Top 20 Mexican Street Food in Oaxaca

Oaxaca is in Southern Mexico, and tourists are filled on the streets here at all times. Besides all the attractions and the vibrant coastline, the local food is a must-try while staying or visiting this place. Here are the top 20 foods to try in Oaxaca.

🗓️ Last updated: July 2026

1.Tostadas

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The word Tostada means “toasted”. The quickest way to make these is by baking or frying the soft tortilla shells until they are crispy. After that, just add the toppings you like and it’s done.

Tlayudas

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This is a handmade dish, which is made with a large, thin, crunchy, toasted tortilla covered with a spread of refried beans, pork lard, lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat, Oaxaca cheese and salsa. It is as large as a dinner plate, which is fried or charred on the grill. For the toppings, they use meat, Cecina enchilada, and chorizo.

Quesadillas

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This is a Mexican and American dish made up of a tortilla, filled with cheese, meat, spices, and other kinds of fillings. It is then cooked on a griddle. It’s usually made with a corn tortilla.

Churros

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A churro is a type of sweet dish made up of fried dough. It is very common in Spain, Latin America, and Portugal. In Spain, they can be thin or long and thick. They are eaten for breakfast with champurrado, hot chocolate, or café con Leche. Cinnamon sugar is sprinkled on top of them for added flavor and taste.

Elotes

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This is a classic Mexican street food made up of corn and charred on the grill. Then it is covered in spicy and creamy chili, garlic, and Cotija cheese. The best way to make this is to first get good quality corn and char it directly on hot coal for the most authentic taste.

Esquites

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This is like an Elote. It comprises corn, mayonnaise, cilantro, chili powder, lime and crumbled Cotija cheese. This is much easier to eat. You can use frozen corn kernels for this dish and it can be made from scratch in only twenty minutes.

Fajitas

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A fajita is stripped of grilled meat with peppers and onions on a flour or corn tortilla. You can use chicken and beef. You can also use vegetables instead of meat. Some of the condiments that go well with Fajitas are shredded lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.

Chicharrónes

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It is a dish primarily made of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds. It can also be made with chicken, mutton, or beef. Try eating this with salsa or guacamole. They are extremely tasty.

Guacamaya

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These are tortas that originated in Leon and are mostly sold by street vendors and the taste may vary. To make this authentic, put a spicy sauce and lemon juice on pork cracklings.

Raspados

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This is a snow cone. The ice is shaved manually and can be seen done by the vendors on the streets of Mexico. They can be topped with condensed milk, fruits, lime juice, or even ice cream in this case. The shaved snow cone with ice cream gives you the authentic taste of raspados.

Barbacoa

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This dish is cooked on an open fire with maguey leaves. This dish is the easiest to make as you just have to put all the ingredients into a cooker and stew it until you can smell the aroma and fragrance of all the spices and meat.

Burritos

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This is a Mexican dish made up of flour tortillas. First grill the tortilla a bit and fill it with a savory filling comprising of meat, spices, and sauce. You can also fill it with rice, avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, and cooked beans.

Marquesitas

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This is a rolled crepe wafer 8 inches in diameter. The batter for the crepe wafer is like a wafer. First, you need to make thin crepes with the batter on a hot pan. Then you can fill it with the choice of your filling, including the classic grated Dutch Edam cheese. Roll the crepe, add a dollop of hazelnut cream on it and enjoy.

Tortas

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This is a Mexican sandwich filled with meat, sauce, and various toppings like avocado, salsa, and iceberg lettuce. The local vendors use both Bolillos and Teleras to make this tasty sandwich.

Cemitas

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These are Mexican sandwiches made from their signature bread. They differ from the bolillos, as they are egg-based bread with sesame seeds. They are typically made with meat, white avocado, pápalo leaves, and either pickled jalapeños in adobo sauce.

Chalupas

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This is a thin layer of masa dough around the outside of a small mold, which is then deep-fried.

Camotes

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These are Mexican Candied Sweet Potatoes with piloncillo and spices. This is best for the fall and winter seasons. They are simmered on the stove in a syrup made from piloncillo, cinnamon, star anise and cloves, making it just perfect for the winter and fall.

Corundas

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This is a roll made with corn dough. This is cooked in the traditional way and technique. They are small and triangular. This can be served with a bit of sauce and some meat.

Tamales

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This is a Mesoamerican cuisine, which is a small steamed cake of corn where the masa is spread on the corn husk and little filling is put. It is then rolled and tied.

Tacos

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This is a traditional Mexican dish made up of small corn or wheat tortilla topped with a filling. This is made with beef, pork, chicken, seafood, beans, vegetables, and cheese.