Markets in Oaxaca. Where to eat
Markets during Mexico’s story are crucial not only for the economy but also for society. As a result, a Market is a place where you can find fresh fruits and veggies, a wild variety of handcraft, textiles, pottery, and of course, food.
Here you have a list of traditional Markets in Oaxaca city that you don’t wanna miss on your next trip.
Benito Juárez Market
Benito Juárez Market is located in the heart of the city and has 100+ years. In this market, you will find a wild variety of products: handcraft, textiles, leather products, and food. I would like to mention this is the market where I grew up. My family has a food business here and has been serving to the public for over 20 years.
Here is where you can find women selling Chapulines (grasshoppers), Gusano de Maguey (Worm Salt), and Chicatanas (flying ants). Mezcal brands, local coffee, and Tejate, the drink of the Gods, you name it. Check my last post 20 Dishes to Eat in Oaxaca to see what Tejate is and learn more about Oaxaca Food.
Refresh yourself with a Nieve de Leche Quemada with Tuna (not tuna fish). Nieve is an ice cream/sorbet made with water or milk. Tuna is prickly pear fruit and Leche Quemada means Burnt Milk so is a super smoky flavor well balanced with the freshness and sweetness of the Tuna. To accompany your Nieve grab some Dulces Regionales, local pastries that locals love. My favorites are Nenguanitos or Barquillo.
And last but not least, visit Tacos Rosy, my family business. Try my Abuelita’s Barbacoa, the highlight on the menu. Get it on a Taco with Guacamole, red salsa, and cabbage salad. Every day my Abuelita cooks different meats and veggies that you can get on a Taco, Memela, Tlayuda, or Tostada.
20 de Noviembre Market
Right across the street from Benito Juárez Market, you can find a totally different world. 20 de Noviembre Market is a food market where you can find bread, Carne Asada, and Comedores, which are stands with kitchens offering different dishes.
Walk around the bread stands and get Pan de Yema or Pan de Cazuela. Pan de Yema is one of the most common breads in the city, especially during the Day of the Dead. Pan de Cazuela is baked in sardine cans and filled with chocolate and raisins. Both of them pair well with Chocolate de Agua that you can get at any of the Comedores.
In this Market, you can find El Pasillo de Humo, an aisle that specializes in Carne Asada. Try Tasajo, Cecina, Chorizo, and Tripa, the local meat. After ordering your meat get some sides like guacamole, salsas, grilled onions and peppers, and tortillas. Enjoy your meal with a cold beer or a pop soda.
La Merced Market
This place is one of my favorite Markets in Oaxaca. Located next to Jalatlaco, one of the most famous neighborhoods in the city for its colorful streets.
La Merced Market is a traditional market where you can find Comedores, juice stalls, meat stands, and lots of local vendors coming from different villages to offer their fresh and local products.
On Sundays is the Día de Plaza, a day where more vendors come into the market to offer different products that you don’t find on regular days. So that this is the perfect day to come and enjoy the market in its maximum splendor.
In the Comedores area, you can find Fonda Florecita or San Diego, two good options for trying Oaxaca food, such as Mole, Chocolate atole, Empanadas, Memelas, Chilaquiles and much, much more.
Sánchez Pascuas Market
You can find different types of small Markets in Oaxaca, like this one. Sánchez Pascuas is like other markets in the neighborhoods around the city. Here is where you come to get what you need in your day-by-day routine.
This market is just some blocks from Santo Domingo Church which means is very popular. With a beautiful mural on one of its entrance, is a great option for a quick shopping stop. This place also has a Comedores area, where you can enjoy a delicious Oaxaca breakfast, or grab a freshly made juice. This is a great option for local fruits and vegetables at a very accessible cost since are only on-season products.
Around the market are different local businesses offering products such as artisan Chocolate, bread, handcraft, books, and Tepache. All this makes the market a beautiful stop for shopping and connecting with local producers.
La Cosecha Organic Market
As its name says, this is one of the organic markets we are lucky to have in the city. La Cosecha works directly with local producers, cooks, and artisans and is located in the heart of the city.
Once you enter the market you can feel how much love and hard work they have put into it. As a result area with a few vendors, as a result, is the perfect place if you’re looking for a quiet space to enjoy breakfast or lunch, or just relax. Here you can find Sopa de Guias, which is a soup using everything from the squash plant: the squash, the blossom, and the leaves. It also has corn that makes it thick as a cream, and you can accompany it with Tasajo.
I’m happy that more like this kind of markets are opening not only in the city but also on other littles villages around. El Pochote Progreso, El Pochote Xochimilco, Mercadito Tradicional Los Eucaliptos are some of the other Organic Markets in Oaxaca.
Central de Abastos Market
Last but not least we have the largest market in Oaxaca. Abastos means supplies, in other words, Central de Abastos is the market where people from all around Oaxaca come to supply different products such as food, fruits, vegetables, textiles, leather, Mezcal, and much more.
This market is huge, you can get lost there. It embraces approximately 4 hectares and Saturday is the best day to visit it, due to Día de Plaza. During this day the market can embrace surrounded street and make it even bigger. A must to visit is the Comedores area, where you can find the best local food, from the best cooks.
This Market is the best example to understand why markets are so important in our culture and how big their influence is in our daily lifestyle. It also shows us their evolution through time and our needs.
As you can see Markets in Oaxaca are interesting, beautiful, colorful, and delicious. They are an important gear in our local economy and that’s why it’s important to preserve and support them. As a local vendor, I will always invite you to come to visit and give them a try, don’t forget that hundreds of families depend on the sales of their products and services so that you have the peace of mind that you’re supporting local families and our local economy.
Remember that f you don’t know where to start, you can take the Eating with a Local at the Markets Food Tour that will take you to discover some of those iconic markets.
Betsy Morales
I was born and raised in the beautiful city of Oaxaca. In the iconic Benito Juarez market, my family has owned a food business there for over 20 years, and right there is where I grew up