Oaxaca's cafe scene runs on coffee from the surrounding sierra and on the city's deep chocolate culture. In the Centro historico, Cafe Brujula on Macedonio Alcala and Muss Cafe on Miguel Hidalgo pour specialty coffee, while Chocolate Mayordomo on Mina turns out the stone-ground drinking chocolate the city is known for. Over in Barrio de Jalatlaco, Santa Hierba on 5 de Mayo and Nanita on Ninos Heroes give the form a quieter, neighbourhood feel.
19 cafe places in Oaxaca we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Oaxaca · Cafe across every city.
Drink Pour over Finca Las Nieves
Muss Cafe on Miguel Hidalgo is Aurora Tostado and Stefano De Bellis's 2019 specialty cafe, sourcing organic Finca Las Nieves beans from the Sierra Sur.
Drink Filter Sierra Norte
Cafe Brujula Alcala on the Andador is the founder location of the in-house Oaxacan specialty roaster, with Sierra Norte and Pluma beans roasted small-batch.
Drink Filter coffee, beans bagged
Cafe Brujula on Garcia Vigil is the roastery branch with in-house Oaxacan beans, a small-batch Probat roaster on display and pour-overs every morning.
Drink Pour over Mixteca Alta
Cafebre on Manuel Bravo is the Centro specialty roaster pouring Mixteca Alta and Sierra Norte beans in small lots, with a Reforma second branch since 2024.
Drink Sourdough toast and filter coffee
Boulenc on Porfirio Diaz is the cafe and sourdough bakery courtyard with masa-madre breads, mushroom banh mi and a sit-and-stay terrace inside an old hotel.
Drink Pour-over and Turkish eggs
Marito y Moglie Cafe on Pino Suarez is the Centro pour-over and brunch room famous for Turkish eggs, ciabatta sandwiches and pastries from the in-house oven.
Drink Plant-based brunch and herbal teas
Santa Hierba in Jalatlaco on Cinco de Mayo 505 is the plant-based cafe with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free plates in a tropical rooftop courtyard.
Drink Vegan chilaquiles and pozole
Nanita in Jalatlaco is the plant-based cafe on Ninos Heroes 312, with vegan chilaquiles, pozole verde, burritos and the slow comida corrida of the barrio.
Drink Chilaquiles and waffles
Pan:am on Abasolo is the Centro all-day cafe with chilaquiles, enchiladas suizas and a bakery counter of fresh waffles, scrambles and Oaxacan pastries.
Drink Bakery and brunch
Pan:am Reforma on Belisario Dominguez is the second branch with the in-house bakery, chilaquiles and Oaxacan pastries baked fresh for the morning crowd.
Drink Wild Sierra Norte mushroom plates
Suculenta on Porfirio Diaz is Paulina Garcia and Daniel Lopez's food gallery, with jellies, edible oils and a kitchen of wild Sierra Norte mushroom plates.
Drink Mezcal-aged espresso and Oaxacan plates
Comala on Pino Suarez is a Centro courtyard cafe-restaurant-bar with all-day Oaxacan plates and a mezcal-leaning bar that runs to 1am most nights.
Drink Sourdough loaf and pour over
Pan con Madre on Quetzalcoatl is Oaxaca's sourdough pioneer (masa madre), a courtyard cafe-bakery with cardamom spirals, focaccia and a wood-fired oven.
Drink Tejate and chocolate
Comedor Yolis at Mercado Sanchez Pascuas is one of the slate of breakfast counters (Yolis, Lupita, Nelly, Chonchita) inside the local market on Porfirio Diaz.
Drink Tejate
El Volador is one of the Plaza de la Danza tejate stands in the Jardin Socrates, where the prehispanic cacao-and-maize drink is whisked to a foam by the lake.
Drink Nieve de leche quemada and tuna
Nieves Manolo on Macedonio Alcala is the Velasco-Cuevas family's 1953 nieves stand, with leche quemada, tuna and sorbete by the Jardin Socrates lake.
Drink Chocolate de agua
Chocolate Mayordomo on Mina and 20 de Noviembre is the 1956 Tlacolula family chocolate house, with chocolate de agua and pan de yema for dunking on demand.
Drink Mezcal flight by appointment
The Mezcaloteca tasting room on Reforma pours guided flights by reservation, a seated run through single-batch agave spirits from maestros mezcaleros.
Drink Vegan plates and herbal tea
Hierba Dulce on Porfirio Diaz is a tranquil plant-based cafe in Centro with Oaxacan ingredients on a fully vegan menu, named after the local sweet-leaf herb.
