Oaxaca drinking starts with Selva Oaxaca Cocktail Bar, No. 9 on Shaker Awards 2024, and the bench behind it runs deep: we list 8 active bars across the city. The 5 below are our pick of them. 2 of them hold verified international recognition, from the 50 Best lists to the Spirited Awards. Every listing below is verified by BarMagazine, with addresses, opening hours and the signature drinks worth ordering.
Opened in March 2019 by the Art Cocktail Club as 'an ode to the diversity and richness of local ingredients and Mexican spirits', SELVA drinks its way through Oaxaca's markets, plants and communities under beverage director Alexandra Purcaru, mid-century rooms filled with agaves and indigenous art around a courtyard on the Alcalá. No.29 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2025, No.43 in 2026.
'A love letter to mezcal': Sabina Sabe runs through a series of rooms with vast amounts of the spirit on display, compelling cocktails built on Oaxacan ingredients, traditional dishes, and artwork throughout by Mexican artist Alejandro Magallanes. Down-to-earth and comfortable, it reached No.20 on North America's 50 Best Bars in 2022 and No.22 in 2023.
'Ven corazón roto, a sanar con estilo', come, broken heart, and heal in style. AMORD3 is Grupo Cozana's 'bar emocional' in Oaxaca's centro: sing your pain and let it go, over drinks, in the group's multi-concept nightlife house that also runs República Cozana, Cozana Rooftop and BESTIA.
These 5 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Oaxaca, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.
All bars in Oaxaca