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Oaxaca
Milk Street on the Road: Oaxaca
Nov 14 - 21, 2025 (Sold Out!)
Where
Oaxaca
Group Size
8-12 Travelers
Duration
8 Days, 7 Nights
Price
From 4,500 USD / person
Rich mole, fresh fruit paletas, warm corn tortillas: these are the flavors of Oaxaca. In this weeklong trip available only to the Milk Street and Culinary Backstreets audiences, we’ll get a perspective on Oaxaca that casual tourists never get to see. This will lead us from some of the city’s hottest tables to farms and into private homes where home cooks keep tradition alive. We’ll be led by the local Culinary Backstreets experts, taking us to Milk Street’s favorite places in town. In the city, our resident chef is Rodolfo Castellanos, who helms the kitchen at the superb Restaurante Origen. He’ll show us how to shop like locals at Oaxacan markets and guide our group in two hands-on cooking sessions, one at his open-fire restaurant and one at the beautiful farm where he sources produce and meat. We’ll also cook with four Cocineras Tradicionales, or Traditional Cooks, who will show us how to make tortillas, mole, hot chocolate and other staples of the historic Oaxacan and Zapotec diet.
Our journey begins with a walking tour of historic Oaxaca where we’ll first sample the flavors that will define our week together. We’ll track corn’s journey from kernel through processing all the way to a warm tortilla coming off the comal, get a private chocolate tasting, and sip tejate, the drink of the gods. Throughout the week, we’ll visit busy urban and rural markets, learn to make the famous Oaxacan quesillo, sample chocolate from cacao bean to bar, eat the best barbacoa in the region, and drink mezcal straight and blended into elegant cocktails. Join us to experience Oaxacan home cooking, tradition and innovation up close and in depth
EAT
COOK
LEARN
MEET
EXPLORE
Your itinerary
Day 1
Arrive and Meet Your Guide and Fellow Travelers
Welcome to Oaxaca. After getting settled in at your home base for the week – the boutique Hotel Casa de Sierra Azul in the city center – we’ll gather for an intimate welcome dinner at one of the most unique spots in town, Cocina de Humo. There, a rising star of Oaxacan cuisine, Thalia Barrios Garcia, will prepare our meal tableside over a smoky clay griddle. We’ll enjoy vegetable-forward specialties from her home region in southern Oaxaca, where the desert meets the tropics.
Day 2
Follow Corn from Kernel to Tortilla
We’ll get familiar with the city of Oaxaca as we set off on a culinary walking tour of the historic center. We’ll visit market stalls and neighborhood restaurants to enjoy snacks and tastings that represent the many microregions of the state of Oaxaca. As we walk, talk and taste, you’ll gain an appreciation for corn, from nixtamalization and milling all the way to warm corn tortillas at lunch. After some free time to rest or explore independently in the afternoon, we’ll regroup to experience Oaxaca by night at one of Milk Street’s Editorial Director J.M. Hirsch’s favorite cocktail lounges, Sabina Sabe, for inventive drinks and small bites.
Day 3
Shop, Cook & Feast with Rodolfo Castellanos
Day 4
Get out of Town and onto the Cheese Trail
Day 5
Deep Oaxaca
Day 6
Learn from a Master of Mole
Day 7
Country Cooking and Feasting
Day 8
Say Goodbyes and Depart
Meet the Crew
We are firm believers in the power of local knowledge. Our guides and the culinary masters and other artisans who are part of our trips all deeply reflect that. Meet some of our local heroes:
Maria
Paco
Rodolfo
Mimi
Catalina
Aurora
Abigail
Where you'll stay
Hotel Casa de Sierra Azul
This week’s focus on deeply local experiences and places are also well reflected in our choice of accommodation. We always select boutique and independent places, ones inspired by international standards while staying loyal to the area’s local heritage – that’s the balance we seek for more than a good night’s rest.
For this week in Oaxaca, our group will be staying at the Hotel Casa de Sierra Azul, a stunning nineteenth-century villa and hotel located in the heart of Oaxaca, just blocks from the zócalo and main cathedral. With ornate wooden details and a beautiful interior patio, the villa feels like an oasis in the middle Oaxaca’s vibrant city center.
Hear what travelers are saying
Oaxaca's charm endures from cobblestone streets, fabulous bars and coffee shops, and some of the best food in the world. From tlayudas to mole, from tacos to molletes, Oaxaca is an unforgettable culinary destination
Christopher Kimball
A trip steeped in the traditions of Oaxacan food, ingredients, and cooking highlighting the women of Oaxaca!
Carol A.
This was one of the best travel experiences I've had. With logistics taken care of and with a guide at your side each day, you get to really focus on cooking, tasting and learning about ingredients, history and techniques in a way you never could if you were on your own.
April D.
Know before you go
PRICING AND ACCOMMODATION
The total cost of this trip is $5,000 in 2026 and $4,500 for the last remaining spots in 2025. For travelers wishing to have single accommodations during the trip, an additional $1,000 supplement will be due at the time of the final payment. A $500 non-refundable deposit per traveler is required to secure space on the trip. The balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the trip.
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Travelers should feel comfortable walking two to four miles each day and remaining on their feet for periods of time. There are a couple of hikes on uneven ground. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get hands-on during a couple cooking workshops.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
For flights in and out of Oaxaca International airport, we suggest you arrive anytime arrive by 3 p.m. on Day 1 and depart anytime on Day 8. We’ll provide the option of booking additional nights at our group hotel before and/or after the tour, and are more than happy to provide suggestions for things to do and see in the city on your own.
INCLUSIONS
• All accommodation throughout the trip in stylish, boutique hotels • Professional guides throughout the entire experience • All meals and drinks included in the above activities • Admission to all proposed activities, locations, and events • Private coach for visits inside and outside the center city • A hungry group of Culinary Backstreets and Milk Street travelers, excited to explore all that Mexico has to offer!
EXCLUSIONS
• Private individual arrival & departure airport transfers • Airfare and transportation to/from the start and end destination • Meals beyond those specified in the itinerary above • Alcoholic beverages other than those served at the table • Accommodations outside those noted, including pre- or post-trip hotel nights • Activities, tours & entry fees not included above • Personal purchases and incidentals at hotels
DIETARY RESTRICTIONS
We encourage an adventurous palate! We try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions, though ingredients cannot always be substituted or omitted from particular dishes. This trip can easily feature plentiful vegetarian options and can accommodate gluten free diets among others. If you have other food allergies or intolerances, please contact us to find out if this is the right trip for you.
NOTES ON ITINERARY
Itineraries and daily schedules are subject to change. We expect to do everything listed in the itinerary, though the order may be rearranged based on weather or other local conditions.
SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY
We have reinforced our commitment to sustainability and safety with new guidelines to assure maximum safety of our guests on our trips while maintaining the quality of the experience. All of our experiences are designed to have minimal impact on the community and environment. For more details on our precautions, read here.
CANCELLATION POLICY
<p>You may cancel 90 days before the start of the trip and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after 60 days before the start of the trip there is a 50% cancellation fee. On or after 45 days there is a 75% cancellation and fee and on or after 30 days there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or cases of the trip being canceled (see our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://foxlabs-development.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/foxlabs-development/images_imported/Traveler+T%26C.pdf">Terms and Conditions</a> for full details).</p>
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