The lofty patio of a historic colonial building in the Centro district is home to this wildly popular restaurant. Headed up by young Oaxaqueña chef Thalia Barrios García, the menu is a tribute to the unique cuisine of García’s hometown, a remote pueblo in the wild southern mountains of Oaxaca called San Mateo Yucutindoo. The name Levadura de Olla –literally ‘claypot yeast – comes from the ferment used in San Mateo to bake bread in clay pots, and García’s constantly changing dishes honour the village’s simple, smoky, subtly spiced recipes. There is meat on the menu, but it plays second fiddle to García’s way with native, seasonal plants: expect rich, earthy bean dishes; vibrant, minerally mountain greens (quelites) and comforting, sweet-potato stuffed tamales.