Walk up to the counter of La Cocina de Humo, grab a seat, and watch as freshly made tortillas, stews, and sauces come off the wood-fired comal in the open kitchen. The menu at this rustic, intimate Oaxacan restaurant changes constantly since all the ingredients come from the chef’s hometown of San Mateo Yucutindoo, about four hours away, and feature traditional Oaxacan flavors touched by smoke. If it’s on the menu, get the yellow mole with milpa green beans and ranch chicken, mole coloradito with pork, and tamales with cheese and tomato sauce.

One of my favorite chefs is Thalia Barrios García, who has a restaurant called La Cocina de Humo, where she uses comals clay pans to prepare a set menu, which sounds fancy, but it's really not. It’s very intimate, with lots of different bites from the region within Oaxaca where she is from. She’s not doing a fixed menu of the classics, though, but a shorter one, driven by what’s at the market.

Traditional Oaxacan cuisine with wood-burning cookers and clay pots. Tortillas with blue dough are a must at the table. This place is the gastronomic heritage of the family of chef Thalia Barrios, who is from San Mateo Yucutindoó in the southern highlands.

La Cocina de Humo, a tiny restaurant, offers an introductory cooking course that teaches how to prepare classics like Oaxacan moles, salsas and tamales.

Los restaurantes galardonados con una estrella Michelin en México son: Levadura de Olla en Oaxaca, Em y Esquina Común en la Ciudad de México, Le Chique en Puerto Morelos y Ha’ en Playa del Carmen, Animalón y Conchas de Piedra en Valle de Guadalupe, Pangea y Koli Cocina de Origen en Monterrey, Los Danzantes en Oaxaca, Rosetta en la Ciudad de México, Cocina de Autor en Los Cabos y Cocina de Autor Rivera Maya en Playa del Carmen, así como Taquería “El Califa de León” en la Ciudad de México. Con dos estrellas: Quintonil y Pujol en la Ciudad de México.

For traditional Oaxaqueño cooking with a twist, La Cocina de Humo – The Smoke Kitchen – is your go-to. A slew of smart young chefs have re- interpreted the state’s corn-and-beans staples as a multi-course tasting menu, served rustic style on deeply chic adobe cookware. The interiors are sultry and earthy and there’s a clear sense of theatre, as the action centres around the kitchen and its richly smoking comals – flat clay plates placed on stones above burning embers where corn tortillas, tlayudas and meat are cooked.

La Cocina de Humo is an exciting project from the talented Chef Thalía Barrios García, the mastermind behind Levadura de Olla. This restaurant focuses on the art of cooking with smoke, paying homage to traditional Oaxacan techniques that highlight the region’s deep culinary roots. With dishes prepared over open flames and using local, sustainable ingredients, La Cocina de Humo offers a rustic and authentic dining experience.

La Cocina de Humo is celebrated for its mastery of grilled and smoked dishes, using traditional Oaxacan techniques to create flavors that are both robust and nuanced. Among the best Oaxaca restaurants, it is distinguished by its focus on high-quality, locally sourced meats and vegetables prepared over an open flame. The Tasajo, thinly sliced beef grilled to perfection, is a standout dish, offered at 220 MXN ($11).

Take the tamal I had a year ago at chef Thalia Barrios García’s rural-Oaxaca-meets-chef’s-counter experience, La Cocina de Humo. Peeling away the banana-leaf wrapper, its contents barely held together as it exhaled a breath of steam. Inside were tender bites of pork, ancho and costeño amarillo chiles, oregano, fruit vinegar, clove, onion, garlic, and honey.

Chef Thalía Barrios Garcia is at it again with La Cocina de Humo, whose smoke kitchens feature wood stoves, comales, and adobe walls. The venue, also offers Oaxacan cooking classes and has an on-site store selling clay wares from rural communities. Address: Murguía 304, RUTA INDEPENDENCIA, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., Mexico

La Cocoina de Humo is a multi-sensory experience, thanks to the aroma of the smoke that fills the air. La Cocina de Humo was created by Thalia Barrios Garcia, who also owns Levadura de Olla, #5 on this list. You might say she knows a thing or two about how to make amazing food and run a successful restaurant in competitive Oaxaca.

A few blocks away, Thalia serves a full tasting menu beside a comal, called Cocina de Humo, for a minimum of 4 people. It’s more free flowing, with her cooking up whatever is seasonal and inspiring her and it is one of the most immersive dining experiences you will have anywhere in Mexico.

The classes here are given outside, and all cooking is done over open flame. You'll make a variety of moles, salsas, tamales, and more, and sit down to enjoy a feast, accompanied by agua de maíz, at the end. If you don't have time for a full class, you can enjoy a meal at their restaurant.

Other casual places that were recommended to me by various foreign residents include Almú in the municipality of Ocotlan, in the Central Valleys; La Popular in Oaxaca city’s historic center; El Típico in the municipality of Jalatlaco; and Santa Marta buffet in the municipality of Etla.

At La Cocina de Humo in Oaxaca, Chef Thalia Barrios García reimagines traditional Oaxacan cuisine with a modern flair. Specializing in smoked dishes that echo the region’s culinary heritage, Thalia elevates local ingredients through her inventive cooking techniques.

You’ll find a celebrated restaurant in Oaxaca at La Cocina de Humo, which offers an authentic taste of traditional Oaxacan cuisine with dishes served from a smoke-filled kitchen.