Pasillo de Humo

The Pasillo de Humo is a smoke-filled aisle of grilled-meat stalls inside the Mercado 20 de Noviembre in Oaxaca City, where diners choose raw tasajo, cecina and chorizo to be grilled for tacos.

Overview

The Mercado 20 de Noviembre, in Oaxaca's historic center, was built in 1882 and originally sold fruit, vegetables and animals. Today it has around 207 stalls in four sections: bread and chocolate, broths, regional cooking and the meat aisle known as the Pasillo de Humo, or corridor of smoke, also called the pasillo de la carne asada. The city's market authority regards the aisle as the market's defining feature.

How it works

Small stalls of roughly four square meters line both sides of the aisle. Each has its own wood-fired grill, and the smoke drifting through the passage gives it its name. Customers pick raw meat, such as tasajo (thin sheets of salted beef), cecina enchilada (chile-rubbed pork), beef cecina, chorizo, tripe and bistec, and the vendor grills it on the spot. Tortillas, spring onions, avocado, vegetables and drinks are sold separately, and diners assemble their own tacos at shared tables. Ordering meat typically secures a table. The entrance is on Calle Miguel Cabrera.

Notes

The market drew national attention in 2023 after actress Yalitza Aparicio said her family had been asked to leave a table; the city's market authority apologized.

Reviews

See also

• Tacos de tasajo
• Tacos de cecina
• Tacos de chorizo
• Tacos in Oaxaca City
• Tacos in Oaxaca

References

1. "Pasillo de Humo en Oaxaca: dónde está y cuánto cuesta comer ahí". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Dicen que este mercado oaxaqueño construido en 1882 es el mejor lugar para comprar y comer tacos de carne asada". Food & Pleasure. Retrieved 2026-10-10.