Oaxaca’s twin central markets — Mercado Benito Juarez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre — form the beating culinary heart of a city widely regarded as Mexico’s gastronomic capital. The experience is intoxicating from the moment you step inside: smoke billows from the Pasillo de Humo (Smoke Alley) in the 20 de Noviembre market, where rows of grill masters fan charcoal flames beneath strips of tasajo (dried beef), chorizo, and cecina, handing you plates of sizzling meat accompanied by fresh tortillas, guacamole, and fiery salsa. Around the corner, Mercado Juarez overflows with towers of dried chiles, mounds of chapulines (toasted grasshoppers), artisan chocolate, strings of Oaxacan cheese, and stalls selling handwoven textiles and black clay pottery.

Beyond the central markets, Oaxaca’s food scene extends to neighborhood mezcalerias where you can sample single-village spirits made from wild agave, and to the sprawling Tlacolula Sunday market — one of the oldest continuously operating markets in Mesoamerica. The city is the birthplace of seven distinct mole sauces, and market comedores (food stalls) serve them over chicken or enchiladas for a fraction of restaurant prices, surrounded by the authentic bustle of daily Oaxacan life.

Pro tip: In Mercado 20 de Noviembre, pick your raw meat at the butcher stalls first, then hand it to one of the grill stands in the Pasillo de Humo to have it cooked to order — the sides and tortillas are included. Pair everything with a cup of tejate, a pre-Hispanic cold cacao drink sold by women in traditional dress at the market entrance.