Traveling to Oaxaca | Part 2
I realized that my Oaxaca experience was too long for just one blog post, especially if I wanted to dive a little deeper into the food history. SO here’s part two of my trip focusing on the food and drinks we enjoyed. And if you haven’t yet, be sure to read the first part of my Oaxaca travels where I talk about all that we did while we were there.
First off we need to start with coffee shops, because that’s how every day started for us.
Coffee:
One thing about my sister, cousin, and I, is that we are into good coffee. I had looked up a few cafes before even traveling there. Marito & Moglie was my favorite. They have really good breakfast dishes, and really good coffee. So good, I brought two bags home with me.
We also liked going to Cafe Brujula. We went there a few times for breakfast and mid-day coffee. It’s a chain, so there were several locations around Oaxaca that we stepped into.
There was one cafe, Muss Cafe, that we went to that had a great little workspace, and coffee. After ordering breakfast and waiting a while for it, I got more and more embarrassed that I went all the way to Mexico and ordered avocado toast. Haha. It was really good though.
Food:
Our first day in Mexico we had scheduled an embroidery workshop in the morning, so after getting ready, we went to a coffee shop next to where we were staying before we started walking to our destination. It turns out that we walked an hour in the wrong direction, and we about an hour late to the workshop. However, we were glad we had fueled up on caffeine before. Once the workshop was over, we were all super hungry. We ended up getting a recommendation to a restaurant a few steps from where we were called, Ancestral Cocina Tradicional. It was amazing, and our first real taste of Oaxacan food.
First of all the drinks were amazing. I can’t even describe what was in this drink, but it was a Dia de los Muertos special, and I’m disappointed I only got one. We ordered a cheese plate and a memela (reminded me of a sope, but thinner) appetizer to share. We didn’t want to fill up too much, so we could still enjoy a nice dinner.
After our late lunch appetizers, we roamed Oaxaca and found our way back to our hotel before heading out to Xoxocotlan a surrounding town to see beautifully adorned grave sites. We ended up getting back pretty late and finding a place to eat and have drinks. I was so tired, and my phone was dying that I failed to take pictures.
The next day was our all day tour. We grabbed a quick coffee to go, and headed to our meeting spot for transportation. We had a lunch break after visiting the mezcaleria at a very nice buffet. It was around lunch time so my cousin and I ordered a drink. It was VERY blue. It was also VERY boozy, so we were only able to finish about half. I tried a little bit of everything from the buffet, and you bet I went back for seconds. I tried arroz, pollo con mole, papas, flautas, beans and cheese, and a memela. It was all very good, and hit the spot before we continued our tour.
Again, after a full day of exploring, my phone was dying, and some of us in our party (not me or my cousin) were getting a little hangry, so we desperately looked for a place to eat. We had to have walked into like 5 different places, and they were either closed, or had a 45-60 minute wait. And we walked into place and got seated within 10 minutes. It was a miracle. I enjoyed a local beer, and a tlayuda. We were told that a tlayuda was a must try when in Oaxaca, and it was! It’s a is a large, thin, crunchy, partially fried or toasted tortilla covered with a spread of beans, lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat, Oaxaca cheese, and salsa. We were so hungry that I didn’t even write down the name of the restaurant.
The next day was my favorite. We schedule a cooking class for the late afternoon, so in the morning we visited a cafe for a light breakfast (more on all the cafes we visited below) so we would have room for our huge meal later.
And I’m so glad we kept it light in the morning, because my favorite place to eat was at Sonia’s house, which was part of the cooking workshop. Her home was the perfect setting, for the class, and the food was incredible. I would take this class every single time I went to Oaxaca.
They offered us about 10 different types of mezcal. While it was all mezcal, we tried different infusions, from mint, to different fruits, and foods. We had some orange and snacks to cleanse the palette between shots. We even got to taste super fresh Oaxacan cheese that was made that morning in house. After our lesson on mezcal, we had our fill in appetizers, including tostadas, memelas, and tetelas. We learned how to make blue corn tortillas that were used to make tetelas. I mentioned memelas are like sopes, but tetelas are like a triangle stuffed quesadilla. These were filled with huitlacoche which is the fungus that grows on corn, like a mushroom. It might sound strange, but mix it with onions and it’s amazing.
We also had two different types of mole, made from food grown in their own home garden. I mean this was the best meal I had in Oaxaca. Just when I thought I couldn’t eat more, dessert was brought out with more mezcal. We had sorbet topped with a shot, as well as cafe de la olla, chocolate caliente, and a little pound cake. It was all amazing. When I come back, I’m for sure taking her workshop again.
On our last day in Oaxaca we went to Restaurante Catedral. We passed it so many times walking around the city, and had several people recommend it to us. Even though I felt like I had been eating and eating and eating, I didn’t want to waste my last meal. So we ordered a tamale appetizer with this amazing cheese sauce. And for my meal, I ordered a tlayuda. (I just couldn’t get enough tlayudas.)
Drinks:
Even though I enjoyed a cocktail with my meals, there were a few times when we were walking around and saw a fun place for a drink and went in for a beer. The beers in Mexico are so good. My favorite is Indio. Since we were in the land of mezcal, I wanted to try as many cocktails as possible. And they were all just so good!
And just like that, we left with our fill of good food and good drinks. When I come back to Oaxaca, I know where I’ll be going back. I feel like there’s still so much more to explore, eat, and drink. I hope my father will come back with me, I think he would like it.
What do you think? Do you want to come to Oaxaca with me??? Let’s explore some more!