Similar to sopes in other parts of Mexico, the thick corn tortillas of memelas are our favorite Oaxacan breakfast, especially at Memelas de San Agustín. Traditionally, memelas are topped with pork lard, quesillo and some spicy tomato salsa, but nowadays demand dictates that vendors add beans, meat and veggies. At this favorite food stall, all are exceptional.

Hitting up one of the many stalls to grace El Carmen Alto is a Oaxaca street food-must. For tacos, we frequent the square’s Tacos de Cazuela or Tradicionales Tacos del Carmen. The tacos come in all flavors and are complemented by different salsas, beans and guacamole, all held together with handmade tortillas, made al momento. At Cazuela, the focus is on homemade stews rather than the classic Oaxacan flavors served at Tradicionales (which has plain chorizo, squash blossoms, mole, chile relleno)

For those serious about delving into the world of the strong and smoky mezcal spirit, head to In Situ, one of Oaxaca’s most respected mezcalerías. Unlike tequila (made from one agave type), ultra-trendy mezcal can be made from at least 20 agaves, wild and domesticated, found across the landscapes of Oaxaca. In Situ’s elegant bar and impressive display of meticulously classified bottles has the feel of a cozy mezcal library, a place where knowledge and pleasure mix.

El Posito evokes everything nostalgic about old-school, traditional Oaxaca, selling the very-local and low-profile snack piedrazo. It’s a piece of very, very hard crunchy bread topped with pickled carrot, onions and potatoes, dunked in a fruit- and chile-based vinegar and dusted with chile powder and – if you’re feeling fancy – quesillo (fresh Oaxacan cheese). The concept might sound strange to most people, and it is, but El Posito’s unique vinegar recipe has no rival.

In most parts of Mexico, garnacha is the term used for unidimensional deep-fried snacks. But those from Juchitán (a village in the tropical Isthmus of Tehuantepec) are a whole different story. They are cookie-sized deep-fried tortillas topped with tender, seasoned beef, covered with chipotle salsa and the isthmus’s celebrated aged cheese. If Oaxaca is a state, Juchitán is like its own country within it. And Garnachas La Güera is a well-kept ambassadorial secret.

In 1926, 16-year-old Casilda Flores Morales opened her tiny aguas frescas (fruit-flavored water) stall on the square that would later become Benito Juárez Market. Almost 100 years later, her grandaughter now sells the ​​mix of fresh fruit pulp, water and sugar (if needed) to at least three generations of Oaxacan families. Get classics like orange, passion fruit, or mango, or Casilda’s signature flavors like squash water, horchata with prickly pear, watermelon, and cucumber with peppermint.

One of Oaxaca’s most refreshing food projects, Levadura de Olla is mountain food at its best. Thalía Barrios blends the herbal tones of the quelites (greens) and edible flowers of her hometown with the hearty flavors of smoked salsas and vegetables of the Sierra Sur. Barrios cooks the food of her heritage with an understanding of the current transitions happening in the food industry: plump pumpkin tamales, juicy stews of mushroom and bright salads dotted with seasonal produce and flowers.

A weekly organic market uniting growers and vendors from nearby towns, “el Pochote” is one of Oaxaca’s most down-to-earth markets. On Friday mornings, when the Pochote opens for the weekend, long folding tables are crowded with the aromatic breakfast offerings cooked up by vendors: Red clay mugs brimming with panela-sweetened café de olla from Café Yu-Van, perhaps, plus homemade tamales de mole con pollo and tostadas piled high with spiced local beef sausage.

While we love grabbing tlayudas from street vendors at the market, we are particularly fond of the classic tortilla-oriented dishes at Ancestral. A much-loved Oaxacan street snack, a tlayuda is a wide, crunchy tortilla – think larger and thicker than a taco, thinner than a tostada – topped with meat, quesillo cheese, avocado and beans. It’s kind of like a pizza, but infinitely better, as is all that Ancestral does.