La Biznaga

Some of the best food we've had in Oaxaca! The service was outstanding. The host and waiters were friendly and helpful. All our dishes and drinks were delicious (and very reasonably priced). I strongly recommend La Biznaga to anyone visiting Oaxaca that enjoys high quality food in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Great experience. Typical Oaxaca cuisine. During COVID there is only one waitress, so do not expect service to the the fastest, however you never feel forgotten. The patio in the back is very private and cozy. The highlight of the night was the Zandunga.

I was the only patron here at dusk on a Wednesday evening which is a shame as my dinner was delicious and served on their delightful patio. Though they have seating outside in the front, make sure you head to the back patio to avoid the street noise. I simply went with the staff recommendations. I started with a slightly tart and fresh ceviche, followed by a perfectly cooked white fish on a banana leaf. I ended with a mezcal mouse. Head there now and take a friend.

Amazing, unforgettable food! We loved the bolognese lasagna with plantains and the chicken filet with goat cheese and mushrooms with zucchini sauce. Best food in Oaxaca! Also the atmosphere with the internal yard is super nice for dinner. Don't miss it!

Very good and creative food. I had the chicken stuffed with plantain in a mole sauce. Also had a tamarind refresco. They give you a delicious piece of Oaxacan chocolate with the bill.

Walking distance from my hotel, clean, excellent COVID protocols, happy, friendly, attentive staff, clean tables, spacious rooms, prices reasonable for tourists, great drinks, my dish was excellent. Looks like a mole, but with a guava based sauce., nuts and white rice. I would definitely go back. Clean, clean restrooms. Enjoy

This place lets you enjoy delicious and creative food in a lovely open courtyard. There's a lot of exotic dishes to choose from. I went for the chicken with plantains in mole sauce and got a memorable food experience in return. I will definitely be back for more.

Nice food. Very delicious and pleasing to both eyes and stomach. The place is crowded and loud but has an overall nice vibe. The wait staff could be much more proactive. You can go there anytime, they have a convertible sun roof.

Get the Cochinita pibil tacos! They are DELICIOUS!!! Best meal I had in Oaxaca at a restaurant just on the edge of city center! We sat on the back patio and it was such a lovely space. The staff were so friendly and attentive and kept the margaritas flowing.

La Biznaga was an unexpected and wonderful find on our last night in Oaxaca. We had an early start to the airport the following morning and decided to look for something closer to our place, which was about a 10 minute walk north of Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman. La Biznaga was just two blocks away. The kind owner greeted and sat us and enthusiastically recommended the Lo'xicha, a plantain tamale wrapped in hierbasanta over mushroom adobo. Unfortunately, they were out for the night and I ordered the Mogo Mogo instead, rolled plantains, fried, and coated in amaranth and placed on a bed of salsa de frijol. It almost made me okay missing the Lo'xicha, which is saying a lot b/c I love tamales. The mogo mogo was done well and a worthy and memorable last meal in a fantastic city. All in all, the menu at La Bignaga was unlike any other menu we'd seen during our time in Oaxaca. Their Facebook page describes it as Mestizo food, a mix of Spanish, Mexican, and Mayan influences. It had some of the foundations of other foods we had tasted during the week but deviated in really pleasant and exciting ways. The only con was the place only took cash which we were short of it being our last night. It prevented us from exploring more of their menu. Something to take note of for next time as Oaxaca and La Biznaga are worth a return visit.

Love this place. We eat here every time we visit, often more than once. All the moles are great, but my favorites are the quesadilla de huitlacoche or quesadilla de flor de calabacita.

The good at this place is very tasty. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. You should expect to pay top dollar here, as there are more tourists than locals here. They've been featured on the New York Times, so this explains the prices. It's a great place for a romantic dinner too if you're looking for that. They also have a full bar. They can get quite busy during the dinner rush around 7-8pm, but I believe they accept reservations. I came in at 6pm without one and didn't have any issues.

This place is a gem in Oaxaca. I have spent the last week on a culinary tour and a local recommended this place to us. The food was fresh and delicious. The other reviews talk about the service but the owner was there and he was very attentive, gracious and nice. There is nothing pretentious at all and definitely reasonably priced. Overall -it is a must!

This place is not three stars, nor three dollar signs. Who wrote that shit?! This place is 5 stars and 2 dollar signs. We had duck tacos--succulent and sweet, Marlin Memelitas--to die for, salad of watercress, pears, pistachios... have I used insane yet? Insane. And seared tuna encrusted with cornmeal--like agadashi tuna. It killed us. I got a Biznaga cocktail, it was so good, I went to the bartender for details and got them--along with samples of several mezcals and a discourse on Spanish and the Boston Red Socks. There was also a mojito and dessert. Three people out the door for 110 pesos $55 with tip. Eat here then die.

Very popular and well recommended by both locals and tourists, especially by those who have spent a good deal of time in Oaxaca. Uphill from the Zocolo you enter a building which could be shops or businesses and there is an open, stone-floored patio, hacienda-style with tables and chairs. Yep...you got here. Menus are posted on chalk boards along the walls and it takes some time to study them and figure out just what is being offered. The staff is used to tourists and there are even tour groups that will come in, so English is spoken and maybe some other languages. There is a full bar and we certainly recommend what became my wife's favorite: Mezcal margarita. A margarita made by the local tequila which is NOT the blue agave variety found all over Mexico, but another kind of agave. You have heard of the worm in the bottom of the bottle booze? Well, this is what it is. Flavorful, powerful and a different taste than the tequila those of us in El Norte are familiar with. There are sample shops all over Oaxaca, so go for it. La Biznaga can be very crowded during meals served during regular times. We went a couple of times after 1pm or a bit later. Avoids the crowds and makes for a more pleasant experience. Their salads are varied, fresh and plentiful in portions. In fact portions are generous for all their dishes. Prices are about $10 US or 200 pesos for main dishes, about $3 US or 60 pesos for salads...all depending on exchange rate at the time. When we were here it was about 20 pesos = $1US. Music at night, can be very romantic and the outside street is softly lighted and the nights cool enough for strolling arm in arm.

I stopped in based on the recommendation and had an appetizer platter. It was excellent, unique, tasty, and authentic. Service was excellent too. Ambiance fun and relaxing.

Comida excelente por un precio reasonable. Buena ambiente y meseros amables. Mucho mejor que Casa Oaxaca en mi opinión.

This is my go-to reliably wonderful restaurant in Oaxaca! The back patio is very charming and cozy. The staff are always anxious to serve and very helpful with choices and information. The owner is incredibly gracious, he has a really amazing collection of music he plays also that makes it even more fun. The food is really outstanding. They have very unusual appetizers (try the cones with jamaica). The main dishes are delicious, i generally have the fish, but the chicken has been terrific too! The salads are creative and yummy, basically never disappointed. I was surprised to see some people who felt expensive, compared to some of the high end restaurants in Oaxaca, it is very reasonably priced for the best flavors in Oaxaca! Oh, and the house mezcal is a great bargain for the wonderful taste! Plus, good wines! Don't miss it! I am sorry I don't have any pictures to offer at this time. i will update when i next go!

I had a wonderful meal here. Was happy for the free carrots and jicama with lime and spices when I first sat down. The ceviche entrada was really enough for a light meal for one. Lots of fish and chopped veggies in a vinaigrette. Really tasty. The flan with a bit of mezcal in the sauce was delicious for desert. The tables outside in the back are away from noise and nicely spaced. I would definitely come back.

Two years ago we ate at Biznaga at least a dozen times over the course of a month and it was great! Now, Jan. 2019, the staff seems surly and distracted, goofed up 3 orders out of our table of 6, brought the wrong dishes and made us work each time to straighten it out.....yes, we do speak Spanish. The restaurant was less than half full on a weekend night. Maybe it was the armed robbery of patrons bags from this lovely courtyard setting last year that has put everyone off their game........ The food which still get's high marks from some, was definitely not up to what it was two years previously. Their tortilla soup used to be a luscious multidimensional flavor fest with lots of extras that you assembled yourself. In this recent iteration, the soup was watery and came with about half the ingredients. Just sayin'!

Don't bother. Pretentious, over-priced, with surly, unfriendly waitstaff. Since it opened several years ago, La Biznaga has continued to live down to its reputation of having waiters who are discourteous and excruciatingly slow, but this year, they've hit a new low. The waiter spit out that they didn't have any white wine except Chardonnay and a Mexican white. When I asked to taste the Mexican white wine they had on offer, the waiter returned, slapped a mezcal cup in front of me, and said, "Chardonnay." The waiters seem trained to act as if they're in a snooty New York restaurant, but the trend of mistreating customers to prove hipness is long past, in New York or anywhere else. An unhappy and unpleasant feeling prevails. The food: disappointing. It was once reason enough to withstand the surly waitstaff, but this time, the "Calendas" was cold and the "La Negra" soup tasteless. It's become a tradition for us to go there one night during our months in Oaxaca, if only because we love to hate it, but those days are over. Seems doubtful this place will survive now that it has some real competition. You're better off going to La Catedral for a nice dinner out, where the waitstaff are attentive, the food is fantastic, and the prices are reasonable. Or La Popular, across the street. No more of this fake Soho-en-Oaxaca crap.

The food here is absolutely creative Mexican fusion that's worth a try! For my appetizer, I ate a habicus-dry chile wheat cone with guacamole add an appetizer; for the salad, I ate a salad with ricotta cheese, almonds, greens and grapefruit; and for my main dish, I ate a meet dish with portobello mushroom, goat cheese, walnuts and chili sauce. Yum. I recommend you try everything I had. The plus is that you get to sit in a courtyard that's quite aesthetic and hipster - with a huge tree in the middle of it all.

This New adress claims to be the same place, they just have the name, the new place is a pretty but the food is disgusting, expensive, cash only, and one server/ cook in the whole place, dont even bother

In summary : Overrated ! Service is terrible! Slow and with no attitude ... ! Pros : Nice spot / great setting / nice bathrooms / good vibe Cons : Service (already mentioned) / food is ok but nothing out of the ordinary / kids ordered pasta and did not finnish (very unusual for them) so when i tried overcooked and with a ready made tomato puree flavour ... not good Conclusion : good spot , but work that service and improve your attention to detail on the food side

5 stars all the way. A cute courtyard amidst the shops setting helps you relax into scrumptious Oaxacan cuisine. We must have stumbled on a gem...it was packed, with people waiting (have not seen that here before) on a Monday night. Try the dorado fish in tomatillo, mushroom, and pepper sauce or the cilantro chicken mole with plantains. Both were served with a generous portion of rice and piping hot tortillas. Tan rica! Di tus amigos! Viva La Biznaga!

Let's get this out of the way - the ambience is lovely and the food is darn good. But if you would like to feel like a welcome guest, look elsewhere. This place has had a great reputation, but I think it must have gone to their heads. The waiter was unfriendly, officious, and not at all attentive to our needs. There are too many good restaurants in Oaxaca to put up with this.

I have traveled through most of Mexico at this point of my life. I have eaten at really high end places and small tents pitched along a road... I have never had such awful food as I did in La Biznaga. I tried La Guelaguetza... chicken breast floating in canned tomato sauce with a ridiculous tower of French fries a la Jenga tower... Don't waste your time. Go next door to La Zandunga where the food is delicious and worth your money. I should have ran away when I heard the "world" music blaring and seen the bar tender mixing a margarita.

Absolutely amazing! Inventive menu using traditional Oaxcan ingredients, great selection of drinks, flavorful and unique. Awesome space too with a retractable roof. How good was the food? Let's just say that one table over from us there was a small child taunting a dog by barking at it. In response, the dog would then bark at the child. They went back and forth, but the commotion could not distract us from our food. We ordered the trio (hibiscus cone with guac; cheese "tamale" with hoja santa, squash blossom and poblano; black bean memela), smoked marlin memelas with watercress, and la zandunga (plantains wrapped in pounded chicken breast, served with rice and a sweet guave mole). While the zandunga was a tad sweet, it was still delicious. Pulque was the best we've tried in Oaxaca. Not sure why this restaurant only has three stars? Truly one of a kind, and reasonably priced given the location and the freshness of the food. Would absolutely go back. Also, check out the awesome bathrooms. They feel a bit like a post-modern art installation.

Should be a 3.5. The food came out hot and tasted good, but I didn't get warm fuzzies from the quality of the cooking. (Had the chicken mole with cactus, my wife had the chicken with squash and chapulines). Compared to Zandunga next door, I would say that the food was better conceived but less well executed. The service was indifferent bordering on rude. Could be quite different on a night with a different cook, but I was a bit relieved after the poor reviews...

The atmosphere is great at La Biznaga. I ordered the filet in red Molè and it was fantastic. Menu is diverse so not sure about other items on the menu.

The menu is adventurous but didn't really deliver, for me. The atmosphere is very cool and I liked that. I had a pasta dish that was pretty darn bland and I was quite surprised by that.

It's High Oaxacan cuisine in every sense: Good for the adventurous and patient. When they hit, it's amazing. When they miss, it's by a reasonably wide margin. The house Ceviche (La Biznaga) is worth the trip alone. If you're really peckish and the wait is too long, just ask for a seat at the bar and enjoy, along with a Mezcal. Yes, there's always a wait. I had the Tuxpeño and it was a pretty lifeless chicken breast, amateur hour rice whiter than a baja-wearing dreadheaded hippie backpacker, and a mole that was all lukewarm heat and no flavor. A street meat vendor in Atlanta could have probably done a better job with the Plantains. However, my partner had the Zandunga Chicken. That guava mole earned them at least a star and a half. My partner and I both licked that plate clean. The tortillas were great and fresh, the playlist was amazing and the decor quite interesting. The service was as slow as advertised, but friendly and professional for Oaxaca. I'd try it, but be prepared for misses. Best for Gringo groups with at least one native in tow. Menus are in Spanish and English.

We enjoyed the menu del dia which included a green salad, coconut shrimp in mango sauce, Mezcal and a large agua plus bread and tortillas. At around $12 per person, not a bargain by Oaxaca standards but a bargain by US standards and a great bargain for the quality. The shrimp were large and very good. Would return.

Some of the best food in Oaxaca. Delicious Chicken breast stuffed with quesillo and squash blossoms then served with a wonderful poblano chili sauce. Now to decide on dessert!

Cute courtyard, lovely atmosphere, and that's about it. We went here based on a recommendation from a mexican friend of ours, but the food was trying to hard, and we were craving something a little less artistic and a little more tasty. There was a small wait, the restaurant was quite full, but after being sat it took some time to get an order. We had the cheese soup (quite delicious), grasshopper, cheese, and cactus salad (devoid of flavor), turkey with black mole (dry turkey, mole overpowered everything), and mil cumbres (lacked any flavor or spice, no salt, over cooked). I wouldn't recommend based on what we experienced, specifically since Oaxaca has so many other great spots to eat at.

Oh, Biznaga. I live here, and when people come to visit they always want to come to Biznaga because they have heard so much about it. While there are some stars on the menu (sopa de frijol immediately comes to mind), most of the times I've gone, my friends' food has been cold or lacking flavor. Unfortunately, we once went as a large group (12 people) and the bill came out to about 3000 pesos, which was fine, except when we left someone swiped 1000 pesos and the owner came out after us saying we owed 1000 pesos on the bill. So, we had to fork that over. I won't go back there simply because I don't trust the wait staff.

Over the past several years during multiple visits to Oaxaca I have always returned to La Biznaga and the food has always been superb. Not today. I envy the experience of the previous reviewer. I, too, had the turkey mole and it was absolutely terrible. The turkey was tough and tasteless, the raw mushrooms added nothing to the dish, the mole (incredibly in Oaxaca) was bland and tasteless and studded with lots and lots of tiny rock-hard seeds. I was in real fear of cracking a tooth and finally gave up. After this experience I am sadly crossing La Biznaga off my list.

This one is located en el central de la ciudad. The salad (vegetarian) is highly recommended. Try it! I don't remember the name of the local beer but it's very tasty, little spicy, sweet and sour. Just ask waiter to recommend the most popular beer to you. ''Me da la cerveza picanta que la gente le gusta beber."

Quality of food has remained high for the at least dozen years we have eaten here ... plus we just love brothers Fernando and Nacho who own the place ... the best food and great music... good people watching also ... many gringos if you like that sort of thing

This used to be a great place to meet for drinks and dinner. However, those days are long gone. The service is awful and the food mediocre at best. Went here this evening only because everything else on the block was closed. Waited an hour only to find out our food order had never been placed by the mostly surly waitstaff. This place is resting on its laurels and its only a matter of time before both loyal locals and gringos start seeking out better food and service.

What was that? The food is like a drunk teenager coming home from the club - slapping an overload of ingredients together and forgetting to warm it through. We went because it was supposedly 'Slow Food' approved. Surprisingly enough the food came out fast. Too fast. Luke warm soup. This is my first bad meal in Mexico. I don't expect a lot but I was let down. I knew something was wrong when I was nervous to order. The menu is simple yet confused. Chicken with..... Chicken with..,.. Repeated 5 times. DO NOT GO.

Ordered Mil Cumbres from Carnes section. They were out of guacamole and did not replace it with avocado, even though avocado is more expensive than just the side of vegetables they brought instead! The waiter's lack of service skills added to the disappointment. The meat tasted like nothing, no spice, no taste! And to top it off, the beans were overly salty. Overly priced for what you get - do not recommend! The positive was a recommended salad and soup.

I should have yelped this place before choosing it but alas, I went on a recommendation and was sorely disappointed. Our group of four had skipped lunch and we were very hungry, but none of us finished our dishes. The black mole was runny, the fish was mediocre, the black bean soup totally unseasoned. The appetizer of quesillo wrapped in yierba santa was the only good thing, but it wasn't great. The service was terrible, and the waiter did not seem to like the food much himself, based on his feeble responses to our questions. They also charged us for items we had not ordered. No creativity and even less execution. There are MUCH better restaurants in Oaxaca so try those and pass on this one.

We are traveling for only a couple of days in Oaxaca and Bisnaga was recommended. We went early on a Saturday night, the restaurant was not busy. We had great service and the food was excellent! My husband and I both had beef dishes. The meat was well cooked and tender, sauces were complex - overall great experience.

Well recommended by the locals. A great selection of food and drinks. I loved the Palomas. Would go back if there weren't so many other places to try!

One of the most popular restaurants in town. Used to be excellent, now on a downhill slope. Usually the daily lunch specials are good. Service can be slow. Tip: Make reservations

Amateurish service. Possibly good food. Hard to tell since it was served cold. Appetizer we first ordered was forgotten. After we reminded them, was served two minutes before main course. Main course sent back to kitchen, and re-served 15 minutes later. Apparently they consider that acceptable. We would have ordered dessert, but by that point we'd given up. Getting three coffees was a struggle. Go elsewhere for margaritas, unless that's the only thing you want.

We ate here three times during our week stay in Oaxaca. Our last meal I had just La Silvestre Soup and a margarita. I don't understand the other reviewers complaints about drinks. I was a little tipsy after one margarita . The soup was great. Another nights I had a huge salad which hit the spot. Its got a good atmosphere and attentive wait staff. Give it a try.

La Biznaga used to be one of my favorite places for a drink and a bite to eat - in the WORLD! I used to LOVE hanging out there. What happened? The food still shines, but the service . . . They seemed bothered that we came to spend our money, chuckled among each other when I asked questions about the beer (I've probably forgotten more about beer, wines & spirits than those particular bartenders and servers will ever know), and refused to let us eat at the bar even though I'd eaten at the bar numerous times before and even though the place was virtually empty - and we were actively spending money. If the desire was to avoid having folks bother you with coming in - mission accomplished. Judging by the reviews, I'm not alone.

Hit or miss. Gets busy and is understaffed. Been forgotten about a number of times here. The sopa silvestre is really good. Also a good place if you are craving salad and are tired of chopped iceberg lettuce and underripe tomatoes . 3 stars for the soup, salad, and decent wine and beer selection. They also have fresh pulque- the naturally fermented juice of certain agaves.

We were excited to try this place and were not deterred by any reviews that said service was nasty. Really, We're not that picky and in need of validation from our servers and wanted to eat the inventive sounding food. Well firstly, the level to which the service was bad was beyond. They relegated us to a dirty room (replete with crumpled up newspapers on the floor), dirty tables, ignored us for a half hour (not even a menu or drink or hello), and I suspect the server was a Busboy they sent in to deal with us. He knew nothing. In all fairness we didn't make a reservation so we agreed to sit in that room but still, shocking that a supposedly high calibre restaurant would have such a filthy, florescent lit space with a bullhorn that would make us jump out of our chairs every time an order was ready for pickup. I'm not joking. The above might have been just a bad coincidence and an off night, it was the food that is making me write this review. We got the great sounding stuffed leaves with squash blossoms and oaxacan cheese. Like reviewer charlie below said, it seemed slapped together and not even warmed up. Thick rubbery cold cheese. the steak with nopal tasted like leather shoes with slimy soles, even the basic quesadilla was awful. My 6 year old refused to eat it and when I tasted it it couldn't blame him. Cold, nasty. And the kicker, I stupidly let my son drink the water on the table-the only time I didn't insist on bottled water. Either it was the water or the food but by next morning he was so ill he lost 6 days of the trip and 5 of his 47 pound body weight to debilitating, painful, stomach sickness. There is no doubt it in my mind that it came from this awful place. If you want a delicious upscale meal go to los danzantes or casa oaxaca or la popular for a casual but great one, and steer clear of la biznaga.

I had an excellent meal here a few weeks ago, a fine vegetable soup, and very good chicken dish with mole and vegetables, although the Mole was really too stingy in the zeal for minimalism, and for sure not as good as the same Mole Negro at the Tamayo Museo in el D.F. it was really nice after a week in Mexico to find green vegetables. The desert, peach pie with ice cream was far above average, and the space was lovely, but i do admit the waiter and waitress, young non-professionals, did sort of have the attitude as if they were doing me a favor letting me eat there. Rather odd for Mexico. A bit like bad amerikan hipster attitude, with out the tatoos. The coffee was terrible, and the waitress spilled it on the way, serving an espresso with coffee all over the saucer. Not a crime, but, again, definitely not professional. The house mezcal was good, and half the price of the name brands, the waiter announcing that they are all the same, just different labels, which of course, is far from the truth. This place could be better, but i would definitley go again.

La Biznaga is my all time favorite restaurant in Oaxaca. And even though the service might seem kind of slow, the food is definitely worth the waiting. The entrances are all really nice but I personally recommend the Calendas, which are hierba santa leaves filled with cheese and cream. While you wait for your food to be delivered order the mezcal of the house, they always have really good mezcal. Also, if you have never tried a clamato (beer+tomato and clam juice+hot sauce+lemon), this is your chance, this place has one of the best clamatos in town. My favorite salad is the one with bacon, grapefruit, spinach, nuts, cheese and honey dressing. My favorite dish is the sealed tuna with amaranto crust on top of mashed potatoes covered in a sour sauce of radish and shallots. I also recommend the beans cream, one of the most delicious bean soups you will try in Mexico. If you want red meat, they also have an amazing beef medallion on top of goat cheese with mushrooms and covered in coloradito mole (red mole). All the desserts are amazing but my favorite one is the one with chocolate and guava. I am pretty sure that you will love absolutely anything you order. Their prices are not cheap but I think you will find they are adequate to the quality of food they offer.

Went one night with my friend and the service was just okay. The food was pretty good regional food I suppose, but I've had much better elsewhere in Oaxaca and in Mexico in general. I'm not sure what they mean by "slow food," because it came out pretty fast. The drink menu needs to be updated: there are no wines by the glass listed on the menu, just on a board all the way across the restaurant. The flan de coco is very nice. The next night, we brought a group of students. I went in first to ask for a table. The owner was the snottiest person one could imagine. I asked- in Spanish- for a table for 13. He said no. Then I suggested we could break up as a group, but under one tab ( we were paying on a university card); again he said no, not possible, in Spanish. I said okay, that's fine, turned to look for my friend who was with me the night before, and who has eaten at this place many times. The owner looked at me and said- in English- very nastily, it's not possible, we won't serve you. So, you lost my business. Your obnoxious owner is a deterrent and underwhelming, pretentious slow food is boring. I will do study abroad in Oaxaca every year, and my students are well behaved in nice restaurants, but we'll go to SP. Much better food, attentive staff, and folks who know how to treat customers- students from abroad or locals alike.