3 Best Restaurants in El Peten, Guatemala

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 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.