Luckily, Oaxaca City is full of great coffee. We love the espresso based drinks at Café El Volador. If you like sweet cinnamon flavors, try it the local way: café de olla in a clay mug. (Poppy’s favorite!).

For an authentic Oaxacan breakfast, be sure to try “huevos al comal en hoja santa” (eggs cooked in the hoja santa leaf with tortilla on the comal). For baked goods, try a concha or croissant at Boulenc Pan Bakery or focaccia at Pan con Madre. Criollo also has a window-service bakery and coffee bar that is 10/10. If you need a green juice, we love the vibes at NAGANDA Juguería.

We’re so excited for everyone to try the food in the city… many people travel to Oaxaca for the food alone! The city has almost 23 restaurants featured in the Michelin guide. Enrique Olivera, owner of Pujol, says the best Oaxacan food is found in the city markets. We hope to share some of our favorite dishes during our wedding events, however, we also recommend checking out the market food stalls at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Levadura de Olla Restaurante, or Las Danzantes.

If you are open to a 15 min taxi ride, we’ve heard crazy good things about the food at Restaurante Alfonsina from our friends, Conrad & Destinee. For a classic Oaxacan meal as a group, we love the authentic vibes at Catedral Restaurant.

Our favorite blue corn quesadillas with Oaxacan cheese and squash blossoms (flores de calabaza) can be found at Itaoni and many a street vendor. Poppy and Ajay’s mom had an amazing vegetarian mole at Los Andantes Terrazza, the rooftop restaurant of Hotel Los Amantes. Guacamole and Esquites are essential Oaxacan vegetarian appetizers that always hit. Labo Fermento combines Mexican ingredients and asian fermentation processes for food that is great for the gut. For my vegan friends, there are two incredible spots, Herbivora and Catarán, right next to each other that serve Oaxacan classics (the tacos are amazing).

There are many places to buy souvenirs in Oaxaca. From city stalls selling textiles and alebrijes (carved wooden animals), authentic pottery studios selling red and black clay plates, to high-end sculptures and paintings.

Colectivo 1050 sources all of their products from local artisans in nearby villages, they have a great assortment of home goods made from clay. The work of artists at Tierra Quemada are worth browsing.

If you have time and are interested in visiting the nearby villages of Teotitlán del Valle (for textiles), San Bartolo Coyotepec (black clay), or San Marcos Tlapazola (red clay):

  • Mujeres Del Barro Rojo – Collective of women in San Marcos Tlapazola who specialize in red clay. You can visit them to hear their stories and see them make different types of pottery.

  • Niviet Ru Zaa (Lazo Family) - Family-run and women-owned textile mill that makes different types of rugs out of all natural dyes in Teotilan del Valle.

  • Casa Viviana - Family-run candle making home and studio, made from Beeswax candles. You can see them create all different types of candles and learn about the special Zapotec wedding candles. (Really beautiful article in Vogue about this family!)