Ultimate Oaxaca Street Food Guide: The 17 Things You Must Eat in Oaxaca Mexico

Curious about Street Food in Oaxaca Mexico?

Traditional Oaxaca foods are unique and incredibly regional, and Oaxaca City is often called the Foodie Capital of Mexico. In Oaxaca, there are amazing restaurants but you also don’t want to miss the amazing Oaxaca street foods.

You can get a glimpse into the thriving Oaxaca street food culture on Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America (Season 1, Episode 3, “Oaxaca, Mexico”). However, to really get to know this unique cuisine, you’ll have to visit Oaxaca.

🏆 Mexico Fun Facts: In 2010, UNESCO declared traditional Mexican food an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind. In plain English, this means Mexican food and Oaxacan recipes are cultural treasures worth preserving.

Though many think all Mexican food is just just tacos and burritos, neither of those foods play a major role in Oaxacan street food. In Oaxaca, it’s all about tlayudas, memelas and empanadas.

Of course, that’s just the tip of the Oaxaca street food iceberg! Ready to discover all the amazing street foods in Oaxaca City? Let’s get to it, starting with the king of Oaxaca street cuisine, the tlayuda.

15 Best Oaxaca Street Foods

1. Oaxaca Tlayudas

Tlayudas (pronounced tuh-lie-you-das) are the most beloved of all Oaxaca street food. Note: You might see it misspelled as clayuda, but “tlayuda” is the correct spelling for this beloved food Oaxaca has.

What is a tlayuda? They are often referred to as a Mexican pizza, because they do look like a pizza — though there’s no similarities in flavor to Italian pizza.

To make a tlayuda, you start out with a gigantic tortilla; larger than what you’d use for a burrito. The tortilla is smeared with asiento (unrefined pork lard), and placed to toast over charcoal or a traditional cooking comal.

This large, flat cooking surface is used for many Oaxaca street food dishes.

After toasting the tortilla on the comal for a few minutes, refried beans, tomatoes, onions, shredded lettuce or green cabbage and avocado are placed on top, along with quesillo.

This is the famous Oaxacan string cheese, beloved throughout Mexico and beyond. It is a fresh cheese made by hand and then rolled into a ball.

After cooking for another few minutes, the tlayuda is folded into fourths, and the Oaxaca cheese continues to melt. (Note: To really get the technique down, consider one of these best Oaxaca cooking classes.)

For those who want to add meat, it is usually just placed on top of the folded tlayuda. Most tlayuda shops offer tasajo, a dried jerky-style steak, and chorizo (red sausage).

For the best tlayudas in Oaxaca, head to the local markets.

🍽️ When & Where to Eat Tlayudas in Oaxaca

Oaxacan tlayudas are traditionally a nighttime food. While nowadays, as Oaxaca City’s tourism continues to grow, you can find shops selling them day and night, like Tlayudas Libres and Tlayudas El Negro.

If you can hold out, wait to join the locals for tlayudas after the sun goes down.

After dark, you’ll see vendors setting up small charcoal grills or comals outdoors. There are numerous places to eat tlayudas street-side all over Centro Historico Oaxaca City, as tlayudas are to Oaxaca City what pizza is to New York City.

Check out the “Oaxaca, Mexico” episode of Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America (Season 1, Episode 3) to see one of the most beloved places to eat tlayudas in Oaxaca City — Tlayudas La Chinita in Centro Histórico.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

2. Carne Asada in Smoke Kitchens

Carne asada is grilled meat, and this can be everything from beef to pork meat, depending on where you are in Mexico. In Oaxaca, the most interesting place to try carnes asadas is in a cocina de humo, or smoke kitchen.

🔥 Pasillo de Humo in Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Perhaps the most famous place to try carne asada in Oaxaca is in the Pasillo de Humo in Mercado 20 de Noviembre.

Pasillo de humo means “smoke alley” or “smoke hall,” but it also goes by names like meat alley or carne asada hall.

Here, you’ll buy meat by the kilo (or half-kilo) that’s grilled to order. The options change, but there’s usually always cecina (pork), tasajo (beef) and chorizo (sausage), among others.

Your meat is then served to you with fresh tortillas and various side dishes. For a few pesos extra, you’ll want to add sides like salsa, guacamole, chile de agua (🌶️Warning: Very spicy), grilled onions and chicharrón (pork rinds).

Best Oaxaca Foods and Drinks

3. Memelas (Memelitas)

Memelas (pronounced mem-ell-uhs) are the most beloved Oaxaca antojitos. The word antojitos means “little snacks,” or appetizers. You might also see or hear them called memelitas (little memelas).

Commonly eaten earlier in the day for breakfast and lunch, memelas are basically open face tacos, though they use a thicker tortilla, similar to that of a sope.

They are made on a cooking comal, and topped with all ingredients including Oaxaca cheese, refried beans, your choice of meat and salsa.

Memelas are the perfect grab and go snack, but locals also head to the Oaxaca mercados (markets) to eat them. They are a popular Mexican breakfast dish in Oaxaca.

🤤 Memelas Doña Vale Oaxaca

You can try memelas from street vendors and in markets all over the city, but there’s one place more popular than the rest. In fact, some say it’s among the best places for memelas in Oaxaca, if not the best.

Memelas Doña Vale in Mercado Central de Abastos is a must-try on any Oaxaca City street food tour; it was featured on the Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America show (Season 1, Episode 3, “Oaxaca, Mexico”).

The chef and owner, Doña Vale (Ms. Vale), is known for her memelas and also her unique salsa morita. This delicious, hand-made salsa uses chile morita, a smoked jalapeño pepper that’s similar in taste to a smoky chipotle.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

4. Empanadas

Wondering, What is an empanada? It’s a type of handheld pie or turnover, often stuffed with meats, veggies and cheeses.

They’re among the most common Oaxaca foods, but also eaten in many other countries, like Argentina and Colombia. You can also find variations all over the world, like Cornish pasty in the UK and beef patties in Jamaica.

While visiting Oaxaca Mexico, keep your eyes peeled for food carts and street vendors selling empanadas de mole amarillo, or empanadas with yellow mole sauce.

There’s one in particular you may have seen on Oaxaca Street Food Netflix — and you’re about to find out what it is…

🥟 Mole Amarillo EMPANADAS at Empanadas del Carmen

There are 7 moles from Oaxaca, and mole negro (black mole) is the most popular. While you’ll often only find mole negro in restaurants, mole amarillo (yellow mole) is the one Oaxacan mole you eat as a street food.

Oaxacan empanadas de mole amarillo are stuffed with shredded chicken in yellow mole sauce. This bright yellow sauce gets its color from chilhuacle amarillo, a local yellow chili pepper from Oaxaca, Mexico.

📍 Empanadas del Carmen is a street cart located at Jesús Carranza 102, Ruta Independencia, Centro Histórico, 68000 Oaxaca, México. You can find it on Google Maps here.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

5. Molotes

In Mexico, there are a few types of empanadas. The first type is the half-moon shaped empanada, but there’s also the cigar-shaped molote.

You’ll also find them from street vendors and in restaurants as an antojito (appetizer). Like the half-moon empanadas, molotes come stuffed with a filling, usually beef, pork, or queso oaxaca (Oaxaca cheese).

best Oaxaca Street Foods

6. Tamales Oaxaqueños

Tamales are eaten almost everywhere in Mexico, though tamales oaxaqueños (Oaxacan tamales) are made a bit different.

In Mexico, a tamal consists of a masa (corn) mixture, which is often covered in a salsa or sauce, and steamed to cook. This part is the same in Oaxaca.

After preparing the masa, Oaxacan chefs place the mixture in a plantain (banana) leaf, unlike the more commonly-used corn husk.

Throughout Oaxaca, you’ll often see tamales called tamales hojas (leaf tamales), as hoja is the Spanish word for leaf.

🫔 Types of Oaxacan Tamales

There are a few kinds of savory Oaxacan tamales you’ll commonly find:

• Mole con pollo: Chicken in mole negro (black mole sauce) or Chicken in mole amarillo (yellow mole sauce)
• Rajas: Roasted poblano peppers
• Chipil: A local Oaxacan herb, and one of the most common wild herbs used in Oaxacan cooking
• Frijoles: Beans

There’s also a dessert version called tamales dulces (sweet tamales). This isn’t necessarily one of the more traditional tamales in Mexico, but they are common in Oaxaca — where you might also see chocolate tamales.

Tamales dulces are often pink in color and made with sweet ingredients like whole fruit pieces of raisins, pineapple and frutos rojos (red fruits, or berries), fruit marmalades and shredded coconut.

Tamales are everywhere in Oaxaca City, but head to Mercado 20 de Noviembre (November 20th Market) to sample all the varieties in one place.

This traditional Oaxaca market has a food hall section, where you can go to different stalls and try a variety of tamales under one roof.

You’ll also find other unique things like tejate (a pre-hispanic chocolate and corn drink), pan de yema (egg yolk bread), and caldo de piedra (stone soup).

best Oaxaca Street Foods

7. Tejate

Tejate (pronounced tay-ha-tay) is a centuries-old chocolate and corn drink. While that flavor combo may not sound appetizing, this ancient drink has stood the taste test of time.

In fact, Oaxacans love tejate so much, they often call it the bebida de los dioses, or, the drink of the gods.

Tejate is made by hand in large clay bowls, by liquifying a mixture of fermented cacao (chocolate) beans, toasted maize (corn), toasted pits of mamey (a tropical fruit), and flor de cacao (cacao flower).

If you’re wondering, tejate generally tastes like a more complex chocolate almond milk. It is served cold, and very refreshing on a hot Oaxaca day.

🏆 Best Tejate in Oaxaca City: Flor de Huayapam

Since it has been around since prehispanic times, each region, city and family will have their own unique tejate recipe. One such variation is said to have created the best tejate in Oaxaca.

Located about 20 minutes from Oaxaca City, the people in the small pueblo of Huayapam also add in a special flower called rosita de cacao (cacao rose). If you’re visiting Oaxaca City, you can sample it without even leaving Downtown.

You can try the famous Flor de Huayapam tejate in Marcado 20 de Noviembre. In my opinion, it really is the best tejate I’ve ever tried — and I rarely ever go to this market without getting some tejate from La Flor de Huayapam.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

8. Tetelas

Tetelas (pronounced tet-tell-uhs) are triangular-shaped hand pies. For Oaxaca vegetarian foods, these may become your go to since most tetelas don’t contain meat.

They are traditionally just stuffed with a black bean paste, a common Oaxacan black beans preparation, and quesillo string cheese.

Many tetelas also contain hoja de santa (holy leaf, or Mexican pepperleaf), a leaf from the pepper plant. The hoja de santa leaf is used in many Oaxacan dishes, but gives tetelas a unique flavor among Oaxacan street food options.

Cooked over a traditional Mexican comal, tetelas are served hot so the quesillo (Oaxaca cheese) thoroughly melts within the triangular pocket. Tetelas are easy to eat on the go as a Oaxacan street food.

Best Oaxaca Foods and Drinks

9. Garnachas Istmeñas: Oaxaca Isthmus Cuisine

Garnachas look similar to a sope or memela, but are more commonly associated with traditional Istmeño Oaxacan cuisine. This food comes from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, located on the coast of Oaxaca.

Oaxaca state has eight regional cuisines, including comida istmeña (Isthmus cuisine). There is a lot of seafood in Isthmian cuisine, and also similarities to Yucatan food from the Yucatan Peninsula.

You might also find garnachas in parts of Central America, particularly Belize and Costa Rica. For the best garnachas in Oaxaca City, head to Comedor Istmeño Casa Juchitan or Zandunga Oaxaca.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

10. Chapulines

If you are strolling the streets of Mexico City or Oaxaca City, you might encounter a peculiar-looking street food — chapulines, or grasshoppers in English.

These bite-sized snacks are toasted on a comal, a type of flat griddle popular in Mexico, and then seasoned with garlic, lime juice, salt and chilies.

Though not the food in Mexico most will gravitate towards, chapulines actually taste like salt and vinegar chips.

However, compared to salt and vinegar chips, chapulines offer a lot more protein so many would consider them a healthier snack.

In terms of texture, they are a bit crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Though you can find chapuline grasshoppers throughout Mexico (and even some places in Guatemala), they are most popular in Oaxaca State.

You’ll find them sold by the kilo from street vendors and in Oaxaca mercados (markets), and you can usually get chapulines at sports events as well. Some restaurants in Oaxaca also serve guacamole with chapulines.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

11. Nieves

Nieves means snow, and is basically a cross between a shaved ice and a fruit sorbet. They are made with fresh, local fruits, or sweet ingredients, then frozen, shaved and served.

You’ll find nieves in old school ice cream carts on the streets, especially on hot days. For the best nieves in Oaxaca City, head to the Plaza de las Nieves at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Church.

Since Central Mexico has a long growing season, there are always interesting flavors to try — like tuna (cactus pear), guanabana (soursop), zapote (mamey), maracuyá (passion fruit), and rose petals.

🍧 Other Best Oaxaca Desserts

If nieves sound yummy to you, be on the lookout for paletas (popsicles), raspados (shaved ice, sometimes called granizados) and mangonadas (a type of thick mango smoothie).

best Oaxaca Street Foods

12. Tortas

One of the most famous Mexicans sayings is about making sure to get your daily dose of Vitamin T — the T of course stands for tacos, but also for tamales and tortas.

As far as Mexico street foods go, the torta (sandwich) is just as important as the taco. While tacos are one of the most common Mexican lunch foods, many actually eat tortas for breakfast and/or lunch.

Different types of tortas are popular in different parts of Mexico, but most tend to use the same bolillo bread. This is a soft hoagie roll, and one of the most famous Mexican breads.

In Oaxaca City, you’ll also see many tortas made with telera bread. This is more circular than the oval-shaped bolillo bread. For some of the best tortas in Oaxaca City, head to Tortas La Hormiga.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

13. Quesadillas

Traditional Mexican quesadillas will vary a bit based on where you’re eating them. For example, Mexico City quesadillas don’t always have cheese — which is strange because the name contains the word “queso” (cheese).

However, in Oaxaca, pretty much any quesadillas you order will have cheese!

A quesadillas consists of one half of a large tortilla stuffed with your choice of meat, veggies and cheese, then folded over. After preparing the quesadilla, it gets cooked on a comal to melt the cheese and give the tortilla some crunch.

In Oaxaca, they usually use quesillo, which is the most popular Oaxaca cheese. Outside of Oaxaca, you will likely see this cheese called queso oaxaca, but in Oaxaca, it goes by the name quesillo (pronounced kay-see-yo).

best Oaxaca Street Foods

14. Atole

Atole (pronounced ah-toll-lay) is a traditional masa-based drink, and one of the most popular Mexican drinks. It is served hot, and especially delicious on those chilly Oaxaca City nights.

You can get atole two ways: vanilla or chocolate. The vanilla atole is the more traditional way, but there’s also chocolate atole which you might see called champurrado or atole chocolate.

You can get it year-round, but it’s especially popular in winter months and during the Oaxaca festivals like Day of the Dead in Oaxaca and Las Posadas, one of the main Mexico Christmas traditions.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

15. Tacos in Oaxaca

While tacos aren’t exactly a traditional Oaxaca food — this is Mexico after all, so you have to eat some tacos in Oaxaca.

You can find everything from tacos al pastor, the most famous of all types of Mexican tacos, to tacos al vapor, the famous steamed tacos which many call the best street tacos in Oaxaca.

🏆 Best Oaxaca tacos: Lechoncito de Oro

Lechoncito de Oro is a must try taqueria — and you might have seen it on an episode of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix! Are they the best tacos Oaxaca has?! You’ll have to try them and be the judge of that.

This late-night street taco stand only serves tacos de lechón con chicharrón (pork tacos topped with crispy pork rinds) and tacos de pierna (pork leg) tacos, so try one of each. You can also get the meat in a tostada or torta.

During the day, their taco cart isn’t even there, as they only open from about 8pm-1am (or later on weekends). To find it, head to the street corner of Calle de los Libres and Calle Murguía in downtown.

There’s always a wait, especially on weekends, and people start to line up even before they open. However, it’s worth the wait for these delicious tacos — which many consider the best tacos in Oaxaca City.

🌮 Note: For similar tacos at a place that usually doesn’t have a wait, head to Taquería Ta’ Bihui in Downtown Oaxaca City. It’s a casual restaurant, not one of the city’s street food stands, but the tacos are similar.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

16. Aguas Frescas

Aguas frescas are fresh fruit waters, and you’ll find them in almost all regions of Mexico. Various fruits are used, as aguas frescas contain whatever’s abundant, and different indigenous groups may use fruits you’ve never heard of!

For a uniquely Oaxacan culinary experience, head to the Casilda Aguas Regionales stand in Mercado de Benito Juarez (Benito Juarez Market), one of the best Oaxaca markets.

🧋 Aguas Casilda

Opened in 1926 by the late Casilda Flores Morales, this famous spot is where the locals go for their aguas frescas. These aguas frescas got so famous they took on a name of their own, and are known specifically as aguas casildas.

At this stand, make sure to try the chilacayote, a recipe that’s been passed down through the Casilda family for generations. For fans of cinnamon, you’ll love the chilacayote aguas casilda in Mercado 20 de Noviembre.

best Oaxaca Street Foods

17. Camotes

You may hear the camotes vendor coming before you see them! In fact, many Oaxaca visitors have been startled by their loud whistle — so if you’re in Oaxaca and you hear a loud steam whistle at night, now you know what it is.

Mexican camotes vendors sell both camotes (sweet potatoes) and plantains (bananas). Both come steamed in a portable cooking vessel that looks like it was plucked from another time.

You can eat the steamed sweet potatoes or steamed bananas as they come, or you can get them with some lechera (sweetened, condensed milk) on top.

Oaxaca Street Foods: Frequently Asked Questions

Also, Oaxaca is in central Mexico, which has what’s known as the Eternal Spring climate. This means there’s a lot of food that can grow year-round, so cooks and chefs in Oaxaca constantly have access to fresh ingredients.

What are the best Oaxaca cookbooks?

▶︎ Buy on Amazon

▶︎ Buy on Amazon

▶︎ Buy on Amazon

If you can’t leave the United States to experience the food in Oaxaca Mexico in person, pick up one of the Oaxacan cook books. They are the next best thing to understand traditional Oaxacan food!

Among the best ones, check out The Food of Oaxaca Cookbook, Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico and Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy.

Both Mexico cookbooks and Oaxacan food cookbooks make an amazing Mexico gift for the foodie in your life who wants to make Oaxaca recipes at home. 📚 Love books? Check out these 35 Best Books on Mexico.

Best Oaxaca Foods and Drinks

What are the best Oaxaca food tours?

The most fun way to experience and enjoy Mexican Oaxacan food is with a local to guide you to all the best food in Oaxaca City, and all the hidden gems in this foodie town!

If you’re traveling to Oaxaca soon, check out these amazing Oaxaca food tours.

You haven’t had real Mexican food unless you’ve had food that’s made in Mexico — and who better to show you all the best spots than a Oaxaca local.

If you don’t want to be stuck at the tourist traps, book a Oaxaca Mexico food tour.

Final Thoughts: Oaxaca Street Food Guide

From chocolate and mole, to grasshoppers, memelas and tacos, there’s a whole world of flavors and textures awaiting you in Oaxaca Mexico.

Though this list just scratches the surface of all the delicious food to try in Oaxaca, Mexico, it definitely shows that there’s more to Mexico than just tacos — though Mexico tacos are undoubtedly the best on Earth.

Oaxaca cuisine is still very much connected to its deep, pre hispanic roots, and among the best traditional food in the world. A complex food, it is also very humble, and many say best enjoyed from street vendors.

Oaxaca state itself is charming, well known for the Oaxaca Day of the Dead celebration, but also as an off the beaten path Mexico foodie destination. It’s fast becoming one of the world’s culinary meccas.