Oaxaca Mio’s mole negro, the most common mole, is a wonderfully semisweet, mildly spicy mixture of Oaxacan chocolate, nuts and dried chiles—great for mole first-timers and veterans alike. Most interesting of all the moles, however, is the mole amarillo, with its chowder-like consistency and flavoring of hierba santa (like cilantro, only spicier). But there’s more to Oaxacan cuisine—and Oaxaca Mio—than mole: there’s empanadas stuffed with squash blossoms, cecina oaxaqueño (thinly sliced pork slathered in chile paste) and the tlayuda, a flour tortilla covered in a thin layer of spiced pork fat, black bean paste and sprinkled with cabbage, tomato, avocado and a protein of choice. Nearly everything here eats like a fantastic multi-course meal.

OAXACA MIO 1169 E 10TH ST | LONG BEACH 90804 | 562.599.7212 | FOOD FOR TWO $15-25 | BEER, WINE

Tags: dinner, Long Beach, lunch, mexican