Our last two days in Oaxaca (the city; we travel to the Pacific coast of Oaxaca on Sunday). I have to take note of some of the amazing food we’ve had here. Best breakfast: the huevos en cazuela at Marco Polo (where I had an incredible seafood dinner last time I was here). Best lunch: El Asador Vasco, a super fancy, old-fashioned Basque restaurant overlooking the Zócalo. Also great for dinner, we just had a phenomenal Sunday lunch there. We got there right as it opened at 1:30, and were the only diners for a while. Such a lovely, classy spot. Best dinner: Humito Cocina y Foro– this is the place right near our Airbnb on Panorámica Fortín, and has music 4 nights a week for 120 pesos (like $7!) and the food and drinks are so good!! We went for breakfast, too, but all our food was covered in chapulines (grasshoppers) without being warned in advance by the menu! We wimpy gringos were not pleased. Plus my chilaquiles were lukewarm. But definitely go there for dinner or just drinks and/or dessert while you enjoy the music. Such a magical spot. We went to the Mercado Central de Abastos to visit the famous memelas of Doña Vale, as seen on TWO Netflix food shows. But after I waited for a long time, an Australian camera crew cut me in line and Doña Vale very happily started performing for them, making them their own memelas. I was so pissed I walked out. Got a great jugo verde at the stall next to her, and the boys all had tacos. The market is amazing for the sights and the food, whether or not you visit a Netflix-famous spot.
And we HAVE to shout out Los Tacos de Esme, the tiny hole-in-the-wall spot that we’ve gotten Tlayudas and tacos at more times than we can name. A very sweet husband and wife run it, and their 4-year-old daughter, after whom the spot is named, though she’ll introduce herself to you as Lisette, will possibly make your whole family a second dinner out of Play-Doh. This place was right at the foot of the insanely steep stairs we’d have to walk to get to our street, so a bag of tacos Al pastor and de bistec, and tlayudas (I got the veggie, C got the al pastor) with salsas and avocados and limes to put on top, was just the thing to bring home and eat after all that climbing.
