Oaxacan tlayuda
Photo: Gomez.erick · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Tlayuda is a Zapotec dish from the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, where the giant thin tortilla was originally a travel ration for traders. Mexico City adopted the tlayuda through Oaxacan migration in the 1980s and 90s; specialist Oaxacan restaurants opened in Roma Sur, Condesa and the Centro Historico. The toppings break into three traditional meats: cecina enchilada (chilli-cured pork), tasajo (cured beef), and chorizo. La Ventana del Ticuchi (chef Enrique Olvera, 2019) introduced the vegetarian quelites tlayuda. Best places to eat: Mercado Medellin Oaxacan stalls, Guzina Oaxaqueña in Polanco.

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Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 35 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 4 large corn tortillas, 30 to 35cm diameter (or 8 standard tortillas overlapping)
  • 200g asiento (unrefined pork lard) or substitute 100g lard mixed with 100g pork drippings
  • 300g refried black beans (frijoles de la olla, pureed)
  • 300g quesillo (Oaxacan stringy cheese), torn into strands
  • 300g tasajo (cured beef) or cecina (chilli-cured pork), thinly sliced
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, finely shredded
  • 2 ripe avocados, sliced
  • 100g pickled jalapenos or salsa borracha
  • 1 white onion, sliced into thin rings
  • Small bunch coriander
  • 2 limes, quartered

Method

  1. Heat a comal or a wide cast-iron pan to medium-high. Char the tlayuda tortilla directly on the dry surface for 90 seconds until it begins to crisp.
  2. Flip. Smear 2 tbsp asiento across the warm tortilla.
  3. Spread 2 tbsp refried black beans on top. The base layers should completely cover the tortilla.
  4. Scatter a handful of quesillo strands evenly. Return to the comal for 60 seconds; the cheese melts and binds the layers.
  5. Meanwhile, grill the tasajo or cecina on a separate hot pan: 90 seconds per side until char-marked.
  6. Slide the tlayuda onto a board. Top with shredded lettuce, avocado, pickled jalapenos, onion rings, coriander.
  7. Lay the grilled tasajo or cecina across the top.
  8. Serve uncut; the tlayuda is folded in half and eaten taco-style at the table, or sliced into wedges if shared.

Tip from the editors. Real asiento (unrefined pork lard with crispy bits) is the make-or-break ingredient; if unavailable mix lard with finely chopped chicharron.

Where to eat oaxacan tlayuda

Oaxacan tlayuda in Los Angeles

Guelaguetza ★ 4.3

$$$ Oaxacan MexicanKoreatown

Guelaguetza is an Oaxacan eatery at 3014 W Olympic Blvd, where the negro and rojo moles are absolute favorites alongside tlayudas, enchiladas and pozole.

OrderMole estofado slathered onto chicken or pork, after a taste of mole coloradito over gratis chips.

TipTake the mole home: just add broth, tomato sauce, and a little salt and brown sugar; shipping is free on orders over $75.

Directions Book

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Oaxacan tlayuda in Mexico City

Mercado Medellin ★ 4.3

$ MarketRoma Norte

Mercado Medellin in Mexico City is the Roma Sur Latin American import market on Campeche, the pan-Latin grocery hall with Cuban, Colombian and Argentine.

Directions

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Oaxacan tlayuda in Oaxaca

Tlayudas Libres ★ 4.7

$$ MexicanCentro HistoricoUntil 03:00 dailyCash only

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

Directions

Tlayudas Las Animas ★ 4.4

$$ MexicanCentro HistoricoUntil 23:30 Thu-Sat onlyCash only

Tlayudas Las Animas on Mariano Matamoros 203 runs Thursday-Saturday 18:00-23:30 near Carmen Alto, quieter than the Libres stand just blocks away.

TryTlayuda

Directions

Itanoni ★ 4.6

$$ $80-$160 MXNBrunchCriollo-corn comal breakfastReforma

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

Directions

Tierra del Sol ★ 4.8

$$$$ Tasting $1,200 to $1,500MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Olga Cabrera Oropeza

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.

Directions

Ancestral Cocina Tradicional ★ 4.5

$$ MexicanXochimilco

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.

Directions

Levadura de Olla 1 ★ ★ 4.9

$$$$ Tasting $1,800 to $2,200Tasting menuCentro HistoricoChef Thalia Barrios Garcia

Levadura de Olla in Oaxaca is Thalia Barrios Garcia's Garcia Vigil room, Mexico's first regional Michelin star (2024, retained 2025) on the Andador.

Book3 to 6 weeks ahead

TipReservations open one month out on the website and disappear within hours; the Sierra Sur tasting menu (six courses) lands around $1,800 pesos.

Directions Book

Almu ★ 4.4

$$$$ Tasting $1,500 to $1,900MexicanValle De Tilcajete

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.

Directions

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