If you've been paying attention at all, you'll know that Oaxaca is on the top of everyone's must-visit list these days. This southern Mexican state has made a name for itself, thanks to a strong indigenous culture, and its most famous exports are the the impressive food traditions and colorful folk art. A visit to Oaxaca has a wealth of natural treasures too. In addition to its vibrant capital city, also named Oaxaca, there are scores of mountains, where mezcal is made, that cascade into the ocean at the tropical beach towns of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.
But let's get back to the food. Though Oaxaca is worth a visit for any of the reasons mentioned above, you wouldn't be wrong to visit and focus solely on food and drink. Outside of Mexico, Mexican cuisine is often wrongly dismissed as being cheap and unsophisticated. While it's true that inexpensive street food is a large part of Mexican food culture, this in no way means the food isn't enlightened. A closer look into the traditions of Oaxacan cooking reveal intensely ancient, laborious and intricate techniques and flavor profiles, which include everything from grasshoppers to corn to mole and everything in between.
Discovering the finer points of Oaxacan cuisine is as simple as cooking it yourself. Cooking classes abound in and around Oaxaca city, with the best options being Susana Trilling's Seasons of My Heart and Reyna Mendoza's El Sabor Zapoteco. It was at the latter that I discovered the intense preparation needed for mole negro con pollo (chicken in dark mole sauce); each ingredient was individually toasted over an open fire, then ground by hand using a stone. I pulled a muscle in my back after 30 seconds–and a portion for eight diners needed over an hour of prep time for the sauce alone. The idea that these dishes are expected to be cheap or fast is clearly a grave misconception.
Why Oaxaca?
Chances are you have come across Oaxacan food without knowing it. Mole, which comes in many varieties and colors, is an Oaxacan staple. Tamales poached in banana leaf, another one. The tlayuda is an iconic street food classic comprised of giant, crispy tortillas with all sorts of ingredients heaped upon it, like a Mexican pizza. Another popular snack includes flor de calabaza, known in the English-speaking world as squash blossoms. The Oaxacan version closely resembles the Italian staple by requiring breading and frying with queso fresco inside. As for plants, corn and cacao are king, featured in many different foods and drinks, like tejate, a frothy, non-alcoholic drink blended from corn and cacao best enjoyed while exploring one of Oaxaca's bustling markets. Another plant central to Oaxaca's exploding food scene is the agave, which has taken the world by storm in the last few years with the mezcal's increasing popularity. Often touted as tequila's smokier cousin, this particular agave distillate, which is native to the state, is produced differently and on a much smaller-scale.
The most sought after bottles of mezcal are produced by a single family off of a single plot of land using a single agave, which is a production style made popular by the Del Maguey brand that has come to signify high quality in the eyes of aficionados. Bottles like this can fetch prices in the low-hundreds and the sheer variety of different agaves and terroirs has inspired drink-lovers from all corners of the earth to travel to Oaxaca in search of their favorite and the most artisanal mezcal. Along with Del Maguey, notable brands include Koch el Mezcal, who also has a single village, single producer approach, Ilegal Mezcal, whose business today focuses on economic and agricultural stability, and Fidencio, based out of the town of Santiago Matatlan, which is considered the home base of scaled-up Mezcal production. In addition to a bevy of mezcalerias popping up around Oaxaca city, restaurants have jumped on board, offering impressive mezcal lists and accompanying menu pairings to offer a full Oaxacan gastronomic experience.
Mexicans have long revered Oaxaca for its food culture and the rest of the world has (finally) taken notice as well. Netflix's second season of Chef's Table features Enrique Olvera, a Mexico City native who has two restaurants on the World's 100 Best list. Olvera spends much of the episode proclaiming his love for Oaxaca, detailing which parts of his menus are Oaxacan-inspired. He's putting his money where his mouth is, too: word on the street is he's opened a new restaurant in town, called Criollo. Before Olvera, there have been others. While no visit to Oaxaca is complete without roaming the streets and markets to sample from food carts, a new kind of fine dining food tourism is emerging here. Considering the pedigree and effort involved in Oaxacan cooking as it relates to the techniques revered in traditional French cuisine–foodies (both local and visiting) are embracing sophisticated dining concepts to honor these traditions. Below, the best white-glove options in Oaxaca city to inspire your next food tour.
Casa Oaxaca
One of the first chefs to capitalize on fine dining in this city is Alejandro Ruiz. Ruiz is credited with first exporting traditional Oaxacan food to the world and his restaurant, Casa Oaxaca, is listed as a favorite by both Olvera and famed Catalan chef Ferran Adria, among many other notable names in food and drink. It's also a regular on the 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America list. On the grounds of an eponymous hotel, the space is serene and inviting and has a sprawling roof deck that looks out onto Oaxaca city's iconic church, Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The food draws on traditional preparations with a modern twist, and focuses on local and sustainable options found in local markets. If you're looking for something local with a polish, this is the true "OG" haute cuisine spot in Oaxaca.
Origen
Another Oaxaca native, chef Rodolfo Castellanos, is offering modern interpretations of traditional Oaxacan classics at Origen. Inspired by the passion he saw growing up in his mother's home kitchen, Castellanos went on to become French trained and Mexican crowned, as the recent winner of Top Chef Mexico. He opened Origen with his wife, Lizette, in 2011 to showcase the rich traditions of his home state, and his penchant for creative twists can be found in dishes like his octopus and sweetbread tlayua–a riff on a classic dish traditionally served with grilled beef. Expect creative uses of local herbs, chiles, meats, starches and fish. The restaurant space itself is a delight, with multiple levels, open courtyards and big windows opening to the colorful streets below. Castellanos' humility and enthusiasm are palpable, and you can often find him milling around the restaurant, greeting guests and answering diners' questions when he isn't busy in the kitchen.
Pitiona
Continuing on the trend neo-Mexican cuisine is Pitiona, helmed by Jose Manuel Baños Rodriguez, who is also no stranger to the 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America list. This restaurant's name comes from a plant, a verbena-like herb ubiquitous in Oaxacan cooking. Rodriguez draws his experience from working on yachts and in Europe's finest kitchens, as well as sourcing ideas and recipes from his mother and grandmother. The result? A pan-Oaxacan experience that spans the mountains and coasts. While everything is excellent, especially the lengua in chile adobo, we have it on good authority that the suckling pig taco is the move here, no matter what else you might order.
El Destilado
The newest kid on the block, El Destilado, is truly emblematic of Oaxacan cuisine's profile on the world stage. The three men at the helm, Jason Cox, Joseph Gilbert and Julio Aguilera, are American imports, lured to southern Mexico initially by mezcal, then fully converted by the food. Joseph, who runs the bar program and Julio, the head chef, met in the kitchen of Saison in San Francisco. Later, Jason and Joseph moved to Oaxaca to study Spanish with a side of food and mezcal and invited Julio to move down and help them open a restaurant. The rest is (delicious, flavorful and mouth-watering) history. El Destilado operates a full a la carte menu as well as two tasting menu options. There is also the opportunity for a beverage pairing, which generally includes Mexican craft beers and wines and, naturally, a lot of mezcal. These guys aren't strict on traditional preparations but are religious about using Oaxacan ingredients, bringing a dynamic perspective to quintessential Oaxacan cuisine. A favorite dish, for example, is their house made pasta with bottarga, XO and chorizo sauce, which is distinctly Oaxacan while channeling Italy at the same time. Critics claim dynamism within a near-perfect culinary tradition isn't needed, but once you enjoy a dinner at El Destilado you'll realize there's definitely room for creative extrapolation at the table.
Where to Stay
Need to visit but don't know where to start? You can't go wrong with choosing Oaxaca city as your homebase. You should also consider a tour. Eat.Drink.Cook.Mexico runs food and art-focused tours to the region, where you can join a previously scheduled group or hire owner and operator Elexia de la Parra to take you and your compadres around privately. As for where to stay, there are plenty of great options. The upscale Mexican chain Quinta Real has a stunning colonial property right in the center of Oaxaca city, which is worth a visit, even if you don't stay there. La Betulia is a recently renovated bed and breakfast owned by a charming young couple, offering stylish, private rooms centered around a courtyard, as well as an out-of-this-world home cooked breakfast every morning.
Jackie Bryant
Jackie Bryant is a San Diego-based freelance cannabis, food, travel, spirits, wine, design, and sex writer.
