Dear Annie,
Mercado 20 de Noviembre (with perhaps 50 indoor food stalls): https://thelamalist.com/tag/mercado-20-de-noviembre/
Thanks for your email.
I am happy for you.
Oaxaca is a wonderful place!
I am glad that my "guide booklet" was helpful.
What dates would you like to rent a habitacion in Oaxaca?
I look forward to your reply.
Pax et amor
Alan
PS Here is the list of Oaxacan restaurants I promised:
Dear Annie,
Here is my list of best Historic District restaurants.
Even if you are vegetarian, you must visit the "Grilled Meat Hall" (El Pasillo de Humo) at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, just a couple blocks south of the Zocalo. If you go all the way to the back end of the Grilled Meat Hall, you enter into a huge space occupied by scores of women-operated restaurants that are small, unenclosed, and chock-a-block adjacent to one another. (In turn, El Mercado Hidalgo, adjacent to 20 de Noviembre, is also worth a visit.)
A good, inexpensive way to eat throughout Latin America is to frequent those restaurants -- especially mom-and-pop family restaurants - that offer "comida corrida" or "el menu del dia". This "fixed menu" of "what's cooking" offers several courses (and a fruit juice) foods that change from day to day. I think it's true that comida corrida/menu del dia typically receives more attention in its preparation. "Comida corrida" usually costs from $2.50 U.S. to $4.00 U.S. (There is a good comida corrida restaurant at the northern corner of the street where I might reserve a habitacion for you. It is not the restaurant right at the corner, but rather just across the street. The restaurant has no name, but does have a chalk-written menu -- supported by a chain from above -- prominently positioned in the doorway which is wide open to the street whenever the restaurant is open, usually to 5 or 6 in the afternoon.)
The food stalls in Parque Llano are superb. The taco "truck" on the south side. The elotes (corn on the cob) on the west side. Trust me. Buy your elote "with everything on it." And the freshly-fried artisan potato chip "truck" on the east side of Parque Llano. I have led groups who wanted to eat here every night.
You'll have to make up your own mind about "street food", but I trust any street food sold in the Historic District - and probably outside the Historic District as well. Similarly, I don't think twice about eating salads or other vegetables in Oaxaca's historic district restaurants.
*****
Here is an updated review of Historic District restaurants which I first composed several months ago for my sister:
Dear Janet,
But I used to pop into Casa Oaxaca, El Restaurante on my way home from gigs at La Alameda de Leon to listen to consistently good "latin jazz" in the main courtyard, just the other side of the vestibule.
If you can believe a couple thousand user reviews, it's a great eatery. https://www.
Casa Oaxaca's rooftop dining area is highly touted.
*****
The other restaurants on my A-list for relaxed evening meals are the following - and more or less in this order:
Boulenc: https://www.
Xaok: Great two-year-old restaurant. In the following link breakfasts are featured but all the food is great. And it's directly opposite Parque Conzatti, an exceedingly lovely (and overlooked) park. https://oaxacaculture.com/2023/10/breakfast-in-oaxaca-xaok/
Casa Celia, a great restaurant with a Mexican chef trained in Barcelona. Superb paella, but you can't go wrong. Reasonably priced. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150801-d24519901-Reviews-Casa_Celia-Oaxaca_Southern_Mexico.html
Taniperla operated by Chiapas "ex-pats," some of whom only speak their native American language: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150801-d24852775-Reviews-Restaurante_Taniperla_Oaxaca-Oaxaca_Southern_Mexico.html
La Catedral: https://www.
Origen (where I have not eaten before, is supposedly one of Mexico's 250 best restaurants): https://www.
Berlina: (Yes, a German restaurant in the middle of Oaxaca's Historic District. Good food. Good beer. And a very sweet German who operates the restaurant with his Oaxacan wife. Oaxacans like Berlina as much as furriners.) https://www.
Gourmand: https://www.
El Azador Vasco: A quite good restaurant whose additional charm is the way it overlooks the zocalo so that you almost always get an earful of good Mexican music. (When I eat here, I make reservation for a balcony table.) https://www.
Los Danzantes (For me, this moderately pricey restaurant is too dimly lit after sunset. There is also a great cocktail nook with sofas and puffy chairs. https://www.
Ocote Cocina: https://www.tripadvisor.es/Restaurant_Review-g150801-d21498554-Reviews-Ocote_Cocina-Oaxaca_Southern_Mexico.html
Mezzaluna Pizzeria has good dining rooms and a great rooftop eating space. I assume the owner-chef will still twirl-and-throw pizzas for your amusement. https://www.
Tacos Alvaro is a GREAT Mexican comfort food restaurant, especially if pozole is your comfort foot of choice as it is for me. At some point, I think we "must" eat here so that everyone knows what a great bowl of pozole tastes like. https://www.yelp.com/biz/
Tacomer is another taqueria/pozoleria is another eatery that's open late: https://www.yelp.com/
Both Tacos Alvaro and Tacomer are highly-recommended and inexpensive taquerias.
Terranova (is a quite good eatery, especially their daily special, and it's located on the zocalo. The street level and balcony level are both fun. If you find yourself in the zocalo and want an amiable place with great fresh juices and good ground level - or balcony level - "people watching", this is a good choice. If I recall correctly, Terranova (upstairs) also offers a very good buffet breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.)
Tres Bistro Restaurant (confusing listed as Tr3s 3istro Restaurant & Oyster Bar
is located on the second floor of a building near the NW corner of Oaxaca's zocalo. Great paella, but you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. (Tres Bistro has an elevator): https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150801-d5612563-Reviews-Tr3s_3istro_Restaurant_Oyster_Bar-Oaxaca_Southern_Mexico.html
La Crepe: Not a great restaurant, but a good restaurant with some very good offerings. Wonderful balconies with tables for 3 that look out on Iglesia Santo Domingo and the Andador Turistico immediately below.
Testavin - Most inexpensive table wine in Oaxaca, and good food to boot: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150801-d6738194-Reviews-Tastavins-Oaxaca_Southern_Mexico.html
La Cosecha organic food court:
Seafood?
"Mariscos Las Palmitas" - Very good, reasonably priced restaurant, at the northeast end of Parque Llano, Oaxaca's largest and most relaxing park, with lots of good street food and artistic happenings, especially music and dance - a 10 minute walk from Jalatlaco. https://restaurantguru.com/Las-Palmitas-Oaxaca
"Marisqueria La Red" right across the street from "Mercado La Merced", which is Jalatlaco's public market - a great place to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables (and more). https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150801-d1965318-Reviews-Marisqueria_La_Red-Oaxaca_Southern_Mexico.html
La Rambla Antojeria (is another universally lauded restaurant.)
RATINGS
Food: *****
Service *****
Value *****
On Mon, May 23, 2022 at 5:16 PM ARO wrote:
Hi Alan!Thank you so much for your reply and for all of your helpful information! I am so sorry for how long it's taken me to respond - the last few months have been super busy with wrapping up school.I will be staying in Oaxaca for about 4-5 days after my initial homestay and I am still in the process of planning what I will be doing during that time. Would it still be possible to hear your recommendations on the habitacion you mentioned? If not, I understand and have been looking into different options.I so appreciate you sending me the blog post and am getting so excited to travel to Oaxaca soon!Thank you so much!!AnnieOn Fri, Apr 1, 2022 at 1:12 PM Alan Archibald <alanarchibaldo@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Annie,Of course I remember you!I think you'll find lots of good ideas about "getting to know Oaxaca" in this blog post:My Best "Short Guide" To Oaxaca, The Mexican City Where I Live And Work Over Winter
How long will you be in Oaxaca beyond your initial two week homestay.There's a good chance I can help arrange a lovely, reasonably-priced habitacion for you in my favorite colonial barrio, Jalatlaco.I know your parents are concerned about your safety in Oaxaca, but I have never heard of ANY crime in Jalatlaco and I walk around - even in the dead of night - without any thought to my personal security.My landlord in Jalatlaco, Profesor Rodrigo Vargas Diaz, is a theater person at heart, and has a presence on Oaxaca TV.He is also an accomplished scholar who speaks several languages.As a Spanish language teacher, Rodrigo works closely with my best Oaxacan friend, Alma Delia Blas --- also a Spanish language teacher and a sweetheart --- who will, if you'd like, take you under her wing.I look forward to hearing from you.Pax et amorAlanPS I will soon send you an annotated list of Oaxacan restaurants which I just put together for a group of friends and family members who started to arrive yesterday and continue arriving today.
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