We couldn’t resist sharing our favorite Oaxaca City recommendations to help build out your itineraries.

Consider this the Evan & Andy special!

Your favorite travel guide couple curated a list of must-dos to sprinkle into your itinerary, all based on things we’ve personally done and loved. Every pick is a true 10/10 for any first-time visitor. Here below, Evan compiled an entire Google maps of pins of all of our spots — which you can directly download onto your own Google maps. For the less tech-inclined guests, we also have all of these in our Recommendation section below!

If your itinerary is already locked in (impressive, honestly), feel free to jump ahead to the FAQ and registry page!

RECOMMENDATIONS

Blog

Tierra del Sol

This Michelin-starred restaurant is our favorite dining experience in Oaxaca! Get your reservation early (you can always cancel later).

Levadura de Olla

Another top restaurant to dream about. The dish not to miss? Their famous tomato salad. It has up to 23 different types of tomatoes in it and is incredible! Put in your reservation early.

La Mezcaloteca

Our favorite mezcal tasting in town. Very intimate and knowledgeable, make sure to book ahead. But we have been lucky sneaking in with some last minute open seats!

Sabina Sabe

Ranked in the Top 50 Bars of North America. Evan loves the mezcal negronis here.

Sonia Silvia’s Oaxacan Cooking Class

One of the top things to do in Oaxaca is to take a cooking class! We took ours with Doña Sonia Silvia. It might be our favorite Oaxacan experience so far. Worth every penny. Click on the picture to book if you’re interested.

Salón Alcalá

Best live music and late night dancing in town. It’s always a party here.

Boulenc

One of Oaxaca's most famous cafés! We love their shakshuka. Pro tip - if you book early enough, you can stay in their gorgeous hotel too.

Sagrado Filemón

Beautiful espresso café here

Los Danzantes

Iconic Oaxacan dining experience! Also Michelin-starred, make sure to book ahead, this place books out far in advance.

Casa Oaxaca el Restaurante

The gaznate is one of the best desserts we've ever had. Also Michelin-starred. Good back-up restaurant if you don’t get into the big 3.

Tacos del Carmen

Best street food in Oaxaca! Oaxacan style tacos

Tlayudas Doña Flavia

Another delicious Oaxacan staple served here! Perfect spot for late night munchies.

Central de Abastos de Oaxaca Market Tour

We highly recommend taking a food market tour through one of Oaxaca’s biggest markets with Etnofood! Definitely come with an empty stomach; it’s a food marathon! Click on the picture above to book a market tour.

More Authentic Art & Cooking Classes!

Oaxaca is artist and culinary central! So taking a workshop is a great way to introduce yourself to Oaxacan art and food. Etnofood offers a variety of amazing introductory workshops: from wood carving and printmaking to how to make vegan mole. Click above to book a workshop.

Small footnote: For your itinerary, we personally wouldn’t recommend Hierve el Agua. The petrified waterfalls and hot springs are man-made, and we found them a bit underwhelming (unlike the amazing pictures). If you really want to go, consider pairing it with a mezcal distillery tour to make it worthwhile!

WEDDING CHALLENGE

Get ready for a little friendly competition! Totally optional, but if you’re a wedding guest with a competitive streak, this one’s for you. We’ve put together a city-wide scavenger hunt (see below) for the ultimate

¡Oaxaca Wedding Experience!

Complete them all before the wedding and show us your photographic proof of each item, and you’ll win a special prize at the wedding party.

Let the games begin!

Tierra del Sol - have their complementary pre-dinner salsa tasting
Get the 23-tomato Instagram-famous salad from Levadura de Olla (if you want to complete this challenge, you’ll need to get a reservation in advance)
Go to one of the famous Oaxacan markets and either do a market tour or get lost by yourself
Go to a mezcal tasting at Mezcaloteca or one of the famous mezcalerias in town (drunk pictures only for this one)
Have breakfast in one of the many cute cafés (bonus points: have the 4 piece atole tasting flight for breakfast at the Atolería del Sol)
Do a day trip to Monte Albán or go see a Lucha Libre fight! (Either one requires a half-day, so we salute you)
Do a cooking class or an art workshop! Oaxaca is known for their workshops, so any type counts. This cooking class was one of our favorite experiences out here!
Spot another wedding guest in the wild completely unplanned (bonus points: if you spot Andy or Evan in the wild, you save a life and you don’t have to do one of the other challenges. No, welcome party doesn’t count — seriously?)
Get a rooftop drink at Casa Antonieta (*this is where the ceremony will be ;) )
Take a selfie (and make friends!) with a local Oaxacan
(bonus points: get your new friend to brag about Oaxaca; Oaxacans love to brag about how amazing Oaxaca is - but honestly, it’s true!)