes without your guests filling up too fast! I think my favorites were the quail main, the foie course, the seafood courses, and the snack course! Overall, the food was all really good - modern takes on Oaxacan dishes and flavors. Fun and beautiful without losing focus on the flavor. The service was top notch (felt so welcome and comfortable and our server went out of her way to explain every course and beverage pairing) to us while still giving us time to enjoy. They can do service in Spanish or in English. The restaurant is beautiful and yet still understated for a tasting menu restaurant. It's on the pricey side. But it was my favorite of the pricey side meals we had. It was interesting and delicious and exciting, and I'd absolutely return to eat there again.

Excellent food, friendly staff. We went there thrice during our 5-day visit to Oaxaca. Highly…read morerecommend!

This is my favorite cappuccino in all of Oaxaca!!! I have been all over el centro to different…read morecafes and this cafe is so cute, has such interesting drinks and a super perfect cappuccino. There are swing chairs and also many food options. I always come here when I want just delicious coffee!

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!

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.

Levadura de Olla is a Oaxacan restaurant located in the city center of Oaxaca. It received 1…read moreMichelin Star and reservations are recommended. The interior looked traditional and elegant with tables located in the patio area. It's not a flashy place with modern finishes but is a place that aims to do home-style cooking inspired by Oaxaca. GUACAMOLE ($265 MXN) - this came with three different kinds of avocados at different sizes which was interesting. Some were mashed but some were sliced and in chunks. For some of them we could even eat the skin of the avocados, and it was good. 4/5 CELEBRATION MOLE CHICKEN THIGH ($360) - the chicken was tender and the mole was not too sweet or bitter which is a problem I have with other ones. The mole was also only made from chiles which was unique. 4/5 OAXACAN NATIVE TOMATOES ($370) - this is their popular "tomato salad" which is a must-get. Some were sweet, some were more tart, and some I had never heard of before. Seriously, I had never had tomatoes taste like that and I didn't know they could taste like that. The beet puree complemented but didn't overpower the tomatoes either. You can order a half or full order; we ordered half which was good for two people. This was absolutely delicious and so unique! 5/5 FRIED QUESADILLA ($290) - this was labeled a quesadilla but it looked closer to an empanada. This was really good and I liked the butter that it came with. 4.5/5 Note that the menu is small and it's not a kid or pet friendly restaurant. Their menu contains a lot of ingredients that aren't substitutable so beware before you come here. The service was great and our server explained each of the dishes in detail. Even though it's located in the city it's very serene with none of the outside noise. We had a great dinner and a good time.

What a wonderful, immersive, magical experience at Levadura de Olla! Absolutely fantastic service,…read morewonderful wines, and extremely thoughtful and diverse food options. This was one of our favorite restaurants we ate at during our trip to Oaxaca. Our favorites were tomato assortment dish and the confit pork rib, but loved everything on the menu and the entire ambiance of the restaurant. I loved seeing the tortillas get made. Thanks Levadura for such a wonderful experience!

Amazing Michelin star restaurant. We went for lunch to try…read moretraditional Oaxacan dishes. Loved sitting near the tortilla making station.

Love, love, love…read more It's easy to make a reservation online. I recommend making a reservation "Alta" which is the balcony seating -- in the evening, once it's cooled down, it's a beautiful setting. The food is fresh with amazing combination for flavors. The service is just.... Pure hospitality! Our server was so kind as we were tired from being out in the heat all day and he had a great sense of humor and made us feel incredibly at home. The tasado taco is an amazing blend of flavors. They have amazing mole -- with two mole trios -- or dedicated mole dishes. The mole negro is incredible! And the Coloradito with pork belly was my fav. They had great soups -- we tried boththw corn and the carrot specials. Just such a magical place bc of the hospitality and food combo! Thank you, Miguel (sp?)!!

Mmm pretty sure this was my favorite meal in Oaxaca. I ordered the tlayuda de tasajo plus a…read morerefreshing cocktail. The restaurant had an open air roof in one corner, live music, and friendly service. Plants abounded. Everything felt fresh and fun here. I'd highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city!

Really enjoyed this place. The food, though hearty and non pretentious was presented very…read morebeautifully with flower petal and you could tell it was done with care. I had the 3 course menu of the day and it included soup, entree, a flan dessert and a nice drink. The soup was cilantro soup and it was very fresh and delicious. The chicken thigh with vegetables was very good, as was the flan( although I was way too full to really enjoy it ). The drink was a version of ice tea. Yum u could get seconds if you wanted to. My husband had pork belly. The sauce was a spicy red sauce, which was very flavorful. We enjoyed the fact that they had craft beers also. Ambiance is nice especially in the bright back room, where the fans really helped to deal with the midday heat. If you want a great meal for a very reasonable price, go here.

Working class Oaxacan food and setting…read more I went there twice and was the only gringo both times. No mole negro-one of my favorite things about Oaxaca, but all you can eat Oaxacan style food for 60 Pesos, about $3.50 USD, just about half of what I paid for a more extensive buffet on the Zocalo. The first time I was there both the staff and customers were having a great time watching Shrek. Fun! If you want to enjoy Oaxacan food away from the tourist scene, this is it.

Tacos Roy is a no-frills taqueria in Oaxaca with multiple locations throughout the area. When you…read morefirst walk in you'll see the large trompo holding their signature al pastor. Of the meats that we ordered my favorites were the al pastor ($20 MXN) and the bistek ($24 MXN). The portions were good for a great price and the service was good. Bonus that they also take credit card! They have a variety of different salsas that were not particularly spicy but were good. The provided condiments also included limes, pico de gallo, and pickled onions. Of all the taco places we had in Oaxaca this place was my favorite. The meat was tender and the portions were good, and we ended up coming back multiple times during our visit.

best tacos i had in oaxaca. Got the al pastor two tacos special with all the fixings. Delicious…read morecheap and filling. Perfect!!Service was friendly and fast!

Awesome potato salad and grilled cheese. Big variety of drinks and great beers. Get the whisky…read moreflight too.

Meh. I found this place to be a little overpriced for what it is. It was quiet when I went in,…read morethere were only 2-3 tables occupied around lunchtime. They have a large menu mostly comprised of sandwiches and burgers. Some odd items for Mexico including a bagel with lox and a Rueben. With that said I'm a little tired of Mexican food after being here for about two weeks so I opted to give it a try. I actually really liked the broccoli salad that came with the sandwich, it was tasty and fresh. Would definitely get that again. The sandwich was good, but the bread was terrible - so dry and hard. It was a bummer because the rest of the ingredients were yummy. They should have just thrown it on some simple white bread and it would be 10x better. Cheesecake was yummy but again a little pricey at 80 pesos. Probably wouldn't come back but I would consider getting a small side of the broccoli salad to go as a snack in the future.