Cabuche

With a mixed menu full of loving interpretations of classic Mexican street food and market favorites, Cabuche is worth coming to for the vegetarian pozole (hominy soup) alone. A hearty, spicy soup usually made with chicken or pork, Cabuche uses mushrooms and a variety of vegetables to make its rojo (red), blanco (white) and verde (green) varieties of pozole. The potato, poblano pepper and huitlacoche guisados (stews) are also superb, and even better washed down with its homemade craft beer.

That second trip I returned to Cabuche, a small spot that looks more like somebody’s living room than a restaurant, and asked the chef how he got his red posole broth so full of chile flavor—yet with close to zero heat. I paid a visit to Enrique Olvera’s newest outpost, Criollo, to find out how it was possible to make such a distinctive mole, all from relatively common ingredients. And then I took my smuggled chiles and scribbled notes back to my small Brooklyn apartment and tried my hand at re-creating the things I had eaten.

We tend to view Cabuche as an opportunity to get elevated street food in comfort, intended as a compliment. The shrimp taco was overfilled, a good problem to have to handle, and an abundance of quesillo cheese and rajas de chile were piled onto a tostada. The cazon (dogfish) tostada, unusual for the region, reminded me of the fish featured frequently on menus in Campeche.

Afternoon: Take a late lunch at Cabuche, a tiny, festive restaurant serving up street food staples; you have to try the pozole. Then, seek out a temazcal (Casa Oaxaca has one if you’re staying there, or head to Ceviarem Temazcal). Essentially a sweat lodge, temazcal is a Zapotec ritual complete with shamans chanting and bunches of basil used to smack out toxins.

Cabuche is an inviting restaurant close to the Zócalo in the downtown area. At first glance we found their menu to cater to tourists with foreign Mexican favorites like tacos or burritos. Fortunately, they offer a tasty lunch menu which is centered around the local food.

If you are looking for an affordable place for lunch in Oaxaca, then Cabuche will not disappoint you. These restaurants give a feel of a traditional Mexican restaurant. Apart from that, the décor and the ambiance give a combination of modern and traditional styles.

When you return to Oaxaca later in the day, have a rest before heading out for dinner at Cabuche. The enmoladas, tortillas rolled in a rich mole sauce, are a must, and the tostadas are all delicious (toppings change regularly). It’s a small, family-run restaurant.

Another great shrimp soup that Cabuche Cochina Mexicana is known for is levantamuertos, which translates literally to “raises the dead.” This slightly spicy chile-based shrimp soup might not bring you back to life, but it will certainly awaken your taste buds.

You can't go wrong when you order their huaraches and they have the most delicious grapefruit salad. It's pretty copious so be sure to go with a friend!. While you're in the neighborhood, check out the Museo Textil de Oaxaca and the Centro Cultural San Pablo.

This hominy soup is usually made with pigs but not at Cabuche!. You could get the broth verde or rojo and then pick your vegetables and add additional toppings. I added avocado because I love it in a hot soup.

Cabuche $$ – a small restaurant open for lunch and dinner that specializes in pozole. A great alternative to the greasier (but obviously delicious) street food option.

I loved that Cabuche had a set lunch menu for $7 that you could choose from. I ordered that which included salad and enchiladas suiza. My friend had the posole verde.