7 Best Restaurants in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca

In Colonia Reforma, this café is, as its name suggests, a more informal version of the Casa Oaxaca restaurant in the historic center. This open-air, garden-themed restaurant maintains the same incredibly high levels of food preparation and presentation, and the same attentive service, but with a menu suited more to breakfast and lunch, featuring more fruit, salads, and lighter options. One of the highlights is the huitlacoche omelet served with pumpkin flowers, and bathed in chile guajillo salsa, a true taste of Oaxaca.

A neon sign bearing the namesake hummingbird draws you to this little cafeteria. Mothers who have packed their kids off to school and cell-phone-toting business executives favor this place, perhaps for its free refills of super-hot coffee and the extensive menu of Mexican favorites. If you're homesick, you can always order a burger with fries. While you wait, browse in the gift shop. The restaurant is across from the ADO bus station, making it a great escape from the crowded waiting area.

This contemporary Italian restaurant sits within one of the colonial houses of Jalatlaco, one of the oldest parts of the city. Toscana was one of the first successful Italian restaurants in the city and still provides an eclectic menu, focusing on a wide range of pizzas, pastas, and seafood. Sitting under its archways, looking out on the rock garden, you might think you are in Italy. The cocktail menu aids your relaxation, and the food, when it arrives, is always crisp and flavorsome. Afterwards, a stroll around the picturesque neighborhood and a visit to the church are great ways to digest the food.

Luvina’s aim is to create a range of tastes, smells, and textures prevalent in Oaxaca and transform them into culinary creations. The restaurant, inspired by the works of Juan Rulfo, does just that. The elegant dining space, a few blocks away from the main city-center streets, offers just enough peace and serenity for the restaurant goer to be able to interpret and understand the complex flavors found in the local ingredients. The chef, Carlos Garcia, aims to take each diner on a culinary journey through the real and imaginary worlds of Rulfo’s writings.

Local families and expats in the know come here for a seafood fix. The ceviches are delicious, as are the whole-fried-fish platters and the shrimp specials. Margaritas, too, are best-in-class, and a wonderful baked banana dessert comes with condensed milk, cream, and rummy eggnog. This, the original branch, where you can enjoy your meal out in a lovely, fern-shaded garden, is a breakfast-and-lunch-only place, closing at 6 pm. Another branch on Calzada de Porfirio Diaz isn't quite as cute.

Sabina Sabe is one of the newest mezcal bar–restaurants in the city, and its enviable location on the zócalo makes it a welcome addition for tourists looking to move away from the traditional tourist dining options. The menu is filled with fresh, locally sourced plates and a wide range of drink options including beers, mezcals, and cocktails. It is the perfect place to while away the late afternoon with a small plate and a drink in hand.

With folding glass windows opening out onto the foliage of trees overhanging the bustling zócalo, Tres Bistro offers a classy retreat from the bustling square. You can see the glitter of the twinkling lights and hear the music of the marimbas down below. The menu offers a range of traditional Oaxacan dishes alongside contemporary pastas, pizzas, lasagna, and seafood, so it's good for people traveling with young children who might not take to some of the more traditional Oaxacan offerings, while the adults can savor some different tastes. Unlike most upper-floor restaurants, this one also has an elevator.