Where to drink well in Oaxaca by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in Oaxaca. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
El Destilado on Cinco de Mayo is the natural-Mexican-wine and mezcal-pairing programme alongside the tasting menu, with a deep Valle de Guadalupe bottle list.
Signature pour: Bichi Listan Negro by the glass
Wine focus: Natural Mexican wines and mezcal
Food: Tasting menu
La Popular on Garcia Vigil is a restaurant, bar and gallery with a natural-wine list and a tight kitchen of small plates, a fixture of the Oaxaca scene.
Signature pour: Mexican orange wine by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and Mexican wines
Food: Snacks and small plates
Neta Tasting Room in Jalatlaco is the Neta Spirits showroom on Cinco de Mayo 506, with mezcal flights, natural wines and small plates in quiet evenings.
Signature pour: Neta Spirits flight
Wine focus: Mezcal-led with natural wines
Food: Snacks
Sabina Sabe on Cinco de Mayo 209 is named for Maria Sabina, a cocktail bar with a vast mezcal collection, natural wines and local-ingredient small plates.
Signature pour: Sabina Sabe house cocktail
Wine focus: Mezcal-cocktails with wine by the glass
Food: Small plates
Selva on Macedonio Alcala is the 50 Best Discovery cocktail bar with creative Oaxacan-ingredient drinks and mezcals from small distilleries on a tight bar.
Signature pour: Selva house cocktail
Wine focus: Mezcal and natural wines
Food: Snacks
Comala on Pino Suarez runs a small Mexican wine list with Casa Madero, Bichi and Cuna de Tierra alongside the in-house mezcal cocktails and the courtyard.
Signature pour: Casa Madero by the glass
Wine focus: Mexican wines and mezcal
Food: Snacks and Oaxacan plates
Mezcalogia on Garcia Vigil pairs Casa Cortes mezcals (El Jolgorio, Nuestra Soledad) with a tight Mexican wine list and a small kitchen of Oaxacan plates.
Signature pour: El Jolgorio Tobala
Wine focus: Mezcal with Mexican wine by the glass
Food: Oaxacan plates
Mezcaloteca on Reforma is the appointment-only mezcal library with 100-plus family producers for educational flights and a small dry-snack pairing service.
Signature pour: Family-producer mezcal flight
Wine focus: Mezcal flights by appointment
Food: No food
In Situ on Vicente Guerrero is Ulises Torrentera's mezcaleria with 180-plus mezcals, often poured by the author himself, and a small snack program for long.
Signature pour: Ulises Torrentera-curated flight
Wine focus: Mezcal-only, no wine
Food: Bar snacks