La Cocina de Humo

"A restaurant by chef Thalia Barrios García, offering an intimate dining experience with a menu driven by market ingredients, known for guisados and heirloom tomato salad."

"Walk up to the counter of La Cocina de Humo, grab a seat, and watch as the freshly made tortillas, stews, and sauces come off the wood-fired comal. The menu changes constantly, since all the ingredients come from the chef’s hometown of San Mateo Yucutindoo, which is about four hours away. Order dishes like yellow mole with milpa green beans and ranch chicken, mole coloradito with pork, and tamales with cheese and tomato sauce—all dishes the chef brought from where she grew up. Not only is the food extremely good, but you’ll also likely learn a bit about Oaxacan tradition and culture." - liliana lopez, kylie han

"At La Cocina de Humo, a restaurant in Oaxaca City, we sat at a long, candlelit table as chef Thalía Barrios and her team re-created the rich, smoky flavors of the Sierra Sur region, cooking everything over a wood-burning stove and serving it on stylish earthenware from small regional producers." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"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. It tasted like something I’d remember for years and compelled me to return several months later." - Joe Ray

"Walk up to the counter of La Cocina de Humo, grab a seat, and watch as the freshly made tortillas, stews, and sauces come off the wood-fired comal. The menu changes constantly, since all the ingredients come from the chef’s hometown of San Mateo Yucutindoo, which is about four hours away. Order dishes like yellow mole with milpa green beans and ranch chicken, mole coloradito with pork, and tamales with cheese and tomato sauce—all dishes the chef brought from where she grew up. Not only is the food extremely good, but you’ll also likely learn a bit about Oaxacan tradition and culture." - Liliana López