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El Naranjo
203 Trujano, located just one block west of the zocalo.
Serving contemporary Oaxaca food based on old family recipes.
Low keyed music in the background and the work of
contemporary Oaxacan artists displayed on the walls lend an
intimate atmosphere to this good sized interior patio. One of
Oaxaca's seven moles is featured each day and there are many
delicious variations of chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) - from
mild to hot.Unusual dishes include a cream soup of smoky
chipotle chili and nuts and a spinach salad with jicama, bacon,
and red hibiscus flowers. Specialties include Oaxaca's seven
moles and organic salads, as well as special chiles filled with
traditional ingredients.
Casa Oaxaca the Restaurant
The city of Oaxaca is well known for the creativity of its
interpretation of traditional Mexican dishes, and Casa Oaxaca el
Restaurante is one of the first restaurants in town to offer
Mexican nouvelle cuisine. The gifted chef Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo
creates imaginative nouvelle Mexican dishes with a light but
sure touch. Dining is in the elegant covered patio as well as in
an intimate room located just off the kitchen. With prime fresh
products of Oaxaca and the coast, he prepares gourmet
specialties. Creative dishes include squash blossom stuffed with
fresh cheese and honey; fanciful soups and salads. A superb main
dish is pork with mancha manteles mole. Alejandro also conjures
up mouthwatering concoctions with fresh sea bass as well as
roasted duck and rack of lamb.
For dinner, the chef is available to prepare whatever you
might like to eat (if in season), but you should make
reservations at least a day in advance.
Marco Polo (formerly Los Jorges)
Pino Suarez 806, facing the Parque Paseo Juarez ("Llano
park"). A coastal oasis in the city of Oaxaca. Fresh seafood is
flown in daily from the Oaxacan coast. Start with shrimp tacos
and an ice-cold beer followed by red snapper cooked in their
outdoor, wood burning, adobe oven. Full Bar Service. Outdoor
garden seating is a great start to a lazy afternoon. Open for
breakfast and lunch only. Specializing in Mexican Style Seafood
( Oven-baked, Broiled or Fried ), Fish Fillets, Whole Fish,
Shrimp, Crab, Seafood Soup, Ceviche, and Shrimp Cocktail.
House Specialties: Seafood Chile Relleno, Stuffed Crab,
Seafood Tacos, Seafood Shish kabob, Breaded Oysters and more A
quarry stone entrance leads you into a tropical garden, with
tall trees and thick foliage, making for a tropical costal
atmosphere right in the middle of Oaxaca. With fresh seafood and
a relaxing ambiance, Marco Polo offers the sights, sounds, and
sensations of a coastal seafood house. Open every day (except
Tuesday) for breakfast and lunch.
Los Pacos
121 Abasolo. Located just north of the Camino Real hotel,
this brightly decorated restaurant provids excellent service to
its patrons who come for the fresh spinach salads and mole
colorado and more (try their mole sampler). 10 tables in the
main dining room, and 4 tables on the roof deck offering a great
view of the Oaxacan sky.
El Asador Vasco
Portal de Flores 11, upstairs from Del Jardin, on the west
side of the main square (the Zocalo) next to the Señorial Hotel.
Basque and Mexican cuisine, deliciously rich black mole on
chicken, a spicy sopa de tortilla and rich camarones al ajillo
are served in this prizewinning restaurant, along with a
sumptuous gratinée of oysters in chipotle chili sauce. With its
terrific location and good food it is well deserving of its
reputation and worth a visit. Later in the evening you'll hear
serenading by traditionally dressed student minstrels - evoking
medieval Spain.
Often, marimba music floats up from the restaurant below at the
same time. Of the restaurants circling the main square, this is
your best bet. It certainly offers the best dining seating in
the area with tables that overlook the zócalo from a
second-floor stone archway. Take your pick of purely Mexican
specialties such as chiles rellenos, moles, carne asada or
dishes with a European twist like the snapper cooked in olive
oil and chile guajillo. Be sure to request a balcony table
overlooking the zocalo (reservations recommended on weekends and
holidays). Open 1 p.m. to midnight.
Hosteria de Alcalá
Alcala 307, 3 block from the Zocalo. A lovely indoor patio,
with tables surrounding a fountain, offers Oaxacan specialties
as well as other national cuisine. Live music on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday evening. Moderately expensive.
Maria Bonita
Alcala 706, right in between the Santo Domingo church and the
Holiday Inn Oaxaca. A pleasant 3 minute walk from the square and
quietly away from the hubbub, this charming little restaurant
serves authentic Oaxacan cuisine to mostly local
clientele sitting at its six tables. Gloria Lilia Fernández
opened her restaurant ‘Maria Bonita’ in the early 90's to
share the flavors and recipes that her family has rescued and
safeguarded for these past generations - handed down from mother
to daughter. The results are stunning. Authentic regional
cuisine prepared with care and consummate skill.
Besides running the restaurant and teaching, Gloria is also
working on a cookbook to broaden the appreciation of Oaxacan
cuisine. Excellent service, soft music and a gentle breeze.
Terranova/El Portal de la Soledad
Portal Benito Juarez 116, directly across the Zocalo from El
Asador Vasco and Del Jardin; with outdoor cafe and indoor
seating. The shrimp dishes are excellent, as are many other
choices. A little quieter than Del Jardin. Serves breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Musicians are usually on hand between 8:30 to
10:30 PM playing easy listening, contemporary Latino tunes
El Mesón
El Mesón's inviting, inexpensive buffet is right off the
zócalo. At the entrance, women patting out fresh tortillas lure
in passers-by. Tortillas are made on the spot and there are 15
types of tacos, as well as pozole, cochinita píbil, and other
regional dishes. Stop by for a light snack or a complete Oaxacan
meal. The mainstay is the open buffet and their comida corrida
catering to downtown working folk. The food is really quite good
and very inexpensive. What's more, the all-you-can-eat buffet
includes safe-to-eat fresh fruits and green salads plus a
variety of main courses. The comida corrida is a shortened
version of the buffet. At night, this place becomes a good
taquería with it's open grill serving up nice portions of pork
and beef. When you sit down, either at a table or the counter
overlooking the grill, you're presented with a slip of paper
listing their tacos and other antojitos and a pencil. You simply
check off what you want to order. Taco prices are per order.
Besides the large range of tacos, they serve some specialties
such as tamal Oaxaqueño, pozole, and puntas de filete albañil
("bricklayer" beef tips). Check off your choices from their
paper menu/order form and return it to the waitress. For
dessert, have a cup of rich Oaxacan hot chocolate and a slice of
nut or cheese pie.
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