Sunday Afternoon Markets in Coyoacán...

After leaving La Casa Azul we headed straight for the famous market at Coyoacán. Coyoacán is most famous for its beautiful town square and Sunday market. The western Jardín del Centenario is surrounded by attractive cafes and centers on a fountain with a coyote sculpture, the symbol of Coyoacán. It’s a popular gathering place for families.

The market was great, selling all kinds of delights. The hand made marzipan looked like little sculptures and much to precious to eat.

But what we were really interested in was looking at some local art - and we weren't disappointed!

We all were entranced with the work of a local etcher. His beautiful aquatints were light and romantic and very reasonable.

So after a few inevitable purchases we were ready for lunch. Susan had some recommendations on where exactly we should eat - grasshopper was going to be on today's menu.

We walked through the centre of town, passing by the beautiful Catholic Church on our way to the restaurant.

Los Danzantes is an award winning restaurant, (it has been reviewed many times as the best restaurant in the city) and it was jam packed with people. We were lucky to get a table upstairs for lunch without a reservation. The building was beautiful and the artwork and colors inside were also striking.

Los Danzantes, (also known as Los Nahuales) is also a mezcal distillery in Oaxaca. Here they produce  a famous line of single village mescals, Alipús, which didn’t yet distribute to the US. Yes, you guessed right - I had to sample the best Margarita they had on offer, this one made with the special mezcal.

Mum and I went with the waiters advice and ordered the speciality of the house - green chill stuffed with pork, drizzled in a cold nut sauce called noganda with crispy pieces of pomegranate. This is a dish I would not normally consider ordering, but I am so glad I did. It was truly divine.

Susan ordered a vegetarian dish with grasshopper. We were unsure how exactly the grasshoppers would be presented - but as with all the dishes at this restaurant everything on the plate looked delicious. The grasshoppers are the crispy red shavings on the right side of the plate. They were enjoyable when used as a garnish - although extremely salty.

Most of the expensive, high end restaurants highlight Oaxacan specialties from grasshoppers to fresh salsa to mezcal, but what makes Los Danzantes different is that they’ve caught on to using a conscious and strict commitment to supporting local farmers and mezcal producers. I loved the wall filled with old mescal bottles and covered with painted glass.

We made the journey back to our hotel with enough time for a half hour siesta before we went to the dining area for a two hour session of cocktails and appetisers. I couldn't dream of a better way to end the day, overdoing it with margaritas and yummy food. We were all exhausted but elated after having such a great day.