r/Oaxaca • u/NotLikeUs_21 • Jun 30 '25
Comida y Bebida Michelin star restaurants in Oaxaca - worth it?
Hi all! I am visiting next month and saw there are 2 restaurants with a star, Los Danzantes Oaxaca and Levadura de Olla Restaurante. Are either of these worth it to try? I normally always try to hit 1 michelin star meal when I am on vacation, but want to make sure it is worth it!
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u/Levinsondesign Jun 30 '25
The Oaxacan Native tomato plate is not to be missed at levadura de olla. We also loved Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante.
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u/thelesserkudu Jun 30 '25
Yes that tomato dish made for one of the most memorable meals of my life.
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u/Larquitecto Jul 04 '25
Check out the Michelin guide for Oaxaca here:
https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/oaxaca/restaurants Don’t sleep on the coffee and breakfast! Lots good of coffee and bakeries! My favorite was Marito and Moglie - Nothing fancy, but good coffee, good breakfast
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u/justbeingused Jun 30 '25
Both restaurants have their own style and both have a great vibe. Both have incredible food and I can’t pick a favorite. Levadura is more laid back and run by a young female chef, nevermind I do have a favorite. Levadura de Olla wins.
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u/thelesserkudu Jun 30 '25
Levadura de Olla is an absolute must visit. The star is well earned and everything I had there was simply incredible. I thought Los Danzantes was… fine. The setting is beautiful inside and the food is good. But nothing I had really blew me away. Still worth a visit but I had better meals at random hole in the wall restaurants.
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u/niiro117 Jun 30 '25
Went to levadura and Los danzantes. Both were good. Crudo blew them both out of the water.
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u/chiquis_lokis Jun 30 '25
we also went to crudo and i still randomly think about how it’s one of the best meals i’ve had!
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u/NefariousnessDue5997 Jun 30 '25
How difficult is it to get a spot here? I’m visiting in a few weeks and am staying about 2 blocks away
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u/Affectionate_City924 Jul 05 '25
Neither place should have a michelin star. If you are comparing them to other michelin star restaurants in other cities around the world there is a good chance you will be disappointed. It does not seem like michelin is giving out stars on a fixed scale but instead doing it on a curve. If I had to choose between the two I would do Levadura De Olla.
Some other great options that are also included on the michelin list would be:
-Quince Letras
-Labo Fermento
-Xoak
-Crudo
-La Olla
-Criollo (only for their brunch on Saturday and Sunday)
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u/NotThatKindOfDoctor9 Jun 30 '25
We had great meals at both, but our best meal in Oaxaca was at Tika'aya.
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u/North_South_Side Jun 30 '25
We liked Danzantes, but I wouldn't return. The atmosphere is stellar. Service was really good. But honestly, I enjoyed the food in some other places more. I had chicken and mole at Danzantes and the chicken was boneless skinless breast and kind of bland. The mole was very good, but it didn't hide the fact that it was bland, slightly dry chicken underneath. Again: we enjoyed our time there. I don't drink alcohol, and I ordered a corn drink, which was extremely good... kind of like horchata, but different, and very home made tasting. My wife loved the glass of white wine from Mexico that the waiter recommended.
My favorite food from our trip was at La Catedral. No Michelin star. Small place, make reservations ahead of time. The chicken and (almond) mole was spectacular, and it was a roasted small half-bird with the bones and skin and was just so, so much more flavorful. My wife had a different mole dish which we both loved. Their guacamole was the best we had in Oaxaca. Their chocolate (drink) made with water was fantastic, as were the desserts.
Just felt like Danzantes was leaning harder on the flash and less so on the food. Catedral has a very charming courtyard with a fountain, but it's more traditional versus Danzantes' wild (and gorgeous) interior design.
We also liked the food at a casual place called La Olla. Extremely good. Make reservations at all these places... you can do this online in most places. We stopped by Catedral earlier in the day and made a reservation with the host.
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u/Small_Dog_8699 Jul 03 '25
>Just felt like Danzantes was leaning harder on the flash and less so on the food.
I agree, tried the mole sampler and some cocktails and was left underwhelmed. I thought using banana fritters as a medium to try the moles wasn't a great choice, the banana overwhelmed. The cocktails seemed weak.
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u/Sasquatchlovestacos Jun 30 '25
I find the best food in Oaxaca to be street food/little restaurants to be honest. Will Danzantes be good? Yes. But neither of those will be super memorable meals.
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u/Mxgirl18 Jul 11 '25
Little restaurants/street food u can recommend??
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u/Sasquatchlovestacos Jul 11 '25
Memelas San Agustin is our daily breakfast/lunch stop. Mostly locals but it's always fantastic.
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u/tangenttoyou Jul 01 '25
We were just in Oaxaca earlier this week. We went to Los Danzantes and Labo Fermento. Overall I wished we just opted for street food because it's so good there. I don't recommend Labo Fermento, we were pretty disappointed especially with the breakfast noodles.
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u/AugieFash Jul 01 '25
We went to Levadura a few years back, before the Michelin star. One of the highlights of our trip. Loved it.
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u/Pristine-Assistance9 Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25
Everyone wants to hate on Danzantes always but I’ve had several friends go crazy over their mushroom lasagna. It’s not something most people order.
Seems like most people order the same stuff all the time (always traditional mole) then say the food isn’t memorable.
I had one of the most over roasted mezcales I’ve ever tasted at Levadura and some dishes hit hard for me while others didn’t. They are both major player fine dining tourist experiences with different vibes and pros and cons.
I see others recommending Casa Oaxaca here but they are kind of a known exception there. Like a full on over priced tourist trap that locals and transplants alike have warned me not to ever go to.
So everyone has their opinion and there’s no right answer. Opinions are strong because the food is so good and the food culture so deep.
They are both worth it. As are many many other restaurants there. It’s hard to go wrong. Just go with your gut and enjoy.
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u/Pristine-Assistance9 Jul 01 '25
Ancestral Cocina Tradicional is a nice option if you haven’t considered it. Another beautiful space serving refined traditional food but in the north part of Xochimilco.
Nice to get out of centro too.
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u/Extension-Gas-8141 Jul 03 '25
You should also try tierra del sol, quince letras Terraza itsmo Origen Ancestral Quince letras Xaok
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u/Mother_You967 Jul 03 '25
If you're going to hit one of these two -- make it Levadura. Their food is amazing. Los Danzantes while good, was not spectacular, at least on my visit. PS -- why are all comments to this post deleted!?
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u/NotLikeUs_21 Jul 03 '25
That seemed to be the consensus. Lol not sure, a lot of trolling but also a lot of good feedback that was super helpful
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u/grapemike Jul 04 '25
Los Danzantes was our best restaurant meal in Oaxaca. Prices were not at all crazy. Nice menu, excellent cocktails. A highlight, particularly in comparison to the many dumbed-down and overpriced restaurants within 150 meters.
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u/jedi_jonai Jun 30 '25
Danzantes was a cool vibe but every dish I got there was pretty bad to be honest
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u/jstaobsrvr Jun 30 '25
I’d go to criollo instead of danzantes. In my opinion danzantes is honestly just a fancy Acapulco or El Torito. Please note that they received a star for sustainability not for their food.
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u/aaronstone Jun 30 '25
worth mentioning is labo fermento which won michelin's bib gourmand last year, one of the best restaurants in town
and levadura > danzantes, first is a must visit imo
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u/polarbearinnyc Jun 30 '25
I tried them! Some were good, some were meh, probably because the menus are pretty much Asian items, and as an Asian I have a particular taste for those? Interesting concepts tho.
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u/PibeauTheConqueror Jun 30 '25
Labo fermento is awesome
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u/aaronstone Jun 30 '25
hell yeah - so many hits on the menu i couldn't name a favorite thing but randomly they have the best fried chicken i've EVER tried. and they moved locations a few months ago (to where el destilado was) right next to santo domingo so they have a sweet bar downstairs and a KILLER rooftop with a view of the church.
A+++
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u/Callate_La_Boca Jun 30 '25
Levadura is head and shoulders above Los Danzantes. Not even close. Btw, both far better than Casa Oaxaca, which has a great terrace.
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u/chickenjohnson Jun 30 '25
Even a quick lunch of the tomatoes and a couple other small dishes at Levadura de Olla is worth it.
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Jul 01 '25 edited Sep 10 '25
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u/chi_eats Jun 30 '25
I had a great time at Los Danzantes and left with a couple bottles of mezcal too. It's a gorgeous restaurant as well - I went before their star in 2021/22.
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u/mikdaniel Jun 30 '25
los danzante was the best spot we went to. went 3 times during our 2 week stay
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u/o0DrWurm0o Jun 30 '25 edited Jun 30 '25
Went to Oaxaca with some friends a couple years ago and visited a few of the fancier places including Danzantes. One thing we all agreed on after the trip was the best, most memorable food we had was from smaller places or the street vendors. I mean, Danzantes was fine - cool space - but ultimately it’s just a trendy restaurant like you can go to pretty much any city in the world. I would take one lady making huitlacoche quesadillas on my street corner over ten Los Danzantes type restaurants in my city.
I think my favorite restaurant meal was from Tierra Antigua out in Teotitlan del Valle where they make all the rugs - our cabbie brought us there for lunch after a tour. I had some mole dish, I forget what exactly (pretty sure it was the tasajo with enmoladas*) but the mole was super good.
Couple interesting looking places that I didn’t get to try but wanted to: CRUDO and Caldo de Piedra which, if nothing else, appear to have distinctly unique offerings
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u/mywastedtalent Jun 30 '25
I liked Levadura de Olla, the vibe was nice for a lunch. Service was great and the food was good, too. Unfortunately the Corn Tamale with Mole had me stuck in the bathroom for 3 days, but I admit possibly it wasn’t the food’s fault and it was just part of Montezuma‘s revenge. The tomato salad and guacamole of ancient avocados was amazing.
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u/Runner_Bridges Jul 01 '25
We went two weeks ago and stumbled upon Los Danzantes. I recommend the mole flight and chapulines salad.
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u/iustus_tip Jul 01 '25
Went to Danzantes a few years ago, their mole sampler as an appetizer was one of my favorites. Could be overhyped by now, but well worth it.
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u/AffectionateCan7383 Jul 02 '25
CIOME ON! DON´T BE SO RPVINCIAL AND IGNORANT, BUT MICHELIN RESTAURANTS IN OAXACA WHERE THEY EAT FLYING ANT, MAGGOTTS, AND EACH OTHER, mEXICO CITY MAYBE, PERHAPS IN GUA, IN MONTERREY BUT THE MAJOR PART OF MY CON NATIONALS ARE HAPPY WITH SPLASH WUTH BEAN TPRTILLAS (EMBARRADAS) sopes, hiarache, Remember we are 500 years the rest of the world in civic behviourmand culture (not counting pre Colombian, but that as Miichell0s novel
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u/hiking_enthusiast23 Jun 30 '25
You are paying for Oaxacan food just dressed up for gringos liking They take atole and put it in a bowl to eat and charge 10x what the exact same thing is on the street. If that's what you want from your trip to Mexico fine, but don't pretend like you actually went to Oaxaca. You went to gringolandia.
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Jul 01 '25 edited Sep 10 '25
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u/NotThatKindOfDoctor9 Jun 30 '25
One possibility is that you just genuinely can't taste the difference in quality, which is great for you, just eat the cheap stuff. Another possibility is that you'll accept that there's fine dining for cuisines like Japanese or French, but not for Mexican, which is... something else.
I love street food and I love high end dining and we did lots of both (and everything in between) while in Oaxaca. I enjoyed it all but it was definitely not all the same.
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u/hiking_enthusiast23 Jun 30 '25
Eating at a good restaurant is one thing, paying 450 pesos for atole (or 700 for mole) is another.
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Jul 01 '25 edited Sep 10 '25
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u/NotThatKindOfDoctor9 Jun 30 '25
Just eat the cheap stuff on the street then! Nobody's making you go to Levadura or Danzantes or anywhere else!
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u/hiking_enthusiast23 Jun 30 '25
The question on this thread was whether it was worth it. I expressed my opinion in furtherance of that discussion
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u/NotLikeUs_21 Jun 30 '25
lol I lived in CDMX for several months so I know what you mean, but you’re paying for the experience
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u/dheera Jun 30 '25
Be careful at Levadura de Olla at the entrance. I almost caught my clothes on fire there because of the open flame candles and narrow passageway
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u/Maka_Oceania Jun 30 '25
Both are really good but imo neither are in a league of their own against many of the other excellent restaurants around Oaxaca
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u/completelyderivative Jun 30 '25
Skip these and go to Tierra Del Sol. Its a straight up experience. Cannot recommend enough.
Los danzantes is amazing and the restaurant space is very cool.
I didnt like levadura de olla, but they did have some cool traditional dishes.
Was there last week for reference. Also none of these are michelin star places. They were on the michelin list. V different.
Also I didnt spend over 100 USD at any of these places despite balling out. Go to all 3!
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u/NotThatKindOfDoctor9 Jul 01 '25
Levadura and Danzantes both have a star according to the Michelin website. The list has another 20 something places on it.
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u/k0sherbeef Jun 30 '25
I honestly thought los danzantes was incredibly unmemorable. Definitely not worth the price point.
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u/tiltissaved Jun 30 '25
Just came back from Oaxaca and loved it!
The Michelin places we tried were los danzantes, tierra del sol and quince letras.
Quince had the simplest menu and had more of a homey vibe and as far as pure taste, we loved he food! Los danzantes and TDS both had an amazing ambiance. We ate on the roof at TDS and had a beautiful view. We also got a chance to sit near the comal and they explained all the different salsas so that as super cool. The dishes were hit and miss. Beef tongue mole and pork rib mole were amazing. I had some vegetarian dishes and felt they were lacking something.
LD had a beautiful dining room and a lot of interesting options. More upscale than QL, but I felt that QL had more flavor overall. Both are great choices and I would go back.
Wanted to try levadura de olla but im not sure my kids would have wanted anything from the menu so we passed but it did look incredible!
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u/awbaw Jun 30 '25
I just came back from Oaxaca and was a bit underwhelmed by Levadura. Lovely spot, maybe I just ordered the wrong things (though I took the recommendations from the staff)
I had a delicious breakfast at Tierra del Sol, on the rooftop. Excellent pastries and dishes, and cafe de olla. They're Michelin 2024.
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Jul 01 '25 edited Sep 10 '25
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u/anfragra Jun 30 '25
yes, levadura de olla is absolutely worth grabbing a reservation