7 Best Restaurants in El Peten, Guatemala

This secret garden with lake vistas is a veritable oasis, complete with butterflies and flowering vines. But don't forget the food: there is a huge menu ranging from smoothie bowls bursting with fresh fruit or waffles in the morning to pad Thai, salad, traditional Guatemalan food, or pizza at sunset, plus fresh cocktails.

A broad menu features comida típica as well as familiar plates, so you can order a tasty hamburger (with optional whiskey sauce) or pollo al achiote, chicken spiced with the red pre-Colombian herb. The atmosphere is tasteful and relaxing, so you won't even miss the lake, which is a couple of blocks away.

If the name "Doors of Heaven," seems a little lofty, wait until you try the food to make your judgment. The creamy, flavorful pastas and fresh ingredients will indeed send your tastebuds straight to the promised land. There is no menu; the chef (Bernie) comes to your table and talks about what's fresh, but the seafood will be prepared to your liking---nay, loving. The cuisine here is more like what you'd expect from a high-end restaurant in Europe; indeed, the owner--chef is Italian, and the food is innovative and personalized. While this type of menu would be well into the hundreds of dollars in the States, here it will run you around US$30, including a glass of wine.

If you've never eaten in an Italian grandfather's kitchen overlooking a beautiful lake here's your chance. This unfussy outdoor spot has a nice selection of pasta cooked to order in the open kitchen. They bake up homemade bread for the bruschetta, and the pizza is a treat with a glass of wine or a frosty Gallo. It's worth the drive after Tikal. 

This cozy eatery has tasty brunch all day, with items like: shakshuka eggs, Flores skillet with egg, avocado, beans, and mushrooms, or chicken and waffles. Don't miss the famous milkshake: three scoops of vanilla ice cream, flavor of your choice (we suggest maple syrup and bacon), topped off with a delectable doughnut.

Grilled meats come piping hot off the parrilla (grill) and give this palapa restaurant swagger. Tacos with practically an artist's palette of sauces are also popular, and the steamed fish is excellent. Raíces is built over the water, so with friends, a margarita in hand, and the lake framing it all, you'll have a good time. You can also take a boat ride from the restaurant out to Raíces Del Lago for a special dining experience from another vantage point on the lake.

This terrace is so lovely and the Italian food so rich that the lake will seem swapped for the Mediterranean in a delicious sleight of hand. The best plates are the bowls of homemade pasta slick with olive oil and dense with shrimp, bacon, tomatoes, squash, basil, or whatever tops your dish of choice. Burgers, steak, and interesting pizzas are also on the menu. The avocado salad is a little wedding cake of vegetables; beautiful. Plus, if you've been jonesing for that clementine San Pelligrino, Il Terrazo's got you covered.