zandunga - OAXACA DE JUÁREZ

We had a delicious dinner here. The order was taken over very quickly. We chose a mix of her specialties that was very good! We also had some Mezcal cocktails, they are a must try! Improving points: There are many employees who work there, and by the sheer courtesy they were often at your table when you needed something. This led to the fact that various waiters took up our orders that led to confusion between the staff. Also the plates were taken away before the last bite was swallowed, I don't mind spending 5-10 minutes with my finished plate to get a more relaxed feeling. This could be a personal or cultural difference in the perception of the service. It is well meant so that we were not very disturbed. For the ambience and decoration, I only have positive feelings: the style was modern, there were soft music in the background and the tables were comfortably removed from each other. All in all, very good food, at an affordable price, so a very nice place to have a peaceful dinner in the living center of Oaxaca!

Super and creative mezcal-based cocktails. Beautiful courtyard ambience. No English menu and server speak only Spanish, but that didn't bother us because they were all nice and tried to be helpful. Service a little slow, but this was Friday dinner and the restaurant was very busy. Have fun at the baked pork dish. Tamale and Enchilada were pretty good, although I had better in other joints in Oaxaca.

Named after a traditional waltzing dance in Oaxaca state, the Zandunga is a classy restaurant with a patio providing an airy freshness well into the evening. The service is attentive and the tlayuda for the main dish is excellent.

The lighting ambience includes a gorgeous blend of low lighting and soft music. We were excited to try everything although we weren't very hungry. Although we made reservations, we were able to be seated as it wasn't crowded nor busy at 7:45pm. This is important...to note because of the service issues I experienced. The servers stood by the bar, seemingly observant of their tables. However, it seems they were daydreaming because subtle gestures for their attention went unnoticed. I repeatedly called to my server as he passed me multiple times without eye contact. It was frustrating. I was so close to getting up and approaching him/them for help. The servers were polite enough, just incredibly detached and inattentive. The food. It's was beautifully plated. I didn't take a picture of the seasonal fish but it was gorgeous. Everything we tried was appealing to the eye. But everything was either over seasoned (fish was too salty) or under seasoned (tlayuda was super bland). The ceviche tasted like a fruit plate. I found it disconcerting. I didn't expect fish to taste like pineapples and passion fruit. Passion fruit?! I tried to like it but y'all.... Just know before you order that the fruit isn't your typical citrus. I will say that the sauces that the Tlayuda came with made the meal excellent. One tasted like cilantro and was not spicy, another tasted like tomatillos and was medium spice level and the third was a dark red color and very spicy while flavorful. Otherwise it would have been like eating a stack of papers. We just wanted to experience the restaurant and could have been out of there within 45 minutes, but we're there an extra 30 minutes just waiting to be noticed and/or pay for our bill. And it wasn't busy. Wanting to end this on a positive note, I ordered a Llorona. It delivered that smokey flavor I've come to expect from a Mezcal cocktail, wasn't too sweet and was delightfully garnished. I enjoyed it.

Great food and drinks. We had excellent chicken mole here. The staff, location and ambience were very nice.