On the edge of Oaxaca’s historical city center lies the best restaurant in Oaxaca, a must-go destination for food lovers.
Criollo restaurant Oaxaca is the combined effort of the world-renowned developer and architect Javier Sánchez, the creative talent behind Condesa DF hotel in Mexico city, and chef Enrique Olvera from Pujol. Together they have created a playground kitchen, dessert garden and guest house.
Criollo is dedicated to exploring and preserving the traditional Oaxacan cooking techniques. It is also a canvas for chefs to experiment, improve and share their knowledge through extensive internship programs. Criollo thrives by keeping its doors open to chefs and cooks from all over the world. In Mexico City, you will find many staff members who began their careers by walking through those open doors.
The Centro Cultural San Pablo is one of the lovely museums in Oaxaca and part of the Fundacion Alfredo Harp
Exhibitions Space, Art gallery and home for the performance arts. Including films. the center, supports academic projects with cultural activities that aim to value multicultural heritage, especially to the local indigenous communities,
Centro Cultural San Pablo participates in the study, documentation, and preservation of knowledge and cultural manifestations that are being transformed or that are in the process of disappearing, creating an extensive library with recordings of indigenous music.
The beautiful and well restored colonial building
used to be a Ex Convento de San Pablo (a 16th-century Dominican monastery),1860’s following the reform Laws of hero president Benito Juárez, in which the special privileges of the clergy and the military were abolished
There is not an obvious sign to Identify the site, the access is via a cobblestone courtyard that goes from Av. de la Independencia to Miguel Hidalgo avenue, on this path, there is also a cute cafe
On Miguel Hidalgo avenue at the corner of this street is the Textile Museum and next door is Muss Café at Casa Antonieta hotel; top coffee we had in the city
The Oaxaca Textile Museum (Museo Textil de Oaxaca or MTO) is an hour well spent. The MTO delves into the creative processes traditional to Oaxaca. Laying out a broad spectrum of designs and techniques for the design & manufacture of textiles.
The Museum offers open and professional workshops if interested plan Taking those special to Oaxaca, Mexico to the world. The Oaxaca Textile Museum works toward the exchange of specialized knowledge. Putting on International conferences, workshops, and exhibitions, all promoting textile diversification. The Museum provides both open and professional workshops. If interested, plan ahead via their website.
The Museo Textil de Oaxaca is also a philanthropic venture of the Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation. An organization worth investigating. They have over 40 projects that range from natural disaster recovery to sport, to environmental. The foundation follows a pro-active model. Its goal is to bridge the gap between the cultural wealth of Oaxaca and the social deprivation found there.
Your destination, the Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre. Head to Mexico City, Roma Norte, next door to El Parnita. There, look for the deep black interior and the flames.
When you see a cross between the most primitive and the most exotic; when your attention is grabbed and you can’t look away … then you have found the Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre.
At its most basic, the Expendio de Maiz is an informal taqueria. At its heart is a formal dedication to and celebration of corn. Three simple questions greet you … “How hungry are you?”, “Do you have any food allergies?”, “What do you like?”
The chef concocts a diverse parade of small preparations based on your answers. First up to prepare you palate are small tortillas made with heirloom nixtamalized corn and a little requeson cheese on top. With this you are invited to fully appreciate the flavour and essence of true corn. This is one of the reasons to travel, to realize that ‘I’ve never had corn before.” Quite a surprise in life!
Header photo © Expendio
Oaxaca – the name rings memory of strong presence. Everything, everywhere is bold. From the culinary, to the colors and even to the shopping! Introducing the Tienda Q design shop in Oaxaca, straddling the line between gallery & boutique.
It is both a gallery and concept store. – showcasing local designers, beautiful handmade clothing, basketry, jewelry, handbags and more.
The more is in the artworks adorning the mediums sized store. A store which may have been, or could become a gallery. On our visit, an installation of stone hand mills was laid throughout an inner courtyard.
