Sabina Sabe ★ 4.4
Sabina Sabe on Cinco de Mayo 209 is named for Mazatec medicine woman Maria Sabina, a cocktail bar with one of the world's largest mezcal collections.
Signature drink: Sabina Sabe house cocktail
Food: Snacks and small plates
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Oaxaca for grown-ups.
Where to drink
Selva Oaxaca Cocktail Bar ★ 4.5
Selva on Macedonio Alcala is on the 50 Best Discovery list, a creative cocktail bar with Oaxacan-ingredient drinks and mezcals from small distilleries.
Signature drink: Selva cocktail with mezcal, hoja santa and Oaxacan cheese
Food: Bar snacks
Mezcaloteca ★ 4.7
Mezcaloteca on Reforma is the appointment-only library tasting room with 100-plus family-producer mezcals, opened in 2010 to educate palates on traditional.
Signature drink: Five-mezcal educational flight
Food: Water and dry snacks
In Situ Mezcaleria ★ 4.5
In Situ on Vicente Guerrero is Ulises Torrentera's mezcaleria with 180-plus mezcals and the author often behind the bar pouring on his own flights all night.
Signature drink: Ulises Torrentera-curated flight
Food: Bar snacks
Mezcalogia ★ 4.3
Mezcalogia on Garcia Vigil is the Casa Cortes family's El Jolgorio and Nuestra Soledad mezcaleria, with a kitchen of Oaxacan plates and 200-bottle cocktails.
Signature drink: El Jolgorio Tobala flight
Food: Oaxacan plates
Cuish Mezcaleria ★ 4.4
Cuish on Diaz Ordaz is Felix Hernandez Monterrosa's mezcaleria since 2009, with wild-agave mezcals downstairs and a small art and live-music room upstairs.
Signature drink: Wild-agave mezcal flight
Food: Bar snacks
La Casa del Mezcal ★ 4.2
La Casa del Mezcal on Flores Magon is the 1935 cantina behind Mercado Benito Juarez, with a long mezcal counter and old-cantina feel in the heart of Centro.
Signature drink: Mezcal de pechuga
Food: Cantina bar snacks
Neta Tasting Room ★ 4.3
Neta Tasting Room on Cinco de Mayo 506 in Jalatlaco is the official Neta Spirits showroom, with mezcal flights, small plates and barrio-evening rhythm.
Signature drink: Neta Spirits flight
Food: Snacks
Comala ★ 4.0
Comala on Pino Suarez is a Centro courtyard restaurant-bar with all-day Oaxacan plates and a mezcal-and-cocktail bar that runs to 1am most nights of the week.
Signature drink: Mezcal cocktail and craft beer
Food: Oaxacan plates
Oaxaca Brewing Co ★ 4.2
Oaxaca Brewing Co on Tinoco y Palacios is the city's flagship craft taproom from two Baja-California-trained brothers, with stouts, IPAs, fruit ales.
Signature drink: Oaxacan stout
Food: Bar snacks and pizza
Oaxaco Cerveceria ★ 4.0
Oaxaco Cerveceria on Allende is a small Centro taproom with house IPAs, pulque-cerveza and a wood-fired pizza kitchen, run by a husband-and-wife team.
Signature drink: Pulque-cerveza and IPAs
Food: Pizza and snacks
El Destilado ★ 4.5
El Destilado on Cinco de Mayo runs a long mezcal and Mexican-sake pairing alongside the tasting menu, with one of Oaxaca's deepest fermented-drink lists.
Signature drink: Mezcal pairing
Food: Nine-course tasting
Sabina Sabe ★ 4.4
Sabina Sabe also runs as a late-night Centro cocktail bar with multiple drinking rooms, a Mazatec-inspired cocktail program and music past midnight.
Signature drink: Maria Sabina cocktail
Food: Bar snacks
La Mezcalerita ★ 4.0
La Mezcalerita on Macedonio Alcala is a small mezcal-cocktail room near Plaza de la Soledad with a strong mezcal-cocktail menu and craft beer.
Signature drink: Mezcalarita
Food: Snacks
Los Amantes ★ 4.0
Los Amantes on Macedonio Alcala is the mezcaleria from one of the city's older mezcal brands, with a poetry-and-cocktail program in a small Andador room.
Signature drink: Los Amantes mezcal flight
Food: Snacks
Los Danzantes Mezcal Bar ★ 4.4
Los Danzantes runs an in-house mezcal bar program from its distillery, pouring single-village mezcals (Santiago Matatlan) alongside the restaurant menu.
Signature drink: Los Danzantes mezcal flight
Food: Modern Mexican plates
Casa Oaxaca Cafe ★ 4.2
Casa Oaxaca Cafe on Garcia Vigil 407 is Alejandro Ruiz's casual second room, a daytime cafe with mezcal sours and Casa Oaxaca classics at half the price.
Signature drink: Mezcal sour
Food: Casa Oaxaca menu
Pulqueria Jalatlaco ★ 3.9
Pulqueria Jalatlaco on Aldama serves traditional pulques and curados (tuna, mango, apio) with a small botana, the most local-feeling drink room in the barrio.
Signature drink: Pulque curado de tuna
Food: Botana