Oaxaca is one of Mexico's great food cities, and much of its best cooking happens far from white tablecloths. Writer Suzanne Barbezat suggests starting the day the way locals do: with café de olla, coffee brewed in a clay pot with cinnamon and brown sugar, or a cup of hot chocolate with sweet bread for dunking. A hearty market breakfast will carry you comfortably to Mexico's traditionally late lunch.
Mercado de la Merced is a beloved breakfast stop, home to cozy fondas serving dishes like chilaquiles, fried tortillas bathed in spicy tomato sauce and crowned with fresh cheese and onion. Inside Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Comedor María Teresa ladles out rich mole with chicken and rice or rolled into enchiladas, plus bowls of milky chocolate for dipping egg-yolk bread.
Follow the smoke
The same market hides one of the city's most memorable meals: the grilled-meat aisle. Pick your raw cuts from the butchers, watch them sizzle over the coals, then grab a seat at the long communal tables with salsa, guacamole and tortillas from roving vendors. On a day trip to Ocotlán, a market cook known for her uncanny resemblance to Frida Kahlo serves chiles rellenos and mole.
When night falls, the grills move outdoors. Tlayudas Libres fires up around 9 p.m. and keeps going into the small hours, folding giant tortillas around bean paste, stringy quesillo and your choice of meat until crisp. For a sweeter finish, stroll the historic center and grab corn from a cart, either on the cob or in a cup, loaded with lime, cheese and chile.
Source: AFAR
