Mercado Morelos

"Breakfast is a big deal in Oaxaca, and the happiest time to enjoy it is around 10am at a mercado. At Mercado Morelos in Ocotlán, many food vendors will try to lure your attention with a feast of stews and corn-based dishes, but we love to beeline to La Cocina de Frida. It’s a colorful food stall featuring a painting of Frida Kahlo and pecked paper, and is where the magical hands of Beatriz Vázquez (a.k.a. “ocoteca Frida”) take homemade dishes to the next level of flavor. To start, someone, usually Beatriz’s daughter, will come to your table to “explain” the menu, reciting all the dishes like a litany. Their specialties are slow-cooked stews and some moles, and you can request a little tasting of everything before making a final decision. Noteworthy dishes include the slightly spicy purslane stew, estofado, and enfrijoladas with a bean sauce that has a distinctive taste of avocado leaves and chilies." - Mariana Camacho

"Have a Meal with Frida Inside the main market in Ocotlan de Morelos there is a food stall called La Cocina de Frida ("Frida's Kitchen"), and standing behind the counter is none other than Frida Kahlo herself, or at least a reasonable facsimile. Owner Beatriz Vázquez Gómez likes to play up her resemblance to the famous Mexican artist. She greets visitors warmly and serves up excellent chiles rellenos, mole, enchiladas, and other local specialties. This is a great choice for breakfast or lunch on a day trip to Ocotlan."

"Have a Meal with Frida Inside the main market in Ocotlan de Morelos there is a food stall called La Cocina de Frida ("Frida's Kitchen"), and standing behind the counter is none other than Frida Kahlo herself, or at least a reasonable facsimile. Owner Beatriz Vázquez Gómez likes to play up her resemblance to the famous Mexican artist. She greets visitors warmly and serves up excellent chiles rellenos, mole, enchiladas, and other local specialties. This is a great choice for breakfast or lunch on a day trip to Ocotlan."

"Beatriz Vazquez might just dress up like Frida Kahlo, but she’s a true artist when it comes to the kitchen — especially the mole estofado, which is among the most delicious in all of Oaxaca. Make your way out to Ocotlan de Morelos, a small town about 45 minutes from the city center, and visit the Morelos Market, where you’ll find her making chiles rellenos, her famous mole, and what she calls the “naked taco,” a grilled chile de agua stuffed with chicken picadillo, rolled in a tortilla and cooked on the coals. [$]" - Omar Alonso