Our Oaxaca Guide

Casa Oaxaca has the most amazing and authentic Oaxacan food with views of the church and central square. Walkable from the hotel, right in town. Reservations recommended. A must visit for lunch or dinner.

A must visit for breakfast or brunch, we recommend going in the morning when the city is waking up and Boulenc has its morning energy. It fills up fast and will likely be a wait without reservations, but its worth it!

The best restaurant for an authentic Oaxacan breakfast, but they also offer lunch and dinner too. They have an indoor cafe, La Atoleria, for those who want something quick. We love the coffee, hot chocolate (a must have with your breakfast), local pastries, and hand-made tortilla dishes.

Criollo was opened in 2017 by one of the world’s best chefs. It is a foodie's destination restaurant. If Pujol is on your list, then you definitely do not want to miss the dining experience at Criollo.

Located in a family home on the outskirts of Oaxaca where Leon, a cook nicknamed “Moles,” makes some of the best food in Latin America. Leon got his nickname after perfecting his mole dishes while working at Pujol under Enrique Olvera (of Criollo below) after starting his career at Casa Oaxaca.

While there are many mezcalerias in Oaxaca, we recommend this one for its 1920s art-deco styled bar serving up cocktails featuring ingredients local to Oaxaca. Open up its menu full of various cocktails and sit in one of the patio windows overlooking the city.

This is one of the best street stalls and taco spots in the city, and they’ve been serving said tacos, quesadillas, memelas, empanadas, and tlayudas since 1974. You’ll want to come during the morning, when they’re making all of the above on the spot with fresh corn dough in their two coal-fired comals. We LOVE the squash blossom quesadilla.

A botanical garden that occupies 2.32 acres of land adjacent to the Church of Santo Domingo.

Advice: Get there early (there are 2-3 tours a day). Tours have been kept small and there is no buying tickets before hand.

Perched atop a 1,300-foot tall plateau, Monte Albán is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing a well-preserved terraced pyramid and other pre-Columbian cultural artifacts. Much of what you'll explore here was built by the Zapotecs, an Indigenous peoples who are thought to have settled in the region as early as 800 BC. It is the second largest ceremonial site in all of Central America.

Oaxaca's textile museum is set in a lovely restored colonial mansion in the city's historical center. The museum celebrates Oaxaca's rich and varied textile traditions and offers an overview of textiles from Oaxaca, Mexico, and the world.

The Church and Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the city of Oaxaca de Juárez is an example of New Spanish Baroque architecture.

Check out the beautiful and colorful neighborhoods of Jalatlaco and Xochimilco. Both are located within walking distance of the city center.

There are only two places in the world to witness petrified waterfalls, and Oaxaca is one of them. This is one-of-a-kind natural wonder is 90 minutes from Oaxaca City. We hired a taxi to drive us to & from, but you can also go through a tour company.

For an afternoon break, we love heading here to grab traditional Oaxacan ice cream. This plaza is home to many ice cream stands, live music & optimal people watching.

Traffic-free, shaded by tall trees and surrounded by cafes & shops, the Zócalo is the perfect place to soak up the Oaxaca atmosphere. Oaxaca City’s main square is ideally experienced by walking around with a coffee & sweet treat in hand.