The Best Places to Drink and Stay in Oaxaca

Mezcal is the spine of the menu here, which makes sense given that Oaxaca is basically ground zero for the stuff. Selva is a cocktail bar that leans hard into local and seasonal ingredients, building drinks around the landscape rather than the back bar. A spot on North America's 50 Best Bars says the room is doing something worth noticing. Come for the cocktails and stay because the food snacks keep arriving and nobody seems to be in a rush.

A hanging alebrije sculpture installation stops you in the lobby before you've even checked in, and the hotel keeps that promise throughout. This 144-room property sits steps from Santo Domingo Church in Oaxaca's UNESCO-listed historic center, built around interior patios that draw light through every corridor. Local wood, stone, and clay pottery throughout feel chosen rather than decorated. The Agave Lounge handles mezcal duties; the spa leans on regional therapeutic traditions.

The mezcal bottles are locked behind bars, which is either protection or theater, and possibly both. Named for Mazatec medicine woman María Sabina, this multi-room mezcal bar in the heart of Oaxaca pours neat spirits alongside cocktails built on local ingredients. The 50 Discovery named it among their finds, and the Spirited Awards shortlisted it among Latin America's top bar programs.