Ayahuasca Might Be Dallas' Most Underrated Restaurant

Ayahuasca might be the most out-of-sight restaurant in Dallas.

For a bit of background, in the Quechua language of the Inca Empire, aya means spirit or soul — or, maybe dead body, depending on where you look. The word waska refers to twine around something, like a rope or a woody vine. Together, ayahuasca is a line to the soul. If you ask the owner of the restaurant that bears that name in Dallas, he'll point to the middle of his forehead and matter-of-factly say, "It's your third eye."
Ayahuasca is also the name of a traditional psychoactive brew concocted by a shaman and used in rituals and healing ceremonies in the Amazon Basin. Hipsters and Hollywood stars dabble in the ritual and brew, looking to vomit in a tent in Costa Rica to get visions of their childhood.

In Oak Cliff, however, Ayahuasca is a dark dining room behind Xaman Cafe — an intentional pairing of the medicine man and the drink he makes. Here, owner Mauricio Gallegos and chef Monica Lopez serve pre-Hispanic dishes and techniques influenced by Oaxaca, Mexico.

A native of Mexico City, Gallegos travels to Oaxaca several times a year, bingeing on food and drinks throughout the region, each town with its own traditions and recipes. In addition to the menu ideas, ingredients and mezcal he discovers, Gallegos stuffs his suitcase with locally made dishes and mugs to bring back to his cafe and restaurant.
To find this hidden gem in Oak Cliff, don't look for a sign. There isn't one. Enter at Xaman Cafe on Jefferson Boulevard and walk down the only hallway toward a wooden door. Inside candles provide most of the light. A tree-like table in one corner is dripping with wax, and the art around the space, much of it Catrinas in some form, is all from Mexico. 

Every bottle behind the bar is from Mexico: rum, gin, red wine and, naturally a lot of tequila and mezcal. A house cocktail, the Pulqueloma ($15.50) is made with pulque, which is the fermented sap of a maguey plant (a cousin of mezcal), along with espadin (a variety of mezcal) and a splash of lime and grapefruit served in a traditional bowl-like cup made from a gourd.
The cocktail menu, much like the dinner menu, will likely have some ingredients you don't recognize, but that's part of the aim. Gallegos wants to introduce diners to pre-Hispanic flavors and traditions that have been a part of the Mexican culture for hundreds of years. He also sees it as an opportunity for engagement between servers and diners; Servers will walk guests through the menu, asking them what looks interesting or what kind of dish they're looking for.

The bar team will also gladly walk you through many bottles of mezcal, homing in on specific varietals and flavors. Like the mezcal Nuestra Soledad, which is smoky compared to Derrumbes, from San Luis Potosi, which has a slight citrus touch.


We started with the chicharron en salsa verde made with tender pork confit, a vibrant green salsa with chile de arbol oil and criollo corn tortillas. The pork is fork tender and in perfect harmony with the piquant salsa; wrapped in one of the homemade tortillas, it is a beautiful bite.


The tuetano, however, we can't recommend highly enough. Two large bones filled with marrow are topped with a lively chimichurri. A bowl of diced ribeye is served alongside. Scoop up a spoonful of baked marrow from the bone and spread it into a criollo tortilla, then drop some of the ribeye in the middle. Top it with mushroom and bell pepper hash. There's sauce, too, but first try one bite without it. These $49 tacos are worth every dime.

For a bit of show, just before this dish is set down, a server lights totomoxtle leaves (husks) under the bones, creating a brief fiery spectacle, like a phoenix landing on the table.


Pulpo and Tinta (octopus and ink) is an enticing and fun dish. A large plate of grilled octopus is covered in a reduced sauce that is splattered across the plate mimicking ink. The bite-sized chunks of charred octopus are perfect, not a second overcooked.

Caldo de piedra is another show-off dish that also delivers gastronomically. This traditional Oaxacan soup, as Gallegos explains, is prepared by the men of the indigenous community of San Felipe Usila in the Tuxtepec region of Mexico to honor and recognize the women in the region.

The soup is served in jicara (gourd) and cooked at the table with two volcanic stones that a server carefully drops into the broth. Cilantro, celery, red chilies, onions, tomatoes and more spices are added plus redfish, pulpo and shrimp. After the broth boils and simmers, the resulting rich broth and soup is quite amazing.

Reservations aren't necessary but are suggested to make sure you get a table in the modestly sized spot.

Ayahuasca's happy hour runs Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. and offers $10 cocktails — a margarita, mezcalita, paloma and a few others. Go early for a cocktail, but you likely won't want to leave, so plan on dinner as well.

Ayahuasca, 334 Jefferson Blvd. Tuesday – Saturday, 5 p.m. – midnight.