Where to eat · Where to Eat in Centro & the Markets
Where to Eat in Centro & the Markets
Centro is the town the beach neighborhoods orbit — and the cheapest, most Mexican eating in Puerto. The two markets anchor it: Benito Juárez in the center for locals’ breakfasts and produce at local prices, and Mercado Zicatela on the highway ridge, whose back row of open-air comedores comes with a commanding Pacific view that no beachfront restaurant charges this little for.
Breakfast
- Mercado Benito JuárezCentro · verified 2026-01
Order: Whatever comedor is busiest; produce and staples at real prices
- Doña ClaudiaMercado Zicatela (back row) · verified 2026-01
Order: Breakfast with the Pacific panorama
The whole back row is good; the bakery inside has a cinnamon-roll line for a reason
- Dan's Café DeluxeAbove Zicatela · $ · verified 2026-07
A hillside breakfast institution two blocks up from the Zicatela strip, run by Dan — the Canadian ex-pat whose history in town runs back through El Cafecito. Half the menu is proper Mexican breakfast, half is diner-honest North American (BLT, cheeseburger with hand-cut fries), all of it cheap, fresh, and served with a bakery delivery that arrives each morning.
Order: The gringo breakfast or chilaquiles; Baja fish tacos if you stay through lunch. Coffee refills keep coming
Best for: The daily-driver breakfast; families and anyone who wants big portions at local prices away from strip pricing.
The classic pattern in both TripAdvisor reviews and our long-stay sourcing: people find it once and then come back every morning for the rest of the trip. Reviewers repeatedly flag it as one of the best price-to-plate ratios in town.
Mornings only, bring cash Day service only (roughly 7am–4pm) — this is not a dinner spot. Peak breakfast queues form mid-morning in high season; before 8am walks straight in. Cash is the safe assumption.
~7am–4pm dailyC. las Palmas, Santa María (Brisas de Zicatela) — two blocks off Av. del Morro+52 954 104 2640
- Café N’duvaCentro · verified 2026-07
Order: The omelette cooked on the comal with a whole hoja santa leaf
Mon–Sat 6 AM-7 PM; Sun 6 AM-1 PMCuarta Nte. 247, Centro, 71980 Puerto Escondido, Oax., Mexico+52 954 205 0363@cafe_nduva
- TistalOff the carretera · verified 2026-07
Order: Empanadas de tasajo o chorizo, café de olla, chilaquiles, fresh juices
Mon–Tue 8 AM-3:30 PM; Wed closed; Thu–Sat 8 AM-3:30 PM; Sun 8 AM-2 PM70934 Zicatela, 70934 Puerto Escondido, Oax., Mexico+52 954 205 9276@tistal_pxm
- Café BotánicoCentro · verified 2026-07
Order: Coffee and pastries
Daily 8:30 AM-9 PMAv. Oaxaca 806, Centro, 71980 Puerto Escondido, Oax., Mexico+52 954 134 4626facebook.com/profile.php?id=100053685314918@cafe_botanico_al_natural
Lunch
- The JP BunkerCentro · verified 2026-07
Order: Aguachiles and fried shrimp tacos
Sells out — go early, not late
Mon–Sat 1-8 PM; Sun 1-7 PM71980, Calle Primera Pte. 305, Centro, Puerto Escondido, Oax., Mexico+52 954 582 2381m.facebook.com/Bunckerdejp/
- Smoked Fish Taco (near the cathedral)Centro · verified 2026-01
Order: Three tacos for pocket change
- Comedor TereCentro · verified 2026-01
Order: The honest comida corrida lunch
- Las JuquileñasNear Mercado Benito Juárez · verified 2026-05
Order: Antojitos oaxaqueños — the regional-classics stop
Dinner
- Punta al MarPlaya Principal · verified 2026-07
Order: Seafood over the bay — a forum top-3 regular
On the rocks above the bay near Playa Principal