A Guide to Eating Your Way Through Oaxaca’s Markets
The markets of Oaxaca City are not designed for tourists. They are the city’s working kitchens and warehouses, places where the business of feeding a community happens. To walk through the Mercado Benito Juárez or the sprawling Tlacolula market is to experience the city’s raw ingredients without any filter.
This is not to say that any visitors should be hesitant to check them out.
Stalls are stacked high with pyramids of dusty mangoes, papayas, and avocados, pulled straight from nearby villages. There are piles of dried chiles—deep red pasillas and amarillos—that look like cracked leather but smell like smoke and earth. Herbs like the pungent hoja santa are sold in loose bundles. The light inside these markets is dim, filtered through canvas tarps, which makes the bright white of onions and the deep purple of black beans look almost artificial.
The scents are aggressive. You will smell roasting chiles and burning fat from the food stalls before you see them. One aisle might smell sharply of fresh cilantro and Mexican tea, while the next carries the heavy, rich scent of mole—the complex sauce Oaxaca is famous for. There is no “land of seven moles” nickname for nothing; you can find everything from thick black mole negro to the rare, nutty mole blanco sold by the kilo here.
You will also find ingredients that are difficult to identify by sight alone. There are at least half a dozen varieties of dried beans and lentils that grow only in these valleys, alongside sacks of corn for tortillas. The textures range from the smooth, hand-thrown pottery to the rough weave of wool rugs hanging on the walls.
Another “must try” is the talyuda, a traditional dish from the Oaxaca region of Mexico, consisting of large, crisp, fried or toasted tortillas (similar to giant tostadas) topped with a layer of refried black beans, lettuce or cabbage, various meats (such as tasajo, cecina, or chorizo), cheese, avocado, salsa, and often a drizzle of crema. They are known for their enormous size, crunchy texture, and the ritual of breaking them by hand before eating.
Usually, when people think of mole, they conjure images of mole poblano, but in markets in Oaxaca, several varieties are available. Some sweet, some bitter, and others spicy.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Chocolate is a big deal in Oaxaca, but instead of buying candy bars, folks tend to buy raw cacao and process it at home.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
At Oaxaca’s markets, its posible to discover varieties of beans, corn, nuts, lentils, and all sort of other legumes you are unlikely to finds elswere.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Pan de yema and hot chocolate caliente is the Oaxacan breakfast per excelance.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Chapulines make for great snacks, especially when they’re nice and toasty and enjoyed with a nice mezcal.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Markets in Oaxaca also offer many great opportunities to pick up handmade souvenirs, including tablecloths, pillowcases, blouses, purses, etc.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
The Perfect Pair: Pan de Yema and Chocolate
To understand the rhythm of Oaxaca, stop for a snack. The signature bread here is pan de yema (egg yolk bread). It is a simple, round roll, golden yellow from the egg yolks, with a soft, spongy crumb and a slightly sweet crust. It is not fancy. It is often just dusted with sugar or sesame seeds.
This bread is sold in virtually every bakery and market stall, and it is meant to be dunked. Vendors sell tablets of local Oaxacan chocolate, which is grainy, spiced with cinnamon, and sometimes almond. They dissolve it in hot water or milk and whisk it into a frothy drink. When you dip the soft, slightly sweet pan de yema into the bitter, hot chocolate, the bread soaks up the liquid like a sponge. It is a utilitarian breakfast: cheap, filling, and tasting like the city itself.
Texture and Taste: Chapulines
One of the most iconic gastromic experiences in the market is the chapulines (grasshoppers). They are sold in large sacks or plastic bowls. To the eye, they look exactly like what they are: dried insects, usually tan or dark brown, with visible legs and antennae.
However, you should ignore how they look. When prepared correctly, they are delicious. The vendors toast them on a hot comal (griddle) with garlic, lime juice, and salt. The resulting texture is very dry and crunchy, similar to a crispy fried kernel of corn.
The flavor is not “buggy.” It is nutty and earthy, primarily tasting of the salt and the smoky chile de árbol they are tossed in. The best way to eat them is hot, straight off the griddle, with an extra squeeze of lime. Locals scoop them up with tortillas or eat them on their own as a crunchy, protein-rich snack.
Beyond the Snacks
You should bring a bag to these markets. Apart from the food, you can buy mole paste to take home. It comes in dark, viscous blocks or jars, representing varieties such as coloradito or verde. There are also textiles—woven rugs and embroidered blouses—as well as fresh produce like squash blossoms and prickly pears.
Whether you go to the crowded Mercado Benito Juárez in the city center or the massive Sunday market in Tlacolula, the rule is the same. Do not just look. Touch the bread, smell the chiles, and don’t chicken out; eat the grasshoppers. They go especially well with mezcal.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht, PhD, is a journalist, photographer, and expedition leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway. Most recently, he earned a doctorate in Heritage Studies in 2026.
