The Best Mezcal in Oaxaca: Where to Drink and Tour in 2026
Mezcal is the reason a lot of people come to Oaxaca, and the city is the best place on earth to drink it. This guide covers the best mezcal in Oaxaca by what you want from your night, from a serious tasting to a fancy cocktail bar or a palenque tour in the agave fields. Each section gives my tips on where to go and what to drink. My favorite is last, and the nearby view is the reason. Be sure to a ip mezcal slowly, not in shots.
Best Mezcal Tasting in Oaxaca: In Situ
In Situ, founded by mezcal expert Ulises Torrentera, is where to go for the deepest tasting in the city. The walls are lined with bottles from across Mexico, the menu is organized by agave type and distillation method, and the staff walk you through each pour. You can compare a copper-still espadin against a clay-pot ancestral mezcal side by side, which is the fastest way to learn your own palate. People call it the cathedral of mezcal for a reason.
What to Order: A flight of three to four, asking the bartender to range across agave types and production methods. Try a tobala or tepeztate if you want to taste beyond espadin.
Best If: You want to learn what you actually like, with expert guidance and the widest selection in the city.
Skip If: You want a cheap, casual drink. In Situ prices reflect the rarity of what is on the shelf, so it is a tasting destination rather than a quick stop.
Best Educational Mezcal Tasting: La Mezcaloteca
La Mezcaloteca is a reservation-only mezcal library that runs guided, hour-long tastings through more than 100 mezcals. The format is closer to a class than a bar, with staff acting as guides who explain agave varieties, terroir, and how each was made. It is the spot to book early in your trip, since once you know your preferences the rest of your mezcal drinking gets easier. Reservations go fast, so book one to two weeks ahead.
What to Order: The guided tasting flight, which the staff structure for you. Tell them what you have liked so far and they will build the comparison around it.
Best If: You want a structured, educational introduction to mezcal from people who treat it as heritage.
Skip If: You did not plan ahead. Walk-ins are not the model here, so without a reservation you will not get in.
Best Mezcal Cocktails in Oaxaca: Sabina Sabe
Sabina Sabe, named after the Mazatec curandera Maria Sabina, is the cocktail pick, voted among the best bars in North America. The kitchen and bar treat mezcal as a base for inventive drinks rather than only a sipping spirit, and the food is strong enough to make a full evening of it. It is busier and more social than the tasting rooms, with a maze of rooms and a lively crowd. Walk-ins ware welcome, though it fills up at night.
What to Order: A mezcal cocktail like the Chilito Rose, made with mezcal, Aperol, and grapefruit, plus a few plates to share. The sipping list is there too if you want to switch.
Best If: You want mezcal in cocktail form, good food, and a social night out rather than a quiet tasting.
Skip If: You want to focus on neat, traditional pours. The draw here is the cocktail program, so a purist is better served at In Situ.
Best Neighborhood Mezcaleria: Quiote in Xochimilco
Quiote, in the Xochimilco neighborhood away from the center, is the local pick, run by owners Celia and Aidan who work with more than 60 small producers and pour over 100 expressions. The selection features tiny-batch mezcals you will not find downtown, and bilingual tastings make it easy to dig in. The Xochimilco setting, with murals and cobblestones, is calmer than the busy center. Weekends are by reservation, so plan for that.
What to Order: A tasting built around small-producer mezcals, with the owners steering you toward whatever is rare and good that week. Ask what is new in from the palenques.
Best If: You want small-batch mezcal and a quieter neighborhood away from the downtown crowds.
Skip If: You are short on time or staying central. Xochimilco is a walk or a short ride out, and weekend visits need booking.
Best Mezcal Tour From Oaxaca: Santiago Matatlan
For the full picture, take a mezcal tour out to Santiago Matatlan, billed as the world capital of mezcal, about 45 minutes from the city. The palenques there are working distilleries where you watch agave roasted in earth pits, crushed by a stone tahona, fermented, and distilled, then taste straight from the source. Most city tours bundle several palenques with transport, which is the easy way to do it. Going with a guide also means you are not driving after tasting.
What to Order: Taste across the production stages at each palenque, from the roasted agave to the final distillate. Buy a bottle directly from a producer you like, since prices at the source beat the city.
Best If: You want to see how mezcal is actually made and taste it where it is produced, not just in a bar.
Skip If: You have only a day or two in the city. The round trip and tasting take most of a day, so it needs the time.
Best Rooftop Mezcal in Oaxaca: Terraza Los Amantes
The rooftop terrace at Hotel Los Amantes pairs a strong mezcal and cocktail list with the best view of any drinking spot in the center, looking across to the Santo Domingo church. It is part of the Los Amantes group, which also runs the small candlelit tasting room nearby, but the terrace is where you come for mezcal with a view. Tables on the edge of the roof go first, so arrive before sunset. I got there at the perfect time.
🏆 My Personal Pick
The rooftop terrace at Los Amantes is my pick of the whole list. The mezcal is excellent, but what makes it is the terrace itself, set high with a clear view across to Santo Domingo as the sun sets. The group’s tasting room is just across the street, so the whole corner works as one stop: explore Santo Domingo, do a flight in the tasting room, then wander up to the rooftop for food and drinks at sunset. The hotel itself is a good place to stay too, central and walkable to most of what you will want to see. Get there early to claim a table on the edge, order something to sip slowly, and stay for the view as much as the drink. This also worked well for my wife, as she preferred a glass of wine.
What to Order: A neat pour of a good espadin or a mezcal cocktail, sipped slowly with the orange and sal de gusano on the side. Time it for sunset over Santo Domingo.
Best If: You want mezcal with the best rooftop view in central Oaxaca, ideally at sunset.
Skip If: You want a deep, educational tasting. The terrace is about the view and the drink, so for a serious flight go to the group’s tasting room or In Situ.
Drinking Mezcal in Oaxaca: What to Know Before You Go
A few practical points apply across all of these. Mezcal is sipped, not shot, taken in small tastes to experience the flavor, usually with orange slices and sal de gusano to clean the palate. Mezcal is woven so deeply into local life that it turns up where you least expect it. My wife and I were once offered a tasting before our massages at a local spa, which tells you how much it is part of the daily fabric here, not just the bars. Book ahead for La Mezcaloteca and for weekend tastings at Quiote, and arrive before sunset for a terrace table at Los Amantes. If you want to see production, save most of a day for a Matatlan tour and go with a guide so no one has to drive. Buy bottles at the palenques, where prices beat the city shops.
🍪 Final Bite
Oaxaca is the best place in the world to drink mezcal, and the range runs from a candlelit tasting room to a working palenque in the agave fields. For learning what you like, go to In Situ or book La Mezcaloteca. For cocktails, Sabina Sabe. For small-batch pours, Quiote. For the full story, tour the palenques at Matatlan. And for mezcal with the best view in the city, the rooftop at Los Amantes is my pick, a pour at sunset over Santo Domingo. Sip slowly, and plan the tastings before you go.
Got a mezcaleria or palenque in Oaxaca you love? Tell me your favorite in the comments.
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