| 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 |
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.
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
edit
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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ a b 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.
