14 Best Restaurants in Oaxaca, Mexico

Don’t let the location down a dusty dirt road scare you from dining at this breezy restaurant in the boutique hotel Villas Carrizalillo. Perched on a terraced cliff overlooking the white-sand crescent of Carrizalillo Beach, Espadín offers a winning combination of sophisticated cuisine and stunning ocean views (try to arrive at sunset). Even at its busiest, the ambience is pure romance, thanks to the soaring palapa roof, fresh flowers, and attentive service. Popular menu choices include perfectly grilled whole red snapper, a delicate roasted beet–and–Oaxacan cheese salad, and chicken in a fragrant mole negro. Finish your meal off with an artisanal mezcal. On weekends, there's often a guitarist playing soft ballads. It's open all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

A 10% gratuity is included in the bill.

If you have time for only one restaurant in Zipolite, then this should be it. Expect creative takes on the traditional in dishes such as Oaxacan shrimp or beef medallions in aromatic hoja santa (Mexican pepperleaf) butter. Reserve for one of two nightly seatings, and arrive early to enjoy a mezcal cocktail in the stylish bar. The restaurant tends to close down during the low season, which can begin as early as September and continue as late as November.

Welcoming chef-owners Shalxali and Quetzalcoatl Zurita focus on presenting traditional Zapotec, Mayan, and Mixteco ingredients in contemporary ways. Begin your evening with a margarita made with seasonal fruits such as prickly pear or mandarin, and then embark on a culinary adventure of new tastes such as tixinda (a local mollusk) appearing in a refreshing salad rather than the more traditional tamale, or beef tenderloin wrapped in fragrant hoja santa leaf (Mexican pepperleaf). Opting for the five-course tasting menu is a good way to dive in. If you like beer, try a Bendita, which is brewed in the town of Santa Catarina Juquila, the pilgrimage site of the Virgin of Juiquila, midway between Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca City. Although the restaurant lacks a view, its earthy, minimalist decor is stylish, and the location in the heart of the Rinconada restaurant row offers interesting people-watching.

In Colonia Reforma, this café is, as its name suggests, a more informal version of the Casa Oaxaca restaurant in the historic center. This open-air, garden-themed restaurant maintains the same incredibly high levels of food preparation and presentation, and the same attentive service, but with a menu suited more to breakfast and lunch, featuring more fruit, salads, and lighter options. One of the highlights is the huitlacoche omelet served with pumpkin flowers, and bathed in chile guajillo salsa, a true taste of Oaxaca.

A neon sign bearing the namesake hummingbird draws you to this little cafeteria. Mothers who have packed their kids off to school and cell-phone-toting business executives favor this place, perhaps for its free refills of super-hot coffee and the extensive menu of Mexican favorites. If you're homesick, you can always order a burger with fries. While you wait, browse in the gift shop. The restaurant is across from the ADO bus station, making it a great escape from the crowded waiting area.

Situated alongside the artisan market in Santa Maria del Tule, El Milenario is famous for its breakfasts. Enjoy entomatadas or enfrijoladas in a family environment where the portions are huge and the prices are low. It makes a great stop off on a trip to Mitla or Hierve El Agua.

Helmed by warm and gracious owner-hosts, the restaurant in the Hotel Posada Edén Costa is widely considered the best in Huatulco. Its menu is certainly more varied than the competition, with French, Mexican, and Italian dishes—all well prepared. The huachinango en crema de poro (red snapper with a creamed leek sauce) is wonderful as is the boeuf bourguignon; the creamy almond-paste ice cream with fruit sauce is memorable. The bar has a fine selection of artisanal offerings such as Fidencio mezcal from Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. The hotel's serviceable rooms (the largest have full kitchens) are beloved as long-stay havens by snowbirds from the United States and Canada.

La Capilla is a truly Oaxacan experience. Sitting under a palm roof listening to the animals play in the petting zoo and the children playing in the gardens, you can enjoy platters of traditional Zaachilan food: mountains of fabulous cooked meats, cheeses, and vegetables will come your way.

Every inch of wall space at this elevated restaurant on the west end of the Adoquín is filled with paintings. And every inch of your small, square table will be covered by platters of homemade pasta, like tortellini, ravioli, and lasagna. Pizzas are also popular; try the one with eggplant, garlic, mushrooms, and basil. Though service can be spotty, the brick-and-stone floors and red tiles peeking through the rafters make for a pleasant environment. The bacon-wrapped shrimp Culiacán is a popular choice.

This contemporary Italian restaurant sits within one of the colonial houses of Jalatlaco, one of the oldest parts of the city. Toscana was one of the first successful Italian restaurants in the city and still provides an eclectic menu, focusing on a wide range of pizzas, pastas, and seafood. Sitting under its archways, looking out on the rock garden, you might think you are in Italy. The cocktail menu aids your relaxation, and the food, when it arrives, is always crisp and flavorsome. Afterwards, a stroll around the picturesque neighborhood and a visit to the church are great ways to digest the food.

Luvina’s aim is to create a range of tastes, smells, and textures prevalent in Oaxaca and transform them into culinary creations. The restaurant, inspired by the works of Juan Rulfo, does just that. The elegant dining space, a few blocks away from the main city-center streets, offers just enough peace and serenity for the restaurant goer to be able to interpret and understand the complex flavors found in the local ingredients. The chef, Carlos Garcia, aims to take each diner on a culinary journey through the real and imaginary worlds of Rulfo’s writings.

Local families and expats in the know come here for a seafood fix. The ceviches are delicious, as are the whole-fried-fish platters and the shrimp specials. Margaritas, too, are best-in-class, and a wonderful baked banana dessert comes with condensed milk, cream, and rummy eggnog. This, the original branch, where you can enjoy your meal out in a lovely, fern-shaded garden, is a breakfast-and-lunch-only place, closing at 6 pm. Another branch on Calzada de Porfirio Diaz isn't quite as cute.

Sabina Sabe is one of the newest mezcal bar–restaurants in the city, and its enviable location on the zócalo makes it a welcome addition for tourists looking to move away from the traditional tourist dining options. The menu is filled with fresh, locally sourced plates and a wide range of drink options including beers, mezcals, and cocktails. It is the perfect place to while away the late afternoon with a small plate and a drink in hand.

With folding glass windows opening out onto the foliage of trees overhanging the bustling zócalo, Tres Bistro offers a classy retreat from the bustling square. You can see the glitter of the twinkling lights and hear the music of the marimbas down below. The menu offers a range of traditional Oaxacan dishes alongside contemporary pastas, pizzas, lasagna, and seafood, so it's good for people traveling with young children who might not take to some of the more traditional Oaxacan offerings, while the adults can savor some different tastes. Unlike most upper-floor restaurants, this one also has an elevator.