Location: Oaxaca
Top Restaurants in Oaxaca
Top Things to do in Oaxaca
- 1. Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman
- 2. Monte Alban
- 3. Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art
- 4. Amate Books
- 5. Andador de Macedonia Alcala
- 6. Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
- 7. Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca, A.C.
- 8. Mercado 20 de Noviembre
- 9. Ethnobotanical Garden
- 10. Benito Juarez Market (Mercado de Benito Juarez)
Top 10 restaurants in Oaxaca, Mexico
Easygoing and vibrant, Oaxaca offers the best of southern Mexican charm, pairing lively festivals and entertainment with fantastic cuisine and unique cultural attractions. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Oaxaca is home to the spectacular Macedonio Alcala Theater and a short drive from the inspiring rock formations at Hierve el Aqua.
Things to do in Oaxaca
1. Los Danzantes Oaxaca
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Los Danzantes Oaxaca is a complete experience for all the senses: food, mezcal, service, decoration, ambience and music join to get that result. Traditional with a touch of nouveau ceeating a relaxing environment perfect to enjoy a unique meal! (A customer).
Reviewed By Alanfb - Rogers, Arkansas
The food was good, authentic and presented well. The service was average. The environment was really pretty cool... inside, but outside. We found it more a place for lunch and afternoon drinks than a dinner venue and were never disappointed!
2. Catedral Restaurante & Bar
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Hokie67 - Chestertown, Maryland
The Chef at our cooking class recommended this place. And we got a reservation for our last night here. We arrived at 7:00 and seated in the back section, which seemed like it was going to be a little noisy, but the sound settled down after a few minutes.
My wife decided on a glass of Mexican red as she was having the ribeye steak and I had a margarita to go with my roast pork with pineapple, banana and sweet potato. Our beautifully plated dishes arrived in a reasonable time. My pork was juicy and tender and the veggies grilled to perfection. My wife's steak was relatively thinner and less tender than our U S beef. But... it made up for that difference with a load of beefy flavor.
We splurged for dessert and had the assorted sorbet tray... six delicious scoops of various flavors.
With tip... $75 U S... the most expensive meal by far of our entire trip.
The decor is a little more formal than our other dining venues. But... still had a casual feel to it. It's an easy walk from any of the downtown hotels.
3. Casa Oaxaca Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By FoodMonsterTravels - Berlin, Germany
What a find! Right opposite to the Oaxaca Cathedral, you will find this restaurant with excellent food of a quality that would make it one of the better restaurants in all European capitals. You can sit in a courtyard, on an open Terrace, in shaded balconies or inside. Service is excellent and staff is fluent in English which is important for making e.g. wine recommendation. We ate here twice, and everything was good (think a fusion of local food with international cuisine, vegetarian options available). Excellent wines. Conside sharing („al centro“) - then you can have a meal of several courses and taste different things. For lovers of good food, and absolute must in Oaxaca!
4. zandunga
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 559 reviews
I ate at many of the restaurants listed in trip advisor over an 8 day period in Oaxaca. Decided to try this place because it was always crowded with the mixture of Mexican and non Mexican tourists. The food was from the isthmus of Mexico. Authenic but different than the usual Oaxacan cuisine which became repetitious after a while.<br>The food was different, with a lot of " I wonder how they make this sauce, dip, drink?" It was not fusion gitzy food that a lot of the higher rated restaurants on your trip advisor restaurant list present to the tourists.
Reviewed By Susan G - Oakland, California, United States
We ate at Zandunga the night we arrived in Oaxaca. We entered the restaurant quite late and very hungry. Our server was so welcoming that we felt we had our first friend in Oaxaca. He introduced us to some of the local favorites, mole and our first mezcal! A few days later, we wanted to find a wine shop in Oaxaca, not an easy task. The same waiter took the time to write out instructions for us. We ate there another time with a friend, and the food each time was fresh, well-prepared and authentic.
5. El Escapulario
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 326 reviews
Reviewed By RoadHazard - Somerville
Great mole; wonderful chicken breast with cuitlacoche, elegantly plated. Very clean tables & grandmotherly service.
6. Las Quince Letras
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 220 reviews
Reviewed By NormBC - Vancouver, Canada
Many people encouraged me to visit this place and finally I did, along with three colleagues. I was immediately struck by the nice decor, and the wait staff seemed pleasant and effective. Things deteriorated quickly thereafter, starting with our drinks order. Three of us ordered Margaritas; they eventually arrived but the requisite alcohol certainly didn't. Perhaps they waved a mescal bottle over the prepared drinks but that was about the most contact with spirits that was involved here.
Our table ordered two appetizers. The guacamole that arrived tasted fine but was the smallest portion I have ever seen in any Mexican restaurant.
I ordered a mole negro with pork. What came was a plate covered with a thin mole with three small lumps. The lumps turned out to be the putative pork. These supposed pieces of pork clearly had been vastly overcooked on their own and then tossed into the mole to warm up. Completely dried out and sans any fat, they took at least five passes with a steak knife to cut through. No sane person would attempt to eat a piece without a glass of water handy: they were so dry that you could literally feather off meat fibers with the knife.
This wonder was accompanied with cardboard tortillas for the table that were only partially warmed and which were so old that they were dried out all around the edges.
I am sure that this experience can't be normal here but I will never, ever, find out if this is true. I'll never be back.
7. Cafe Bistrot Epicuro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 406 reviews
La carta de Epicuro esta diseñada para ofrecer una aventura de sabores y óptima calidad , toda nuestra política y atención contempla a la satisfacción total del cliente, el local es dividido entre el primer piso dedicado al restaurante y la terraza al segundo piso con vista en la que servimos nuestra pizza a l'horno a leña y otras especialidades ! Acompaña a la carta regular de entradas, pastas, carnes y pescados, una rotacion de platillos especiales preparados creativamente y con versatilidad, a partir de ingredientes frescos de la estacion o que entraron en la canasta del Chef, en gran medida se trata de insumos organicos que favorecen enormemente la salud y el sabor.
Reviewed By fiorentina - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
While walking to my apartment one night I spotted Café Bistrot Epicurio (although on the business card given to me by the owner it says "Restorante Italiano Epricurio"). Tired of tlayudas I couldn't pass by and not stop in and I'm sure glad I did. The restaurant is lovely and nicely decorated and it's as if you have stepped into a trattoria in Italy. Although I was dining alone, the service was attentive and professional and I was treated very cordially. I noticed that all of the other diners were in groups and there was a mix of tourists and locals.
They have a good wine selection whether by the glass or bottle and fair prices. I ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana which was the special of the day. Having lived in Italy I was surprised at the authentic look and taste of the dish and after speaking with the waiter he told me that the chef/owner is Italian. The bread was amazing and one of the other tables had ordered a pizza and it definitely looked delicious and authentic.
Before I left the owner came to my table and we had a nice conversation in Italian. Had I stayed in Oaxaca longer I certainly would have gone back and dined there again.
8. El Quinque
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 288 reviews
Reviewed By jazzie F - Canandaigua
This restaurant could be a lot better if the proportions were right. A good burger isn't too thick, as then there's not room for the tomato, onion, lettuce, etc. A good burger fits the bun just right, not overhanging or leaving an inch of bun around the burger. One that's too thick just isn't good cuisine, especially if you order a junior burger. A prior reviewer said he had to take his Sandwich apart to make it right, and that's exactly the problem here. If you're looking to visit, you might want to ask for a smaller and thinner burger. You've been forewarned.
As for table selection, avoid one near the door or your conversation will be interrupted multiple times by street vendors.
9. Origen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 450 reviews
Reviewed By DandMRidgefield_CT - Ridgefield, CT
Cute spot near the Zocolo but the food was just OK. My husband ordered the fish and he actually had to smell it because he felt like it was almost going bad. I had a quinoa vegetarian dish which was good. However, my husband and I both concluded that this was our least favorite restaurant experience that we had over the seven nights that we dined out.
10. Mexita
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 205 reviews
Mexita es un restaurante de cocina SurItaliana, de antiguas origines Napolitanas.
Reviewed By KGGFamily - Vernon, Canada
We were greeted right away and looked after so well. The staff is friendly and helpful and the owner so engaging! Salad was delicious and fresh, pizza crust was perfect and toppings ideal .... the crowning glory was the owner bringing his homemade limoncello to finish the meal .... oh and that amazing bread ....
