Mole manchamanteles ("tablecloth stainer") is the fruity-sweet mole with pineapple, plantain, apple and ancho chile, named for the tablecloth stains it leaves.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Mole manchamanteles is the fruity-sweet mole, made with pineapple, plantain, apple, sweet potato and ancho chiles. It is the rarest mole at restaurant level (often replaced by coloradito) but appears on the seven-mole tasting platters at Catedral, Los Pacos and Ancestral. The Spanish name refers to the dramatic red-orange stains it leaves on the tablecloth.
Common allergens: Sesame, Wheat (tortilla)
Tip from the editors. The fruit should be slightly tart, not over-ripe; the chile balance falls apart with too much sugar.
Restaurante Catedral one block from the cathedral runs a generous courtyard with live music and a seven-moles menu (negro, chichilo, amarillo, verde).
Tip: Tuesdays closed; the moles oaxaquenos platter for two is the standard ask. Live music after 8pm most nights.
Los Pacos on Abasolo with a rooftop terrace runs seven moles on one tasting board for the canonical mole-flight of the city across two sittings daily.
Tip: Skip mains and order the moles-de-Oaxaca tasting plate; bring an appetite and a friend to share the seven.
Ancestral in Xochimilco is the thatched-roof grove on Lopez Alavez, well away from Centro tourist flow, with the seven-moles tasting platter as the headline.
Why locals love it: In Barrio de Xochimilco, the weaving quarter most tourists never reach; thatched-roof grove.
Tip: Take a taxi (the Lopez Alavez block is a steep climb); book the moles tasting for two.
Las Quince Letras is Celia Florian's women-owned mole room since 1992 near Santo Domingo, where the mole negro runs more than thirty ingredients.
Tip: Order the duo-de-moles or trio-de-moles to see the kitchen's range across three sauces in one sitting.
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