Food & Markets Tour

Come hungry, leave ready to order. This 2.5-hour Oaxaca City tour takes you through Mercado Benito Juarez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre, where you sample tejate, grasshoppers, tamales, grilled meats, tlayudas, Oaxacan sweets, and more. I like the small maximum of six people, which gives the guide room to answer questions and help you order. I also like that the tour is built around real market food rather than a polished restaurant tasting.

The main drawback is the walk from the cathedral meeting point to the markets. Several people found the 15 to 20 minute walk tiring on a hot afternoon, and a closer meeting point would be easier. Still, with a 4.8 rating from 148 reviews and 95 percent of customers recommending it, this is a strong introduction to eating in Oaxaca.

Key points at a glance

• Start with Oaxaca’s famous drinks: Taste traditional aguas and tejate, a foamy cocoa and maize drink central to the city’s food culture.
• Try foods you might skip alone: The route includes grasshoppers, worms, local cheese, sausages, moles, tamales, and other regional specialties.
• Eat at two major markets: Mercado Benito Juarez focuses on drinks, sweets, and small tastes, while Mercado 20 de Noviembre brings a larger meal of grilled meats and classic dishes.
• Small groups make a difference: The tour accepts no more than six people, allowing guides such as Alicia, Elizabeth, and Coyote to tailor the pace and explain unfamiliar foods.
• Book early in your stay: The tour gives you useful confidence for ordering at markets and street stalls during the rest of your Oaxaca visit.
• Plan around a large lunch: The later meal can be substantial, so this is not a light snack walk.

Why this makes a smart first afternoon in Oaxaca

Oaxaca’s food can be exciting, but the choices are not always obvious. A market stall may offer several kinds of mole, unfamiliar cuts of meat, regional drinks, and dishes with names you have not yet learned to pronounce. This tour gives you a friendly introduction before you start ordering on your own.

I especially like the timing. The tour begins at 1:30 p.m., when you can treat it as lunch with a long introduction to the city’s food traditions. The experience lasts about two and a half hours, so it takes a meaningful part of the afternoon without consuming your entire day.

The small group is one of the tour’s best features. With no more than six people, you are less likely to miss an explanation or wait while a large crowd places orders. Guides Alicia, Elizabeth, and Coyote are repeatedly praised for their clear English, warm manner, and ability to explain food alongside local customs and history.

You should expect more than a list of dishes. The guide can explain what you are eating, how people order it, and why particular foods matter in Oaxaca. One guide also connected food with Day of the Dead traditions and the ways families remember loved ones, showing how a market visit can reveal more than recipes.

Walking from Oaxaca Cathedral to the markets

The meeting point is outside Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca Nuestra Señora de la Asunción at Avenida de la Independencia 700 in the Centro district. From there, you walk toward the two markets.

The distance is not extreme, but it matters on a warm day. The walk can take about 15 to 20 minutes, and the route is part of the experience, yet anyone with limited stamina should keep it in mind. Some people would prefer to meet directly at the markets.

Wear comfortable shoes and avoid arriving overly full. You will be eating for most of the afternoon, and the route involves moving through market aisles as well as walking between the starting point and the food stops.

The tour ends back at the original meeting point. It is near public transportation, which makes the start and finish fairly easy to fit into a day of sightseeing in central Oaxaca.

Mercado Benito Juarez: tejate, aguas, grasshoppers, and sweets

The first stop is Mercado Benito Juarez, where the focus is on tasting and orientation. You begin with traditional aguas, the flavored drinks that are part of daily life in Oaxaca. The exact choices may vary, but the purpose is to introduce you to local drinks before the heavier food arrives.

The key taste here is tejate. This traditional Oaxacan drink is made with ingredients including maize and cacao, and it has a distinctive foamy surface. It is not simply a sweet beverage, so I recommend approaching it with curiosity rather than expecting a familiar chocolate drink.

One practical tip comes directly from the structure of the tour: taste the drink instead of finishing a large serving immediately. You still have many foods ahead, and a full glass can take up valuable room before the main meal.

The market tasting also includes grasshoppers, known locally as chapulines. For many visitors, this is the moment that requires the most nerve. The guide helps put the food in context, and trying a small portion is an easy way to decide what you think without ordering a full serving alone.

Some versions of the experience also include worms, local cheese, sausages, moles, chiles, mezcal, and pink horchata. The exact tasting lineup can change, but the central idea remains the same: you sample foods and drinks that may not be obvious to a first-time visitor.

The stop ends with traditional Oaxacan sweets. This gives the first market visit a pleasant rhythm, moving from drinks and savory tastes to dessert. It also helps you learn what to look for if you return to Mercado Benito Juarez on your own.

Mercado 20 de Noviembre: a serious Oaxacan lunch

The second stop takes you to Mercado 20 de Noviembre, one of the city’s best-known food markets. Here, the pace changes from small samples to a more substantial meal.

The famous meat corridor is the main attraction. You can taste roasted meats prepared in the market, with the guide helping arrange the order and explaining what you are receiving. The meal may include cecina, chorizo, sausages, and other grilled meats.

This is a useful setting for anyone who feels unsure about ordering in a busy market. Rather than pointing at something and hoping for the best, you have a guide who knows the vendors and can help you choose. That service is part of the value of the tour.

You also taste traditional Oaxacan tamales and an empanada al comal. The latter is cooked on a comal, a flat cooking surface used throughout Mexico. These dishes show a different side of Oaxacan food from the grilled meat corridor, with masa and regional fillings taking center stage.

The meal also includes tlayudas, one of Oaxaca’s signature dishes. A tlayuda is a large, crisp or lightly toasted tortilla topped with ingredients such as beans, cheese, meat, and other regional additions. It is filling, so do not think of this stop as a quick final nibble.

Some tastings described during the experience include chile relleno and chicken mole served with a tlayuda. Different groups may receive slightly different combinations, but you should expect enough food to function as lunch.

One useful warning: do not plan a normal dinner after this tour. The second market stop is generous, and the combination of meat, tamales, empanada, tlayudas, and other tastes can leave you full for the rest of the day.

What the guides add to the experience

The food is the reason to book, but the guide determines how much you take away. Alicia is praised for excellent English, strong knowledge of food and local culture, and the ability to help people order despite limited Spanish. Elizabeth receives similar praise for explaining ingredients, regional differences, and the meaning behind the foods.

Coyote is also described as friendly, flexible, and especially good at adjusting the tour to questions. One family said he accommodated a toddler and a dairy intolerance. That does not mean every dietary need is automatically covered, so you should communicate restrictions when booking or before the tasting begins.

The small format allows the guide to change the emphasis. If you are curious about mole, mezcal, bread, Day of the Dead, or market customs, you have a better chance of getting a real answer than you would in a large group.

I also like that the guides can give advice beyond the scheduled route. One guide recommended trying nieve near the Church of Soledad, and that suggestion became a favorite follow-up stop. Advice like this can help turn a short food tour into a useful introduction to the city.

Is $55 a fair price?

At $55 per person, this is not the cheapest way to eat in Oaxaca. You can buy individual market dishes for much less, especially if you already know what you want and speak enough Spanish to order comfortably.

The value comes from the access and guidance. You are not paying only for a plate of food. You are paying for someone to lead you through two large markets, select a broad range of traditional tastes, explain what they are, and help you avoid spending your first days guessing.

The tour also includes a substantial amount of food. You sample drinks, sweets, meats, tamales, an empanada, tlayudas, and other regional items. With the food functioning as lunch, the cost becomes easier to justify, especially for a first visit.

Admission to both markets is free, so the price is not covering entrance fees. The real question is how much you value the guide, the organization, and the confidence to explore independently afterward.

I think the price works best for first-time visitors, solo visitors, couples, and small groups that want a guided start. If you already know Oaxaca’s markets well, you may prefer to spend the $55 on several independent meals.

Who should book this market tour?

This experience suits you if you want a broad introduction rather than one narrowly focused tasting. It is especially helpful if you have never visited Oaxaca, feel uncertain about street food, or want to learn how to order at markets before exploring alone.

It is also a good choice for adventurous eaters. Grasshoppers, worms, tejate, mezcal, several moles, regional cheese, grilled meats, and market sweets give you plenty of chances to try something new.

Families can enjoy it, though the group should be comfortable walking and eating a substantial meal. The guide has accommodated a toddler and adjusted for a dairy intolerance, but you should state dietary needs in advance.

This is less suitable if you want a quiet sit-down lunch, dislike trying unfamiliar ingredients, or have difficulty walking in warm weather. One unhappy customer found the meeting instructions confusing, arrived to a late start, and felt the food did not justify the price. That experience appears to be an exception, but it points to two sensible precautions: confirm the meeting details and be realistic about the walking and market setting.

Practical details before you book

The tour is offered in English and accepts a maximum of six people. Confirmation arrives when you book, and the activity is generally available to most participants.

It begins at 1:30 p.m. at the cathedral and finishes back there. Since the tour takes about two hours and thirty minutes, you should keep the late afternoon fairly open.

The experience is often booked around 13 days ahead. If your dates are fixed, booking early is sensible, especially because the group is limited to six.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours are not refunded or accepted. The tour also requires a minimum number of participants, and if that minimum is not reached, you will be offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Should you book the Oaxaca Food & Markets Tour?

Yes, if this is your first time in Oaxaca and you want food, culture, and practical market help in one afternoon. The strongest reasons are the small group, the wide range of tastings, and guides such as Alicia, Elizabeth, and Coyote, who can make unfamiliar dishes easier to understand and order.

Book it near the beginning of your stay, not at the end. You will be better prepared for the markets, restaurants, and street stalls that follow. Arrive hungry, wear good walking shoes, and do not schedule dinner afterward.

Skip it if you already know these markets or prefer to explore without a guide. For most first-time visitors, though, $55 buys more than lunch. It buys a useful map of Oaxaca’s food culture.

FAQ

How much does the Oaxaca Food & Markets Tour cost?

The tour costs $55 per person.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately two hours and thirty minutes.

What time does the tour begin?

The tour begins at 1:30 p.m.

Where is the meeting point?

Meet at Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Avenida de la Independencia 700, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Where does the tour end?

The activity ends back at the original meeting point by the cathedral.

Which markets does the tour visit?

The tour visits Mercado Benito Juarez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre.

What foods and drinks are included?

Tastings include traditional aguas, tejate, grasshoppers, Oaxacan sweets, roasted meats, tamales, an empanada al comal, and tlayudas. Other tastings may include mole, mezcal, cheese, sausages, horchata, chile relleno, and worms.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is six participants.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted and are not refunded.