Five Great Centro Restaurants That You Need to Try
This is a list of places in Centro that I love, none of which are featured on any of my other food recommendation articles.
La Punta has been rapidly growing over the past few years with new hostels, bars, and restaurants opening constantly. There are a lot of great restaurants to check out in La Punta, as there are in Zicatela, Rinconada, Adoquin, and every neighborhood throughout Puerto. However, I still think centro has some of the best food in the city.
Next time you’re rolling through centro running some errands, pop into one of these local spots and treat yourself to a flavor explosion at a fair price.
1. Las Margaritas
My buddy Adi and I had monthly dates at this place for a while. Catching up with my mate was a great excuse to eat whatever Las Margaritas prepared that day as their “Plato de dia” or “preperados.” Without fail, it was always a delicious, generous, and memorable meal.
They have a full menu you can order from (sopes, tlayudas, mole de pollo, caldo de mariscos, etc.), but I recommend getting an aqua fresca and whatever they prepared for that day. It’s an incredible value that always comes with a stack of homemade tortillas. Make sure to ring the bell on the way out to let the team know you enjoyed your lunch!
2. Pollo Grande
Somehow Pollo Grande will give you more food for less money than you can get at the grocery store. For 100 pesos, you’ll get half a roasted chicken, rice, cabbage, and several sauces. You can also pick up fresh tortillas from their cooler.
They also have delicious Estilo Kentucky (aka fried chicken), but I always get half a rotisserie chicken, which ends up being three meals. It’s hard for me not to buy half a chicken when I’m cruising through centro. It’s so good, and I don’t understand how they make any money at these prices.
Note: There are no tables to actually eat at Pollo Grande. It’s a grab-and-go option.
3. La Juquileña
Lunch at La Juquileña was one of the first meals I had after moving to Puerto Escondido, and I go back as often as possible to relive that memory and indulge in their traditional Oaxacan fare. I still remember thinking—Man, I love it here—during that first feast in 2020. This is one of the first places where I tried mole, which they have several varieties of.
Their menu is big and their prices are fair, so be sure to leave a tip for their huge team (tipping isn’t mandatory in Mexico, but 10-20% is generally very appreciated). You can try a range of Oaxacan treats from tlayudas, to sopes, to huaraches, to mole de pollo, to plato de tasajo, to caldo de piedra (stone soup, which is a very rich seafood broth). Although delicious, the marisco options (seafood) cost double or more than the rest of the menu, so getting a mix of things with a group is the way to go!
Note: They have two locations with slightly different names only a few blocks apart.
4. Taqueria Tacomer
It took me a minute to figure out, but I’m pretty sure the name comes from smashing “Taco” and “comer” together. So you go to this place to “EAT TACOS!”
They have a big staff, so the food comes out super fast. It’s the kind of place you can order two tacos and one beer at a time. The main dish on their menu is tacos alambre, which is prepared in the style where all the taco ingredients are cooked together and tossed on a grill then plated, and your tortillas come on the side.
It’s a fun way to eat. You can either take one tortilla at a time and fill it with your fork, or you can just grab a bit of the steamy meat and cheese directly with the tortilla. Last time there I got the “Tacomer” alambre (because I always get the dish named after the restaurant) and it was amazing. I got the smaller of the two options, and it was still so big that I ate the second half as lunch the next day. Their chico size makes about 10 or 12 small tacos.
5. Café Botánico
I drove past this place at least 100 times before considering eating there. It always seemed like a weird Rainforest Cafe knock-off to me, and maybe it is in terms of style—but what I know now is that it’s also friggin’ delicious.
They joined the free water refill network created by Sostenible PXM, and when we created a video to share the benefits of putting a free water filter in your cafe, they were keen to be a part of it. Basically, my first visit there was to shoot a piece of content.
On that visit, I also had a club sandwich, which I’m fairly certain is the best club sandwich in Puerto Escondido. I’ve been back to have it a few times. It’s so good I can’t speak to the rest of their menu, but everything I’ve seen coming out of their kitchen looks amazing, and there’s a reason they have 4.5 stars on 300+ Google reviews.
Here’s the video we made for Sostenible PXM, part of which was shot at Café Botánico. DM us on Instagram for more information about joining the free water refill network.
Eating at one of these places is the best part of having errands to run in centro. Next time you need to make a Chedraui run or you’re getting something fixed in Centro, make a quick pit stop at one of these delicious institutions.
Excellent! Been to the first three, and they are all on our repeat visit list. We'll need to try the others as well.