Oaxacan cooking has a great reputation in Mexico. It makes use of more ingredients from the lowlands than central Mexican cooking. It's known for its moles, and for a wide variety of chiles, many of which you don't find in other parts of the country.
If you're curious to know more about Oaxacan cooking, Zapotec Tours (tel. 800/446-2922 in the U.S.) organizes a weeklong trip to the city in early October. The "Food of the Gods Festival" includes dining at different restaurants, cooking classes, a tour of the market, and field trips. For good coffee, espresso, or other, go to Café Nuevo Mundo (tel. 951/501-2122) at M. Bravo 206.
Oaxacan Street Food
Unless it's during a festival, don't be surprised to find many restaurants empty. Oaxaqueños do not frequent restaurants but do like eating in market and street stalls. They favor foods such as tacos, tamales, tlayudas (12-in. tortillas, slightly dried, with a number of toppings), and quesadillas (in Oaxaca, large tortillas heated on the comal -- a flat, earthenware pan -- or among the coals, with several types of fillings). For adventurous diners, here are my picks for enjoying the people's food.
Quesadillas are a morning food, and the best place to eat them is in La Merced market (on Murguía, about 10 blocks east of Alcalá), where you'll find a number of food stalls. Everyone has a favorite; mine is La Florecita, and my favorite quesadilla comes with huitlacoche. The following places open only at night. For tacos, a little taquería (taco stand) called Tacos Sierra (on Morelos, a half-block west of Alcalá) is a Oaxacan institution. It makes simple tacos with pork filling and a spicy salsa, but I can never order enough. It closes when the pork runs out, usually by 10pm. Don't expect these tacos to come cheap. Another taquería is El Mesón, which is across from the northeast corner of the zócalo at Hidalgo 805. It offers tacos de la parrilla (grill) and de olla (clay pot). For tlayudas, seek out a hole-in-the-wall on Constitución around the corner from Libres, El Chepil. They come with a number of toppings, and with tasajo (dried beef) or cecina (pork rubbed with red chile) on the side. If you don't like lard, tell them that you want yours sin asiento. For tamales, find the woman who sets up her little stand on Avenida Hidalgo and 20 de Noviembre, in front of the pharmacy. She often doesn't get there until 7:30pm, but when she does, she quickly draws a crowd that buys tamales to go -- six flavors, and my favorite is always the last one I've eaten. Since you're in Oaxaca, you might want to ask for a tamal made with mole negro, mole amarillo, or chepil (an herb).
