Eating at Mercado 20 de Noviembre: A First-Timer's Guide
Stall-by-stall breakdown of what to eat, what to skip, and how the Pasillo de Humo actually works.
Mercado 20 de Noviembre is not a tourist market with a food court bolted on. It's a working market that happens to have one of the greatest concentrations of affordable street food →in Mexico. It's also intimidating if you don't know how it works.
Here's exactly what to do, where to sit, what to order, and how much it should cost.
Understanding the layout
The market has two main sections: the crafts/goods side (textiles, pottery, kitchen supplies — skip this for food) and the food side (the entire back half). You want the food side.
The most famous section is the Pasillo de Humo (Smoke Corridor) — a row of charcoal grills where vendors cook meat to order. The system works like this:
- Walk through the corridor. Choose any meat vendor (they all have displayed cuts with prices).
- Point at what you want. They'll weigh it and tell you the price. Pay them.
- Sit at any table in the communal grilling area. They'll bring your meat to the grill nearest your table.
- Women walk between tables selling tortillas, salsa, nopales (cactus), and drinks. Buy from them separately.
Etiquette:You can buy meat from any vendor and sit at any table. The grilling area is communal — there are no assigned seats. Just find an empty spot and sit down. If you're confused, just point and smile — the vendors are used to confused tourists.
The essential stalls
The Hot Chocolate Ladies
Oaxacan chocolate de agua or chocolate de leche — near the main entrance
Order: Chocolate de agua, medio. It's lighter and more traditional than the milk version.
Ask for Mayordomo or La Soledad brand. The taste difference is subtle but real. Mayordomo is slightly sweeter.
Empanadas de Amarillo
Yellow mole empanadas, fried to order
Order: Two empanadas de amarillo. They're small — two is a snack, four is a meal.
Look for the woman at the stall with no name sign near the east corridor. The empanadas should be fried when you order them — don't buy pre-made ones sitting on the counter.
Tamales Oaxaqueños
Banana-leaf wrapped tamales with mole fillings
Order: Tamal de mole negro. Get the mole negro, not the rajas.
The rajas (pepper strips) tamales are fine everywhere in Mexico. Nobody does mole negro tamales like Oaxaca. This is your chance.
Save your money and stomach space
Quick reference
7 AM – 9 PM daily. Food stalls start closing ~7 PM.
Calle Aldama & Mina, 2 blocks south of the Zócalo.
Cash only. No cards accepted at any stall. See our budget guide → for ATM tips.
8:30–10:30 AM for smoke corridor. 1–3 PM for lunch specials.