The Best Markets in Oaxaca You Don’t Want to Miss

The heart and soul of a truly great cuisine always start in the markets. A dish is only as good as the sum of the quality of the ingredients even if the techniques are perfect.

Take a short walk through the best markets in Oaxaca and you will see the incredible array of pristine fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, and butchered meats that make Oaxacan food so special. 

Not all Oaxacan food markets are stuffed with raw ingredients. Some of the markets are places for the locals and tourists to come together for a meal.

Halls the size of a city block contains stalls and vendors serving up the best dishes from Oaxaca.

Entire rows are dedicated to grilling meats and vegetables as well as whole sections devoted to barbacoa if you visit certain Oaxaca markets on the weekends. 

Best Markets in Oaxaca

1. Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Although this is called a market, it is more of a building housing small restaurants serving a wide selection of dishes from Oaxaca. Some are larger with built-in seating areas and some are small with only a counter with few chairs. 

The main feature of Mercado 20 de Noviembre is the “pasillo de humo” which literally translates to the hall of smoke.

This corridor is lined with vendors with displays of different meats from tasajo (salt-cured beef) to cecina enchilada (chili marinated pork) that they grill up right in front of you.

The process is a blast as each part of the meal is sold separately. You will get your salsas and veggies from one vendor followed by tortillas from another, and drinks from another as they walk up and down the hall. 

Lastly, you should stock up on some Pan de Yema before heading out the south entrance to Francisco Javier Mina street.

This is where you will find several chocolate shops that will grind up fresh cocoa to your liking with the perfect blend of sugar, cinnamon, and almonds for all your at-home hot chocolate drinking needs.

• What to Try at Mercado 20 de Noviembre: Grilled Meats at Pasillo de Humo, Pan de Yema, Tamales Oaxaquenos

Tips for visiting Mercado de Noviembre: 

• When visiting Pasillo de Humo, it is customary to get your veggies from the same side that you ordered your meat from. So make sure to check the quality of the vegetables first, before picking which side to eat.

• Be selective if choosing to dine at one of the restaurants inside the market as not all make food of the same quality. Look for who’s busy and what the guests are eating to have a better chance of scoring a memorable meal.

• If you plan on eating in the hall of smoke (pasillo de humo), you will smell like you did so plan accordingly and do not wear anything that you will have to get dry cleaned or can’t wash easily.

2. Mercado de la Merced

This is one of the best markets in Oaxaca to visit for trying out traditional Oaxacan breakfast and local beverages.

The other half of this market is a traditional fresh foods market where you will find everything from fresh produce to carnicerias (butcher shops) that specialize in the different cuts of meat used in the cuisine of the region. 

The small nature of this market makes it easy to navigate and a great starter market as you will have a relaxing time getting to know the goods that are the core of the Oaxacan cuisine.

The most exciting and delicious thing you will find in Mercado de la Merced is the best chocolate con agua or leche (hot chocolate).

More importantly, try chocolateatole that is made the rare and traditional way of slowly fermenting white cocoa beans over a total of one year.  

What to Try at Mercado de la Merced:

• La Guerita | Memelas and empanadas
• Fonda Rosita | Breakfast items such enfrijoladas and enchiladas 
• Fonda Florecita | Entomatadas, enmoladas, chocolate con agua/leche (water/milk) 
• Lety’s Tamales | Tamales with mole negro, chepil con queso, frijol 

Tips for visiting Mercado de la Merced:

• Come here for breakfast and shop afterwards as some of the best morning time dishes are served at this market.
• On Sundays, more vendors pop up just outside the market with offerings such as barbacoa, tacos dorados, and pulque.

3. Mercado Benito Juárez

The size of a city block, this market in Oaxaca has a little bit of everything other than fresh produce and places to enjoy traditional Oaxacan food. You will find mezcal stores, belt shops, coffee roasters, medicinal teas, butcher shops, and so much more. 

You can walk the aisles discovering local artisans’ crafts and take periodic breaks to taste sweet treats as you go like tejate (cold maize and cacao beverage) or sit down for some nieves (water-based flavored ice dessert). 

If you are hungry at the end of exploring the market, dozens of street vendors just outside are ready to make you a tlayuda or serve you a plate full of tacos.

What to Try at Mercado Benito Juárez: 

• Flor de Huayapam | Tejate tradicional and coco (coconut)
• Nieves Chaguita | Nieves (leche quemada con tuna – burnt milk with prickly pear)
• Casilda Aguas Regionales | Agua Frescas (horchata con tuna – rice-based drink with prickly pear and chilacayote – fig leaf gourd)

Tips for visiting Mercado Benito Juarez:

• Hit the coffee roaster to have him custom grind the roast and type of coffee that you like to brew back at your accommodation. Try out some Pluma coffee that is some of the best sustainable coffee in the world.

• This market is perfect to visit in conjunction with Mercado 20 de Noviembre as they are right across the street from each other

4. Mercado de Abastos 

If you are looking for a serious market, this is the one to visit. Mercado de Abastos is the best market to visit in Oaxaca if you want to see the center of all commercial produce for Oaxaca’s restaurants.

When you visit, you will be rubbing elbows with the region’s best chefs as they work their way through the market finding the best meats and produce for the restaurants that they operate. 

This is a no-nonsense market so be prepared to duck, dodge, and maneuver your way through the labyrinth of stalls as people and carts quickly move down the narrow corridors.

The prices are amazingly cheap and it is expected that you will haggle, but the starting amounts are so reasonable you might just give them the win. 

Give yourself several hours to immerse yourself as the Abastos market has so much to take in.  Make sure to stop and get some snacks from the vendors that provide the necessary fuel to energize the workers and chefs that bring life to this market to life. 

Tips for visiting Mercado de Abastos: 

• Although it is rare, keep your valuables close and your wallet and phone in your front pocket as pickpockets sometimes move through the crowd. Be aware and you won’t have any problems.

• Bring a cloth bag to help carry all the great products that you will inevitably end up buying after you see the quality and the prices.
• Best Day to Visit the Market: Saturday, when more stalls are open

What to Try at Mercado de Abastos: 

• Memelas Dona Valle | Memelas 
• Various food stalls | Empanadas de quesillo con flor de calabaza
• Best Day to Visit the Market: Saturday, when more stalls are open

Related: Best Foods in Mexico

5. Mercado Organico La Cosecha

La Cosecha is more of a food park composed of several stationary vendors than a typical market. What draws people here is the fact that it is one of the best markets in Oaxaca for organic food and quality ingredients.

This includes a few vendors that are committed to preparing their dishes and beverages using traditional and ancestral practices. 

You can find ceremonial beverages like pozontle (maize and cacao drink) and maize criollo (heritage heirloom masa) at a few food stalls that are hard to find anywhere in Oaxaca.

You can also buy fresh organic fruit juices alongside traditional Oaxacan food like sopa de guias (fresh pumpkin shoot soup). 

The laid-back atmosphere here makes it a great place to meet up with your newfound travel friends or bring a book and have a relaxing time eating some good food and sipping on a delicious beverage.

Tips for visiting Mercado Organico La Cosecha: 

• Make sure to order a fresh juice to go along with your meal as they are super healthy and refreshing.
• If you are having trouble finding the dish you are looking for, don’t hesitate to ask any vendor where to get it. Everyone is super helpful and very friendly.

What to Try at Mercado Organico La Cosecha: 

• La Pozontleria | Pozontle 
• El Sazon del Comal | Memelas, Huevos al comal
• La Tejateria | Tejate
• El Sazon de “Tia Maya” | Sopa de guias con tasajo

6. Mercado Tlacolula

If you want to do a deeper dive into the local culture and explore other parts of the city, then visiting this local market is such a wonderful way to do this.

First, you must travel about 45 minutes out of Centro Oaxaca to get to the town of Tlacolula. We did this by taking a public bus adding to the fun nature of our adventure.

You will start the half-mile walk to the main part of the market once you get dropped off on the side of the main road.

The best part is that on Sundays the market actually starts near the main road and you will be surrounded by vendors selling delicious food from the region, lots of handmade crafts, agua frescas, tejate vendors, and so much more.

Vendors from all over the Oaxaca valley come in to sell their wares often wearing the traditional clothing from the region. 

The pasilla de carne (meat hall) will be pouring out a wall of smoke that will greet you once you arrive at the main building. This is where you can buy all the fixings to grill up your own meats for tacos.

You will buy some salsa, tortillas, veggies, and various meats before cooking it all up over communal charcoal grills that are in the center of the indoor walkway. 

However, you can head over to the other aisle that is completely devoted to lamb and goat barbacoa if you are not in the mood to grill.

Grab a seat and order up some consomme and tacos that are of the rolled kind and indulge in a decadent weekend tradition. 

There are treats to eat all over the market from deep-fried quesadillas to freshly baked pastries to dunk in some hot chocolate.

Make sure to save some room to try out a couple of flavors of nieves before your walk back to the main road where you will find a few sit-down places to try this sweet treat just off 2 de Abril road.

Mercado Tlacolula is one of the best markets in Oaxaca to visit as the atmosphere is relaxed despite its size.

Tips for visiting Mercado Tlacolula: 

• Although it is rare, keep your valuables close and your wallet and phone in your front pocket as pickpockets sometimes move through the crowd. Be aware and you won’t have any problems.

• Skip eating before arriving in the morning and eat both breakfast and lunch at the market. This way you won’t have to skip out on any of the delicious treats that you want to try. 

• Best Day to Visit the Market: Sunday, the more vendors come from nearby villages

What to Try at Mercado Tlacolula: 

• Adolfa Barbacoa | Barbacoa consomme and tacos 
• Antojitos Cele | Quesadillas and empanadas
• Pasilla de carne | Grilled meats such as chorizo, tasajo and cecina enchilada
• Various nieves stalls along 2 de Abril road | Nieves (leche quemada con tuna)

7. Mercado Sanchez Pascuas

Located in the Northwest of Centro Oaxaca, this small market is a perfect stop to load up on anything you might need to make a healthy home-cooked meal or simply to grab a small snack in the morning.

This neighborhood market is small in stature with only a few vegetable vendors but they have pretty much everything you will need. 

Stop by for some fresh-baked pastries or grab a cup of champurrado to fuel up for your day exploring the city.

To be honest, the number one reason for visiting this market is to get your hands on the best tamales that we tried in Oaxaca.

Make sure to go to the vendor selling these massive perfectly proportioned tamales just inside the west entrance.

Tips for visiting Mercado Sanchez Pascuas: 

• Come early as the tamale lady often runs out of tamales around 10:00 am.
• It is best to do your shopping early in the morning (no later than 11am) as some vendors run out of their offerings
• This market is a good place to buy some fresh tortillas, salsas, and a variety of Oaxacan cheese

What to Try at Mercado Sanchez Pascuas: 

• Exquisitos Tamales (located at the entrance on Calle de Tinoco y Palacios) | Tamales with mole amarillo, mole negro, mole verde
• Super Jugos Angelita | Aguas frescas

Useful Tips for Visiting the Markets in Oaxaca

Get there early. When heading out to visit the markets, make sure to visit early as things start to wrap up around 1:00 pm. The early bird gets the worm and some of the vendors run out of food as early as 10:00 am like our favorite tamale lady. 

Visit on weekends. Although many of the markets may be open during the week, they are only open fully on the weekends when vendors from all the neighboring villages pour in to sell their wares. 

Watch and learn. The key to enjoying a trip to the market is to take it slow and not get caught up in the frenetic nature of this high-paced environment.

If you need to step aside, do so and maybe grab a bite to eat along the way. Find a seat at a food vendor and watch the people negotiate and make purchases while you eat a tasty snack. 

Cash is king. Bring cash and don’t show up with large bills as vendors don’t like to give up their change and definitely don’t take credit.

MORE OAXACA: Oaxaca Food Travel Guide