History
Tasajo is the thin-sliced, salt-cured beef that defines the Pasillo de Humo grill alley at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, smoking over wood coals every lunchtime. The meat is hung at the butcher counters along the alley, weighed by the kilo, then walked to the grill stand to char with cebollitas, cactus paddles and chiles de agua. Served with avocado, tortillas and salsa, it is the canonical Oaxacan lunch.
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Make it at home
Ingredients
- 800g beef top round, sliced 5mm thick in long strips
- 60g coarse sea salt
- 2 limes
- Cebollitas (8 spring onions)
- 2 cactus paddles
- 8 chiles de agua
- Sliced avocado
- Salsa de molcajete
- Tortillas
Method
- Rub the beef strips on both sides with coarse sea salt; lay flat on a tray.
- Cover with a clean cloth and rest in a cool place 24 hours.
- Rinse the strips and pat dry.
- Build a hardwood-charcoal fire (or use a screaming-hot grill).
- Grill the strips 30-60 seconds per side; they should char fast over the coals.
- Char the cebollitas, cactus paddles and chiles de agua alongside.
- Plate with avocado, salsa, the grilled vegetables and tortillas; serve immediately.
Tip from the editors. Rinse the salt off before grilling, otherwise the meat dries out and the salt bitterness dominates.
Where to eat tasajo
Tasajo in Oaxaca
Pasillo de Humo ★ 4.6
Pasillo de Humo inside Mercado 20 de Noviembre runs charcoal-grilled tasajo, cecina and chorizo by the half-kilo from a dozen stands, 80-150 pesos a plate.
TryTasajo, cecina, chorizo
Tlayudas Libres ★ 4.7
Tlayudas Libres on Calle de Los Libres opens at 21:00 and runs to 03:00 with wood-fire tlayudas, tasajo and quesillo, the canonical Oaxaca late-night stop.
TryTlayuda
Itanoni ★ 4.6
Itanoni in Reforma serves the Oaxacan breakfast canon from 07:00 daily: memelas with frijol, tetelas with hierba santa and a chocolate or atole de granillo.
OrderMemelas with frijol and quesillo, atole
Tierra del Sol ★ 4.8
Tierra del Sol on Reforma is Olga Cabrera's three-floor Oaxaca room, named Mexico's Restaurant of the Year for 2026, with a rooftop comal of tetelas.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipSkip the prix fixe and graze through the rooftop comal section; the chichilo and mole amarillo are the headlines.
Ancestral Cocina Tradicional ★ 4.5
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 goIn Barrio de Xochimilco, the weaving quarter most tourists never reach; thatched-roof grove.
TipTake a taxi (the Lopez Alavez block is a steep climb); book the moles tasting for two.
Almu ★ 4.4
Almu is the open-air room in San Martin Tilcajete (alebrijes village), an open-fire kitchen of memelas, enmoladas and tlayudas in the 2025 Michelin Guide.
Book3 weeks ahead
TipLunch only, from 1pm; the menu is handwritten daily on butcher paper. Allow an hour from the centro by taxi.
More cities are in research. Want tasajo covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.