What is the best restaurant in Oaxaca?+
For the kitchen itself, Levadura de Olla, the city's one Michelin star, where chef Thalía Barrios García cooks from corn and vegetables her own team sows. For the experience you will still be describing a year later, Alfonsina, the family restaurant of Pujol's mole madre chef Jorge León, forty minutes outside the centro. They are different answers to different questions, which is why both are on this list.
Which Oaxaca restaurants are in the Michelin Guide?+
Levadura de Olla holds the star. Xaok holds a Bib Gourmand for the second year running. Alfonsina is in the Guide's selection without a star or a Bib. Otro Oaxaca is in the Guide's hotel selection, which covers places to stay rather than restaurants. A star, a Bib Gourmand, a selection and a hotel selection are four different things, not levels of the same award.
Do I need reservations in Oaxaca?+
For half this list, yes. Levadura de Olla seats Tuesday to Saturday at 1, 4 and 7 and books through its own site. Alfonsina is reservation only. Copal takes OpenTable, Cesca books by phone, and the Chima workshop books on WhatsApp. Xaok's breakfast and Pan con Madre are the walk-ins.
How much does Alfonsina cost, and is it worth it?+
The fixed five-course dinner is 1,150 pesos per person, about 65 US dollars, and the drive is about forty minutes from the centro. It is worth it: one menu, cooked by the family of the chef who built Pujol's mole madre, in the village where he grew up. Book before you plan the rest of the trip, and remember it closes Tuesdays.
Where should I have breakfast in Oaxaca?+
Xaok, Thursday to Sunday mornings, for the Bib Gourmand seasonal menu. Otro Oaxaca from 7:15 any day if you want the design-hotel version. Pan con Madre from 8, Monday to Saturday, for sourdough and a croissant that costs about two dollars.
How do I get to Alfonsina?+
It is in San Juan Bautista la Raya, thirty to forty minutes from the centro by car and ten to twenty from the airport, so a late lunch there pairs well with a flight day. Take a taxi and book it for the return too, because you will not hail one in the village.
How much does eating in Oaxaca cost?+
This list runs the whole range. Pan con Madre is a two-dollar croissant. Levadura de Olla's à la carte is 190 to 490 pesos a plate, its tasting 1,810 with three drinks, and Alfonsina's menu is 1,150. Copal and Cesca sit in the middle at main-course prices. Figures were current when I filmed and they move, so treat them as a guide.
Can I visit Otro Oaxaca without staying there?+
Yes, two ways. Breakfast at Otro Sabor is open to anyone from 7:15, and the rooftop infinity pool facing Santo Domingo sells a day pass for 1,000 pesos, noon to five.
Is the cacao workshop worth 1,650 pesos?+
If chocolate means anything to you, yes. It is two hours hands on, you roast, peel and grind your own drinking chocolate, and what you make goes home with you. It runs in English or Spanish, minimum age fifteen, and it is the one thing on this list that is not a meal.
