Origen

Had a great night at Origin! The cocktails were amazing — super creative and perfectly made. But the highlight was Pedro, our server. He went above and beyond, was incredibly kind, and made the whole experience feel special. Great service, great drinks — definitely coming back.

The one place our friends that live in Oaxaca said was a must, and they were right! Delicious food, friendly service and nice location. We came in for lunch after a hot day in the botanical garden and the courtyard at Origen was perfect with its airy atmosphere. With a refreshing beer in hand, we started with three appetizers and were blown away. The Fish Ceviche, Duck Enchiladas and Beef Tartare were amazing… so much so that we had another Ceviche as our entree. Our kids shared the Res-Tirada Rib-Eye and loved it! Great service and atmosphere, with authentic cuisine. Our favorite in Oaxaca so far! A+!

It is one of the best restaurants that I have in Oaxaca. Relaxing vibe, excellent food and good service. The waitress explained each dish very well and recommended dishes to customers have certain restrictions. No rush and can really enjoy the food and vibe. Highly recommended to try beef tongue with chichilo mole, the spice and salt just balanced very well and would make you want to keep eating. They change menu seasonally.

Overrated and not worth the hype. We tried five dishes and only enjoyed one. Two of them were overloaded with mint, completely overpowering the flavors and ruining the plates. The mole was underwhelming, and I’ve had much better elsewhere. The waiter noticed I barely touched my main dish but didn’t ask if everything was okay or if I was satisfied. For the price, you’d expect better food and service. Overall, it was a disappointing experience. You’re better off going somewhere else for better value and quality. We immediately left and got tacos from a vender on the side of the road and it was 10x better.

Where to start. We were looking forward to our meal here but came away thoroughly disappointed and quite upset about our experience. The setting is very romantic in a pretty courtyard. It was very quiet on our visit with only a few other tables occupied. Very brusk and impersonal service from the start. Cocktails good although took an age to arrive. Starters of guacamole with insects and beef tartare were OK. The novelty of the insects probably helped here. The beef portion was huge and lacked flavour. To the mains where it all went downhill sharpish. The fish was OK and cooked well. The pork tenderloin on the other hand was overcooked and inedible. Bizarre as this was recommended by the waiter. On collecting our plates we made it clear that this dish was not up to scratch and that we couldn't eat it. The waiter gave a shrug and whisked it away. No apology or attempt to rectify/compensate was offered. The manager (presumably) was then sent to take our money as the initial waiter clearly felt aggrieved. We again explained the issue we had and again a shrug was given with no apology offered. Completely unacceptable service We paid up and swiftly departed with a very bad taste in our mouths. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere.

Service was impeccable. Cocktails were delicious. Food was ... okay. Nothing was bad, but nothing was particularly good either. Maybe I came on an off night or ordered the wrong dishes? I had the tasting menu, where you order one of each course, and had the molote, scallop taco, fish, and chocolate taco. They were all just fine. At this point I've been to all the big fine dining restaurants in Oaxaca, and this was my least favorite.

This is the definitive review you need: Tl;dr: Come for the tasting menu. Don't come if you are in a rush or on a budget. The Taco de Callo ( scallop) was the best dish we had all trip. We literally dined at all the other fine dining restaurants in Oaxaca, all the Michelin ones and that taco was the most flavorful and balanced dish we experienced. It was perfect. We are still dreaming about it. The vegetarian main was kind of bland and basic. The other meat mains were great. Would not recommend if you are vegetarian. The plantain dumpling was awesome though. The drinks pairing is fine for ~$40 usd. You get a basic wine from Mexico, beer, cocktail and some yolixpa (herb licor). Probably not worth the fourty but it went well with the meal. We ordered different dishes and were able to try different drinks. Service definitely is the weak point. Needs some tweaks and improvement. We were in the second floor, beautiful dining room. We were the only table for a while and he had to ask several times for water. They also missed the timing with the pairing and received the main cocktails when we were pretty much done and had to ask for them. Not much explanation about the dishes , when asked they answered any questions without any problems. The staff was super nice and friendly. Definitely worth visiting, we spent 3h, don't be in a rush. It really is a tasting menu place, not really a la carte. You'll be disappointed with portion sizes.

Wow! Origen was a standout star on our trip: the best food we tasted in Mexico. We both ordered the 4-course desgustación meal and highly recommend it—one vegetarian and one with meat. Each dish we tried was modern and inventive while bursting with traditional flavors and ingredients from the area. We will definitely be back on our next trip to Oaxaca! The service was also incredible and was helpful in making suggestions and accommodations and helping us find a mezcal we liked. We are still thinking about the mole longingly from the MEX airport. Thank you for an unforgettable experience. Don’t skip dessert!