4 Best Restaurants in Oaxaca, Mexico

Don’t let the location down a dusty dirt road scare you from dining at this breezy restaurant in the boutique hotel Villas Carrizalillo. Perched on a terraced cliff overlooking the white-sand crescent of Carrizalillo Beach, Espadín offers a winning combination of sophisticated cuisine and stunning ocean views (try to arrive at sunset). Even at its busiest, the ambience is pure romance, thanks to the soaring palapa roof, fresh flowers, and attentive service. Popular menu choices include perfectly grilled whole red snapper, a delicate roasted beet–and–Oaxacan cheese salad, and chicken in a fragrant mole negro. Finish your meal off with an artisanal mezcal. On weekends, there's often a guitarist playing soft ballads. It's open all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

A 10% gratuity is included in the bill.

Welcoming chef-owners Shalxali and Quetzalcoatl Zurita focus on presenting traditional Zapotec, Mayan, and Mixteco ingredients in contemporary ways. Begin your evening with a margarita made with seasonal fruits such as prickly pear or mandarin, and then embark on a culinary adventure of new tastes such as tixinda (a local mollusk) appearing in a refreshing salad rather than the more traditional tamale, or beef tenderloin wrapped in fragrant hoja santa leaf (Mexican pepperleaf). Opting for the five-course tasting menu is a good way to dive in. If you like beer, try a Bendita, which is brewed in the town of Santa Catarina Juquila, the pilgrimage site of the Virgin of Juiquila, midway between Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca City. Although the restaurant lacks a view, its earthy, minimalist decor is stylish, and the location in the heart of the Rinconada restaurant row offers interesting people-watching.

This lively street-side café-bakery-restaurant is a hub for locals, visitors, and those passing through; everything you need to know is being passed around by word of mouth here. Almost always full but with speedy service, the restaurant is best known for its hearty breakfasts, Mexican specialties such as enchiladas and quesadillas, aguas de frutas (fruit water), and reliable Wi-Fi. Kid-friendly chow such as hamburgers and spaghetti plus sturdy high chairs make it extra appealing to families with toddlers. The daily special is an especially good deal. Popular bakery items include fruit-filled pastries, whole-wheat bread, and cinnamon buns. There's another branch—slightly spiffier but minus the view—on La Rinconada

There's no kids' menu, but you get 30% off on half orders of any dish.

When you're looking for a bite to eat on your day at the beach, choose between poolside service or a table at the more upscale Pez Gallo restaurant. The latter offers inventive Mexican cuisine and great views. After, join a baby-turtle release, hang out at the swim-up bar, watch a free movie at nightfall, go for a long walk, or just lounge in a hammock at this expansive beach club set directly on Playa Bacocho. Even during peak periods, the large, free-form swimming pool never feels crowded. A playground, their own swimming pool, and a kids' menu will make little ones happy.

Arrive early to snag a prime lounger and for happy hour noon–1 daily.