Where Can Stacey Eat

The pizza box was stamped with a quote: "El dinero no compra la felicidad, pero con él puedes comprar pizza, que es prácticamente lo mismo." Money can't buy happiness, but with it you can buy pizza, which is practically the same thing.

That's La Matatena in a sentence.

The owner's sister has celiac disease. That's not a marketing detail — it's the explanation for everything. Every staff member understands the difference between a preference and an allergy. Questions get answered with precision and care. Dedicated preparation area. Certified gluten-free beer (Ocho Reales, right on the bottle).

The chapulines pizza — grasshoppers, arugula, olives — is not a novelty. I know it sounds like one. It is not. The champiñones is earthy and exactly right. The banana muffin dusted with powdered sugar on that blue and white plate? Still thinking about it.

García Vigil 212, Centro Oaxaca. Go more than once.

What would you order first — chapulines or champiñones?

When we made our reservation at Levadura de Olla, they asked about dietary restrictions as part of the booking process. Not as an afterthought. By the time we sat down, the kitchen already knew.

Everything that arrived came in handmade vessels — clay bowls, stone molcajetes, wooden boards. The blue corn tortillas alone. The mole amarillo con pollo in a wide clay bowl, with white hominy corn that had absorbed all its depth. The tamale in its banana leaf, the mole inside the color of amber, the masa golden.

This is a Michelin-starred restaurant. The entire meal cost what an average dinner costs back home in Seattle.

If you're in Oaxaca and you can get a reservation, make it. Largely gluten-free, and they take allergen communication seriously from the start.

Have you ever had a meal that genuinely shifted your reference point for what food can be?

Santa Hierba Jalatlaco was my neighborhood anchor for the whole trip. We ate here more times than anywhere else.

The falafel gyro wrap is gluten-free and dairy-free, and the falafel inside is the real thing…properly crispy, herby, and delicious.

Their avocado toast comes layered with lentils and microgreens. The waffles with berry compote showed up at brunch near the end of the trip and were the right call. And the passion fruit mezcal drink on our first afternoon?! It made us feel like the trip was starting exactly right.

It's in Jalatlaco…the most beautiful neighborhood in Oaxaca — cobblestones, painted buildings, streets narrow enough that the city feels intimate. Allergen-aware and consistent. They even took extra precautions to sanitize my table an extra time after they heard I was celiac. Super safe and tasty!

Which of these would you order first?

I found Amá Terraza in Oaxaca on day one and came back almost every morning after that.

The huevos rancheros — egg over easy, swimming in both red and green salsa, finished with avocado and cilantro — is one of the best breakfasts I've had anywhere, and it's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. The GF pancakes are also genuinely good, not a compromise.

The pace here is unhurried in exactly the right way. Good light. Strong coffee. A city slowly waking up outside, and incredible views in all directions.

We bought some beans there on our way out. We're still using them at home. Every cup sends us right back!

What's your must-order breakfast dish when you travel?

Oaxaca. Where the streets are draped in papel picado and the city has its own internal rhythm that has nothing to do with your travel itinerary.

I travel with gluten and wheat allergies, dairy, and several others, and there is always uncertainty that comes with visiting a new city. I left nine days later already planning the next trip.

Turns out a cuisine built on corn for thousands of years before wheat ever arrived is a very good place to eat if you can't eat wheat. Who knew.

Full gluten-free, dairy-free guide is on the blog — link in bio. But first, let me show you what I actually ate.

Have you been to Oaxaca? Or is it on your list?