Levadura de Olla[a] is a traditional Oaxacan restaurant in Oaxaca City, Mexico. It is co-owned by chef Thalía Barrios García and its manager Jesús Neftalí Ramos Vargas, who opened it in 2019. Its menu offers à la carte options. Levadura de Olla has received favorable reviews from food critics, and in 2024, the restaurant received one Michelin star in the first Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.
| Levadura de Olla | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Levadura de Olla | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2019 |
| Owner(s) | Thalía Barrios García, Jesús Neftalí Ramos Vargas |
| Manager | Jesús Neftalí Ramos Vargas |
| Head chef | Thalía Barrios García |
| Food type | Oaxacan cuisine |
| Rating |  (Michelin Guide, 2024) |
| Location | C. de Manuel García Vigil 304, Ruta Independencia, Oaxaca City, Mexico, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 17°03′51.7″N 96°43′30″W / 17.064361°N 96.72500°W |
| Website | levaduradeolla.mx |
Description
editLevadura de Olla serves Mexican cuisine, particularly from the state of Oaxaca.[2] Its menu emphasizes on vegetables over proteins.[3] It offers à la carte options, divided in four sections: Oaxacan traditional dishes, cultural heritage dishes, ceremonial dishes commonly served on special occasions, and creative dishes. Its ingredients follow a farm-to-table approach.[4] Its menu items have included chilecaldo (a type of stew cooked with chilhuacle chilli and tamalayota pumpkin, seasoned with Rangpur lime),[2] amaranth soup,[4] or tomato soup, the restaurant's signature dish.[5]
Other dishes and drinks are based on maize, including tamales, mezcal, maize water, pozontle, tepache, and pulque.[5][6]
History
editThalía Barrios García is originally from Oaxaca; her family is from San Mateo Yucutindoo. She began selling chocolate at age six, tamales at seven, and an orange-based dessert at twelve.[2] She opened Levadura de Olla in 2019 along with Jesús Neftalí Ramos Vargas.[7] Levadura de Olla gets its name from the sourdough starter used to make the bread in her place of origin,[7] and is located in a colonial-style courtyard.[5]
Reception
editIsabelle Kliger wrote for The Times that the restaurant has an Andalusian atmosphere.[8] A reviewer for The World's 50 Best Restaurants recommended the maize-based drinks.[5]
When the Michelin Guide debuted in 2024 in Mexico, it awarded 18 restaurants with Michelin stars.[9] Levadura de Olla received one star, meaning "high-quality cooking, worth a stop".[10] Barrios also received Michelin's Young Chef Award that year.[11] The restaurant also received the Sabores con Historia Award from the Mexican senate.[12]
See also
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Notes
editReferences
edit- ↑ Taseer, Aatish (11 November 2021). "Tracing Mexico's Complicated Relationship With Rice". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Ray, Joe (12 May 2023). "Drawing on Traditional Oaxacan Cuisine, These Two Restaurants Have Changed the Culinary Scene in the Mexican City". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "Los 10 mejores restaurantes de México en 2024" [The 10 best restaurants in Mexico in 2024]. Universidad Panamericana (in Spanish). 6 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 Vaca, Pedro (16 May 2024). "Levadura de Olla en OAXACA: El delicioso menú del restaurante ganador de una estrella Michelin" [Levadura de Olla in Oaxaca: The delicious menu of the Michelin-starred restaurant]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Levadura de Olla". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. William Reed Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ Camacho, Mariana (12 December 2024). "Levadura De Olla". The Infatuation. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 Hernández, Fernanda (4 November 2022). "Este es el restaurante más bello y popular del momento en Oaxaca" [This is the most beautiful and popular restaurant in Oaxaca right now] (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ Kliger, Isabelle (24 April 2023). "Mexico's under-the-radar city that's foodie heaven". The Times. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ Beaven, Katherine Alex (7 June 2024). "Mexico's First Michelin Guide Debuts With 18 Starred Restaurants—Including a Taco Stand". Afar. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ↑ "Levadura de Olla Restaurante". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ↑ "Thalía Barrios García, MICHELIN Guide Mexico 2024 Young Chef Award Winner". Michelin Guide. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "Reconoce Senado labor de las y los chefs mexicanos" [Senate recognizes the work of Mexican chefs] (in Spanish). Senate of the Republic. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2026.