3 Best Restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala

One of Antigua’s most innovative dining spots holds court in a late 19th century home. The menu, which changes seasonally, may include appetizers of black bean soup or a carpaccio of mahimahi and beets. Main courses might include quail with Serrano ham and couscous or lamb chops with a plantain and cheese puree. A dessert selection of soufflés and puddings round out the meal. If you have a group of four to eight people, another option is the pricey, but immensely satisfying nine-course tasting menu, which also changes based on seasonal ingredients—everyone at the table must order it and reservations are a must.

The elegant restaurant at this European boutique-style Mesón Panza Verde is an experience unto itself. Guests can choose to dine in the main dining area, with its antiques and mahogany furnishings, or in the colonial arcade, which surrounds the perimeter of the garden. The menu features such delicacies as magret de canard, a seared duck breast in chocolate and plum sauce, or Asian pork ribs flavored in an anise-ginger sauce. For a special, romantic evening, reserve the single-table La Cúpola room.