We really wanted to take a cooking class while visiting Oaxaca. Karla was able to fit us in even…read morethough it was just two of us. The cooking class starts with a visit to el Mercado where she gets all the ingredients you will need for the dishes. She explains what everything is and point out different things around the Mercado. Then she takes you to her open kitchen not far from El Centro. The kitchen is perfect for cooking. Karla explains everything step by step and shows you how to do something before she has you do it. After all the cooking is done. You get to sit down and enjoy with a agua Fresca and some mezcal! Perfect way to end our trip. We definitely recommend it!

Taking a cooking class at Casa Crespo was one of the highlights of our time in Oaxaca. We first met…read moreOscar and decided on the menu: tortilla soup, ceviche, chiles rellenos, tamales, mole negro, chocolate ice cream, and two salsas. We then walked to the local market, where Oscar gave quick, helpful explanations of ingredients and what they're used for, before purchasing a few items we needed for the meal. It was a great way to experience what local markets are like. Back at the cooking school, Oscar did a fantastic job assigning tasks and coordinating the preparation of all the dishes. It felt collaborative and fun, even with so many components coming together at once. Finally, we sat down to enjoy the meal we had prepared, and it was excellent -- especially the tortilla soup, the mole negro, and the chocolate ice cream. As a bonus, we were able to take leftover tamales and mole sauce home, which we happily ate for dinner the next day. The only thing that would have made the experience even better would be having stools to sit on while cooking, as standing the entire time can get a bit exhausting. The entire experience lasted about 3.5 hours - the first hour dedicated to deciding the meal and heading to the market, the next two hours for cooking, and the final 30 minutes for eating. That said, this was still a wonderful, engaging experience, and I'd absolutely recommend Casa Crespo to anyone looking for a hands-on, memorable cooking class in Oaxaca.

We had a private cooking class where we learned how to make 4 different moles. The class was well…read morepaced and fun. Chef Oscar showed me how to do some of the cooking even though I have never cooked before. After the class we sat down for a 4 course meal with the moles that we made.

I came to Oaxaca for 2 weeks to study here. The campus is beautiful and Lucero was sweet during my…read moreorientation. She took time to show me places I was interested in on a map and made sure I knew how to get there. My instructor Miguel was also great. I was in a class with 2 other women. The classes are HARD so be prepared. One of the other students was a lawyer and I am a former college professor and we both struggled. Study a lot. Unfortunately, the school ended up being my least favorite part of the trip. My complaints are 1. The location is on an extremely busy intersection that had protests or parades often. Even without that, there are almost constant horns and megaphones blaring with ads coming from the street. Some days it was almost impossible to concentrate. There are big windows that cool down the rooms that are parallel to the street, closing them helps, but on warm days it gets too hot. I eventually asked if our class could move to a quieter room. They did move us and the new room that wasn't as noisy. It's unfortunate that the school is on that intersection. 2. The registration fee you pay online DOES NOT go toward your tuition which was sketchy as it is not specified on the website. You pay the tuition in full on the first day or during orientation. 3. I signed up for a tour. An employee at the school took my money and said to be there by 9:45am, no other instruction. Turned out I needed extra cash for 2 tariffs (entry fee's) and lunch. It would have been helpful to know how much extra I needed in advance. My other complaint with the school in regard to the tour is that they didn't mention that we get dropped off at the Zocolo, not back at the school, which meant 30 min walk back to my hotel. We also arrived back at 8:15pm but were told we would be back at 7pm. All this should have been mentioned when the school took my money. The tour itself is through an outside company, not sure the name, and it was lovely. The city of Oaxaca, the people and the food are incredible. If you come, research other schools or a private tutor (same price). They will teach you Spanish while visiting local spots to sit and learn outdoors or at cafes. I wish I would have gone that route. One last note- there are mosquitos everywhere at the school so if you're prone to bites, get repellent at a pharmacy. Being swarmed by them prior to getting repellent, while the horns/parades/protests were blaring and trying to focus on Spanish verb conjugations was pretty rough.

Excellent adventure at the instituto learning Spanish with Octavio! The people are wonderful and…read morethe facilities especial!! We also took cooking classes with Lulu

We had an amazing day today cooking with Oaxaca Chef Miguel and his team. Best cooking experience…read more Ever. Full stop. Kind, engaging, direct and able to herd over 16 squirrels , er.. people during a two part, 10+ course cooking and eating experience. We came in as strangers and 8 hours and a few beers and mezcal later we ate as family. These details don't begin to express what this was like, but it's a start. https://www.quintabrava.com They are the real deal.

More of a food observation and philosophy experience than a cooking class. Vicky and Jose did the…read morecooking and we did minor chopping. Didn't participate in or see the whole process.

I just finished four weeks at the Spanish Immersion School in Oaxaca. Fours hours/day 5 days/week…read moreof one-on-one instruction was pretty intensive but my instructors Ruben & Deveroh were very flexible and adaptable to my needs. It was nice not being in a classroom all day long. Some days we went to the market, a museum, or a coffee shop instead of staying at the school. The school arranged a home stay that was about a mile from school, but the easy walk to school every day meant I got to see a lot more of central Oaxaca, and got to meet the family I stayed with. I would, without hesitation, recommend the Spanish Immersion School to anyone that wants an individualized, flexible Spanish language program in a lovely, friendly, culturally exciting city.

I attended the Spanish Immersion School in Oaxaca, Mexico for the full month of March, 2025. I…read morecould not have been more pleased with the school director Lázaro Rojas, and my several instructors, Karen Hernandez, Leida Cruz and ​Samara Juárez. All of my instructors had one or more college degrees in teaching Spanish as a second language. I attended as a beginner but they accommodate any level. The instruction was one-on-one which is very beneficial. I would highly recommend this school to anyone.

One of the best and most complete gift shop we found in Oaxaca. They have lots of handmade and…read morelocally produced art and a very helpful staff. Located near the Zocolo just about all the things you see in local shops are here, but so much more. And there is such a variety within each category. The wood carved and beautifully decorated "animals" comprise a zoo of selections. All nicely done and priced reasonably. Clothing, especially blouses, ponchos and dresses, are plentiful. Jewelry, carvings, statuary, pottery, leather stationary holders, papers and paper decorations are part of the inventory. Prices are slightly more than one will find in the smaller shops, but selection and quality are the rule here. If you are looking for something special or different, ask the staff, all of whom speak English which makes selection and buying easier and more convenient. And best of all, the artists are supported through this venue which encourages more art and maintains some of the art that is fading out due to mechanization. Great place to shop in Oaxaca City.

This was probably the coolest shop we went to in all of Oaxaca. It's a huge space with lots of…read moredifferent spots, sort of a consignment type set-up. There's every kind of Oaxacan product you can think of, from black pottery to traditional jewelry, alebrijes, leather goods, chocolate, tons of textiles and more. What I liked about this place though, is that each stand is a different artisan from somewhere in the region, and though the goods seemed to be of a higher quality than I found other places, the prices were really reasonable. I met the artist of a piece of pottery I bought for my mom, and spoke to someone else that made silver for another booth. A lot of the things we saw in the street and at the mercado really seemed to be mass produced, and That was definitely not the case here. I hope that when I made purchases here they were being truthful and the money truly went to the communities where the products came from, because if that's the case, I'm really glad.