Mezcal appears as a signature dish in 1 Mexico cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Mezcal · Oaxaca
Mezcal is Oaxaca's smoke-roasted agave spirit from 30-plus agave varieties, produced at small palenques across the Valles Centrales and Sierra ranges.
Mezcal is the smoke-roasted agave spirit of Oaxaca, with pre-Hispanic origins refined under Spanish colonial-era distillation. Santiago Matatlan east of Oaxaca is the World Capital of Mezcal, with more than 200 registered palenques. The 2026 Feria Internacional del Mezcal runs July 17-28 and the Mezcaloteca on Reforma is the appointment-only library tasting room with 100-plus family-producer mezcals, opened in 2010.
Where to eat in Oaxaca:
- Mezcaloteca
- In Situ Mezcaleria
- Mezcalogia
- Sabina Sabe
- Selva Oaxaca Cocktail Bar
- Cuish Mezcaleria
- La Casa del Mezcal