ULTIMATE TRAVEL AND FOOD GUIDE TO PUERTO ESCONDIDO (OAXACA)
Are you looking for the perfect vacation to enjoy beautiful beaches, authentic (vegan) food, get to know locals and explore untouched nature far away from the mass tourism? Then Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca is perfect for you.
We stayed three weeks in beautiful Oaxaca and roughly 1,5 weeks in Puerto Escondido. The small fisher village is not so known as the popular tourist spots on the other coast like Tulum, but I am sure in some years also Puerto (the abbreviation) will become a hotspot in the global travel community. So make sure to visit it while it is still rather a secret tip as Puerto is truly a magical place for both relaxation and exploration.
The atmosphere of Puerto is quite unique as the locals live in peace along digital nomads, tourists and expats. You can find the right area to live according to your need e.g. party or rather beach vibe and I explained all the different districts in Puerto below.
Also Puerto Escondido is a true heaven for (vegan) foodies as there are already many hipster and local places offering either only vegan food or a wide selection of vegan options. Check out the detailed review of all the restaurants and places we visited below - but if you can only visit one place, make sure to enjoy dinner at Holy Moly. The owner is cooking one fresh vegan meal per day and we loved every single dish of the four times we went there: from tacos with vegan chorizo to burger with cooking banana, the place is a real heaven for everyone, also non vegans!
In case you are also interested in further recommendations around Puerto Escondido, stay tuned for my travel and food guide to the hippie town Mazunte, located roughly 1h south from Puerto.
Have you ever been to Mexico? Iif so where did you go and what was your favorite place?
Lots of love,
Magda
Tips for your perfect time in Puerto Escondido
Punta:
Hucanii (bar/ sunset)
Great place to enjoy the sunset and have one (or more) drinks preferably a mezcalita. If you wonder what the spices on the glass are, it is the local speciality. In the beginning I was quiet sceptic but I love the herbs now, goes pretty well with the smokey flavour of the alcohol.
Juice House (breakfast/ snacks/ juices / vegan options)
Authentic and local place for great (vegan) burritos, salads and other breakfast options. Also the juices are really good and you can also take the burritos to go to enjoy them for example at the beach later.
Karma Bowls (breakfast/ vegan options)
Tiny place selling fresh smoothiebowls either with any topping you like or in some arranged options. We went there on my birthday as I am just a smoothie bowl lover but the portion size was a bit too small for my boyfriend. Maybe consider that in case you are going there super hungry.No Mames (dinner/ fully vegan)
New super cool all vegan place in Punta selling delicious loaded tacos. The options are really delicious and you are more than full with two tacos! Again we loved the one with jamaica flower the most.Market around El Àrbol (dinner/ bar/ vegan options)
Super cool place for enjoying some food from various food trucks or listening to great music in the backyard. Nice vibe and atmosphere especially if you are a live music lover like me.Alaburger (dinner/ vegan options)
Laid back place offering (vegan) burger and pizza for a really good price. The sitting area is arranged in a beautiful garden making it easy to enjoy your dinner.Pepe‘s fish tacos (dinner/ fish tacos)
We decided to eat fish as fish tacos was the local speciality and were not disappointed. Pepe‘s place is the go to for the best fish tacos with grilled shrimp and coconut or tuna for example. Pepe loves to host his guests and is always curious to getting to know them, so be open for getting to know the locals!Zicachela (dinner/ fish tacos/ vegan options)
Small cute place for fish tacos and burgers selling also vegetarian and vegan options. The owner is really kind and is also more than happy to adapt the tiny menu to your preferences. On mondays there is often live music!Fish Shack (dinner/ fish tacos/ vegan options)
Great quick fish tacos but there are also vegan options available! We loved the combination of coconut and grilled shrimp, one of the specialities of Puerto.Bikini Bar (bar)
Cool place to enjoy some drinks or cocktail which are even served in a pineapple. Make sure to check it out not too late as there are not so many seating areas.
Zicatela:
Finca Las Nieves “El Cafetal” (breakfast/ coffee/ vegan options)
Best coffee in Puerto! We went there three times in a row as we were just so amazed of the high quality coffee and vegan food options. We tried tofu scrambled eggs (with cooking banana), a Vietnamese sandwich and a tempeh one. All were really really good, oh high quality and really fair priced (a big sandwich with a side salad was like 3€).Elephant Garden (breakfast/ smoothies/ vegan options)
One of the best breakfast and lunch places of Puerto! Come early as they are closing already at 1:30 and there is often a waiting list. No wonder as there are delicious smoothies, bowls and other (vegan) options. Also there is pretty good wifi in case you want to (re)connect to the world.
Holy Moly (dinner/ fully vegan)
If I needed to decide absolute favorite dinner place then I would for sure take holey moley. The place is tiny and the owner is cooking one vegan meal per night so it seems like you are enjoying a private cook. The options are always amazing like tacos with vegan chorizo, burgers with cooking banana patties, fried eggplants with cashew sauce and homemade gnocchi. Also the drinks are great like the mango mezcal - mhhhmmm! The owner is super lovely and trying to get a bigger place as her food is getting more and more popular. Make sure to check it out if you ever come to Puerto!
Sativa (breakfast/ dinner/ vegan options)
Nice beach restaurant serving great food for example a really good falafel plate and wrap. Also the smoothie „sea view“ with maracuja and mango was really tasty! Apparently they also have great breakfast but we never went.
Dan‘s Café Deluxe (breakfast/ vegan options)
Big coffee place serving Mexican and continental breakfast as well as nice juices for a rather decent price. You can also order coffee which is refilled for free.Mar & Wana (dinner/ vegan options)
Great place for enjoying delicious vegan tacos (we loved the ones with jamaica most) and homemade kombucha. We didn’t manage to come back during the day but it has a crazy beautiful seating area in the trees! They just opened this new area and it is really beautiful for example to enjoy some juices and a book while looking at the sea.Selina (hostel/ coffee place/ bar/ party)
Stylish hostel and accomodation offering also a coffee place and a coworking space (10usd roughly per day). There are parties happening nearly everyday and you can also enjoy and chill next to the pool with pretty good wifi.Mercado the Zicatela (breakfast/ smoothies/ dinner/ vegan options)
If you want to enjoy a beautiful view of the ocean and have some proper Mexican food check out the local market with several great food and drink options. We also loved the smoothie place there - the smoothie were just insanely big! If you never tried jugo verde, make sure to do so as it is a local speciality!XCAANDA (bar/ club)
The most popular bar and club in Puerto playing all the mainstream (Spanish) music. If you come before 11pm you can enjoy the ladies night with free drinks.
Rinconada:
Taco Dog (breakfast/ fully vegan)
Super cute vegan cafe with a small little shop selling for example leather out of cactus. We enjoyed the homemade kombucha, smoothiebowl and vegan mozzarella sandwich.
Helados Palma Negra Rinconada (dessert/ vegan options)
The only ice cream we had as we were in love with this cute shop selling fresh creamy ice cream and popsicles. There are vegan, sugar free and gluten free options available.
We only had ice cream once in Puerto and this was at Helados Palma Negra Rinconada - a dessert dream!
Smoked Fish Tacos El Viejo (dinner/ fish tacos/ vegan options)
One of the best places for fish tacos as they are selling smoked fish, which is a local specialty. The prices are also really decent, just check out the opening hours as they are mostly closed earlier than other places.
Try the local specialty, the smoked fish tacos, at the best place in town namely Tacos El Viejo
Los Alebrijes (breakfast/ vegan options)
Nice places owned by a Swiss who lives in puerto more than 20 years already. It’s a really chilled atmosphere and the juices were tasty!
Pinches Tacos (dinner/ vegan options)
Nice taco place with good vegetarian options and decent drinks. They also have another outlet in la punta next to the bikini bar.La Spezia (dinner/ vegan options)
In case you crave some decent pasta check out this place! They have homemade fettuccine and ravioli, not like in Italy of course but still really tasty.Filomena (bar)
Argentinian restaurant where we went several times for drinks. The mezcal and negroni where delicious and the atmosphere of the place is truly unique.Foro Atemoztli (bar)
Hidden place with a nice view on the beach and depending on the season also the sunset. There is live music everyday and their guacamole was really good!
Centro:
Chadraui (supermarket/ snacks/ ATM)
The main supermarket offers really everything in case you forgot anything at home. You can also buy some small fresh snacks from the local bakery. Great place for purchasing some souvenirs such as spices to bring home. Also the ATM there has the lowest fees compared to the other ones near the touristic places.Mercado popular (snacks/ souvenirs / smoothies)
Local market offering everything that you can imagine. We just strapped through but there was a also a quiet popular juice bar.PapaTots (snack/ fully vegetarian/ vegan options)
We were craving lunch and really didn’t want to eat normal Mexican food so we found this place in happycow. The food is all vegetarian and most dishes also vegan. We enjoyed the taco salad and a burrito (yes Mexican food again haha but it was different still).Las Cazuelas (dinner/ vegan options)
The favorite place of the locals and we understand why! The vegetarian enchiladas were great, we loved the tostadas and another dish which I can’t remember but it was mainly with vegetables. If you ask for vegetarian options the friendly staff is happy to help.
Beaches:
Playa Manzanillo
Super nice beach for swimming, when you go enter to the left and just enjoy a chilled time at one of the many beach restaurants. You can lay there in the sun on their beach chairs for basically free as you just need to consume „something“ like a fresh coconut or a cool beer.
We really loved Playa Manzanillo with the beach chairs and slow waves which are ideal for swimming
Playa Coral
Hidden beach which you can enter via two ways:
1) via playa bacocho via rocks which we tried but returned as the tide was just too high.
2) via Hotel Villa Mexicana where you need to pay 80 pesos per person but then get two beers pr one hamburger at the beach.
The waves were less strong than at playa bacocho and we really enjoyed the empty beach with only some people.
The hidden beach playa coral was almost empty and great for a relaxed day at the beach
Playa Carrizalillo
Take the steps down to enjoy one of the prettiest beaches of puerto! You can either surf, take a surf lesson or just enjoy some time in the sun. The majority is laying in the shade on the right side but make sure to stay as high as possible as the beach as the waves can suddenly be way bigger and your stuff wet (guess what happened to us haha).
Take the steps down to Playa Carrizalillo, where you can enjoy the beach or take surf lessons!
Playa Bococho
Long Beach with rather high waves so not ideal for swimming. Still it is worth to go there as you can visit the baby turtle Release Center! For a small donation you can set one baby turtle to the ocean - a truly magical experience! The baby turtles are protected by the volunteering foundation by natural raptors and humans so make sure to visit the turtle release here and not at an organized trip where the turtles are not protected.
Releasing the baby turtle at Playa Bococho was such an incredible experience - don’t miss it!
Playa Zicatela
Main beach in Puerto Escondido but as the waves are quiet high it is mainly used for (pro) surfers. Still there are many nice beach restaurants and bars as the sunset is really beautiful from the beach. To enjoy the sunset head to the beach in la Punta as you can then see the sun set.
Other tips:
Enjoy the whole coconut, Mexican style!
Every time you drink a fresh coconut, either at the beach or in a restaurant, make sure to ask them to cut the coconut for you. Only then you can also enjoy the delicious coconut flesh the Mexican way: most of the time the coconut is served with lime, spices and a hot sauce. Maybe sounds weird in the beginning, but we really loved to eat the coconut this way!
Make sure to try out the fresh coconut with lime and the typical Mexican spices!
El Origen Beach Club
Located roughly 20min outside of Puerto, you can find a truly kept secret. El Origen is a high quality beach club open to everyone for a really small amount of money. You just need to consume some drinks or a guacamole and then your stay is for free! The beach is rather rough, but the pool and the whole are of the beach club is amazing!
View on El Origen from above - a dream, right?
Really nice pool at the El Origen beach club
Mirador Las Tortugas
Nice place to watch the sunset directly at the ocean. Take a beach towel and enjoy a romantic view on the sunset from the hidden spot.Yoga classes
There are many places offering yoga classes in Puerto, but we enjoyed them most in Barbarenas. Maybe it is a bit of a biased view as we stayed there as well, but the atmosphere and teachers were just amazing! There are three yoga classes per day and you can choose what you want to focus on. You will practice for 1,5 to 2h while hearing birds, nature and seeing the sea. The price for one class was 4€.Vegan picnic at the beach
I celebrated my birthday in Puerto Escondido and I must say my boyfriend really made sure that I have the best birthday possible. He organized a vegan picnic at the beach as a surprise for me including a birthday cake. I will write a dedicated blog post on this picnic as it was just so so so so beautiful. Really a memory for a lifetime.
Transportation:
If you want to get to Puerto the easiest way is to fly from Mexico City. There are several flights a day, and don’t be nervous if you end up in a tiny propeller plane like I did - that’s normal. The prices for one flight are around 30 - 70€ as it depends if you book back and forth. I booked my flight back on day before and it was still cheap. The airport itself is also really tiny so you do not need to schedule much time for flying to or from there.
I can not say much about the transportation around Puerto as we had a scooter for the whole time. It is really handy to get around but you can of course also use the local collectivos or taxis, which are all considered as safe.
A typical view in Puerto Escondido: cactus everywhere you go!
Accommodation:
There is no “right” area to stay in Puerto Escondido as all quarters have their pro and cons. We first stayed in la Punta which was nice to enjoy the cool restaurants, bars and yoga sessions and later decided to spend a week in Rinconada as we wanted to enjoy the beaches more. This seemed like a different holiday then la Punta as we discovered this neighbourhood more. If you are mainly seeking to party zicatela is probably your go to area and it can be quiet loud in the night.
We decided to book the first week via Airbnb as Puerto seemed to be quiet popular the time we went to. Afterwards I still would have booked the same place again (Barbarenas) but directly with Kai as the price is way better then. If you are interested I can also give you his phone number! Barbarenas is a really cool place where you are living in your own stone house in nature. We enjoyed the private rooftop and the best thing was definitely the day bed on top of the house where we enjoyed beautiful sunsets and mornings - I even saw a (colibri) for the first time in my life.
We decided to book our second stay in Puerto directly and went for the Aldea del Bazar Hotel. It is really cheap compared to what it offers: AC, clean room, beach towel service, garden with hammocks and a pool.
Barbarenas was a dream come to true to stay!
Sunset view from the day bed on top of our house!
Money
Most places prefer or only accept cash so make sure to either bring a bit of Mexican pesos or try to get some first money at the airport and then later at Chadraui (as mentioned the fees are lower there). Most accommodations do accept credit card payment though.
