Chapulines are roasted Oaxacan grasshoppers with garlic, salt, chile and lime, eaten as a snack, in tacos or sprinkled over guacamole and tlayudas.
Chapulines (grasshoppers) are a pre-Hispanic Oaxacan protein, harvested across the Valles Centrales after the rains and roasted with garlic, salt, lime and chile. They sell year-round from the row of vendors on Calle Miguel Cabrera outside Mercado Benito Juarez, sized small to large by the gram. Modern restaurants such as Casa Oaxaca serve them tableside on guacamole; traditional rooms put them on the standard salsa selection.
6 editor picks for Chapulines in Oaxaca, ranked by editorial score. All Oaxaca signature dishes · Chapulines across every city.
Tierra del Sol ★ 4.8
centro-historico · Reforma 411, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca
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.
Origen ★ 4.7
centro-historico · Avenida Benito Juarez 308, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca
Origen is Rodolfo Castellanos's Benito Juarez flagship since 2011, a Michelin-Guide selected room where modern technique meets criollo corn.
Tlayudas Libres ★ 4.7
centro-historico · C. de Los Libres 212, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca
Tlayudas Libres on Calle de Los Libres is Oaxaca's canonical late-night tlayuda stand, with cooking fires on the street and tasajo, chorizo and quesillo.
Casa Oaxaca el Restaurante ★ 4.6
centro-historico · Constitucion 104-A, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca
Casa Oaxaca el Restaurante is Alejandro Ruiz's 18th-century townhouse below Santo Domingo, the rooftop terrace room with contemporary Oaxacan menus.
Itanoni ★ 4.5
reforma · Av Belisario Dominguez 513, Colonia Reforma, 68050 Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca
Itanoni in Reforma charges 25-70 pesos for criollo-corn memelas and tetelas off the wood-fired comal, the best price-quality for traditional Oaxacan masa.
Mercado Benito Juarez chapulines row ★ 4.3
centro-historico · Calle Miguel Cabrera S/N, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca
The chapulines row outside Mercado Benito Juarez on Miguel Cabrera lines a dozen vendors selling grasshoppers fried with garlic, salt and chile to take home.