Zandunga Sabor Istmeño — Restaurant in Oaxaca

Back in 2021 we came to this restaurant and we had a great experience, in total I’ve been here 3 times. But the last one was very messy and my family and I were not happy with the service.

We were a group of 8 people, my boyfriends family doesn’t speak English and as they didn’t have a menu in English I had to translate the whole which is fine for me, but the problem started when while I was translating, the waiter started taking the order for drinks, we were not ready so I asked for more time because first I had to translate and we wanted to order starters but I felt pressured to order. When we finally order the drinks, they arrived and we were ready to order starters and they mains. A few minutes later the waiter brings a starter as courtesy and literally 2 minutes later when I was about to try the starter, they took my plate and brought the mains! Along with the starters! I ask the waiter to be patient with me as I was the one ordering for everyone, but he just kept standing next to us waiting which is probably a nice thing to do when they check on us but not when I need more time than usual to check the menu.

For the first time ever I had to ask the manager to help us out because everything was messy, and he looked at me and ask me, oh are you their tour guide? And I answered no… they are my family and my bfs family and I’m just asking for a good service for all of us. He didn’t offer an apology, he didn’t say he was sorry for the experience, he just said he’ll check it. Luckily he did and we had another waiter for our table with a so much better service and communication. More patient and calm. I’m a very calm person but that day I really had to breathe. The food was good but the flavour isn’t the same when you start with...

This restaurant has a top tier vibe, menu options, and flavors. The menu is a true blend of traditional food and deluxe dining.

The mezcalita was wonderful, and the mojito with mezcal was memorable - one of the best drinks I had in Oaxaca with plenty of mint to complement the mezcal.

I ordered Veggie Alambres and a Soup. The Alambres is hearty, and I kept some for leftovers with my own tortillas at home since there was more filling than the tortillas provided. The soup was healing, and I squeezed some limes into it to enhance the flavor. It wasn’t necessarily strong flavored, but it was healthy and simple. It was the type of thing that makes your body feel very cared for.

I appreciated that there are chips and three types of salsa provided when you order, which allowed my friends and I to have something to hold us over until the meal came.

I will say, I have eaten at many restaurants in Mexico, and this was some of the oddest service I’ve had. The server took everyone’s drink order but mine and two others (we were a party of 13) and I ended up asking her to put in my drink and food order because my friends had all already received their food and drink. This set off the timing of the meal, and we were at the location for a good three hours total. In Mexico, always allocate 30-40 minutes for the bill. I don’t expect fast service, but being skipped and unable to get the server’s attention until everyone else had been served was beyond a unique experience.

Overall, it was a good experience - but one of my pricier meals in Oaxaca and for the food and experience provided, I wouldn’t say it’s a “must visit” but does have some unique options...

This was the worst dining experience we've had in all of Mexico. Our waiter seemed very jaded and not interested in servicing us at all. Was started with some extremely dry baked tortillas with a fish paste that was just as dry, crumbly and flavorless. I had 1 sitting on my plate and when my first main came the waiter just took it without asking if I was finished with it (which I wasnt). I had the shrimp soup and my partner had the chicken soup. Both were both very bland. The chicken soup was mostly just broth, very light and flavorless. The shrimp soup came with the tiniest shrimp I have ever seen that still had the shells on that created a rather unappetizing crunch to the soup without any shrimp flavor. This soup also came with "arroz con mole roja". It was 1/4 cup of rice with maybe 1 tsp of red mole mix in, again, flavorless. I also had the Pescado de Temporada. This was a fish fillet on a creamy cheese sauce with a couple of fried pieces of cauliflower and carrot. The best part of this dish was the sauce. The fish and vegetables were both bland and disappointing. The waiter also came and took this dish away from me when I still had a few bites of fish and sauce left which was just the icing on the cake of terrible experience. I will say the cocktails we had were delicious but I am astounded how this restaurant has made the Michelin list. Save your money and go to any 1 of the countless street vendors or other restaurants in Oaxaca, they are better and more...