Oaxaca Food & Markets Tour: Taste tamales, tlayudas, tejate

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/20

Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 6

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk the market stalls and eat what locals eat

A 2.5-hour food tour of Oaxaca's Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets with a local English-speaking guide and lunch included. You taste traditional waters, tejate (a famous cocoa drink), grasshoppers, roasted meats, tamales, tlayudas and Oaxacan sweets at the stalls where they're made, moving between the two markets to understand how the region's cuisine actually works.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Oaxacan markets and taste foods

Taste traditional city waters and cocoa drink
Try grasshoppers and Oaxacan sweets
Taste roasted meats in meat corridor
Sample traditional tamales and empanada al comal
Enjoy renowned tlayudas

The Experience

What do people actually eat in Oaxaca? The markets are where you find out. This tour starts at Benito Juárez Market with a tasting of the city's traditional waters and tejate, the cocoa drink that has been made the same way for centuries. You also taste grasshoppers—a staple protein in Oaxacan cooking—and finish that stop with traditional sweets. The guide walks you through what you're tasting and why it matters to the local food culture, so you're not just eating; you're learning how the ingredients and techniques connect.

The second half moves to 20 de Noviembre Market, where the meat corridor is the center of activity. Here you taste roasted meats, then move through the stalls for tamales, empanadas cooked on the comal (griddle), and tlayudas—the crispy, topped tortillas that are everywhere in Oaxaca. The guide points out which vendors have been there for decades and what makes each dish regional. Lunch is included as part of the tastings, so you're eating real food at real stalls, not a restaurant interpretation of it.

The tour runs 2.5 hours and moves at a walking pace between the two markets. A local guide leads in English and answers questions about ingredients, cooking methods and where to come back on your own. Minimum age is 14. The markets are crowded and active—that's the point—so wear comfortable shoes and be ready to stand and move between stops.

What’s included

Local guide in English.
lunch included as part of the market tastings.
access to both Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Oaxaca by locals

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to taste real Oaxacan food at the source—the stalls and vendors where locals actually eat—rather than in a restaurant. The guide explains what you're tasting and why it matters, so you leave knowing how to navigate the markets on your own.