18 Best Restaurants in 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.

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.

Ask locals to recommend a place to eat in the Old City, and chances are they'll send you to this spirited Guatemalan favorite. The decor couldn't be simpler—stone floor, small fountain, colorful fabrics, and vases of flowers on the tables. The flavorful cuisine, typical of the Cobán region, includes kaq'ik (a spicy turkey stew), gallo en chicha (chicken in a slightly sweet sauce), and sopa de tortuga (turtle soup). More adventurous types will want to sample the roasted tepezcuintle, a type of rodent.

Everyday at lunch and on Friday and Saturday night live marimba music fills the restaurant.

There's a branch in the New City, which dishes up the same regional cuisine from Alta Verapaz.

The name is apt. Anything and everything in the bagel realm makes up the bulk of the menu in this place just around the corner from the Parque Central. You'll find an equally wide variety of smoothie flavors here as well as decaf coffee (a real rarity in this country). Stop by at 5:30 pm for the nightly screenings of late-run Hollywood films on DVD; there's a huge selection of those, too. Movie time occasionally varies but will always be announced that day on a board in the doorway.

Breakfast starts at 7 am, and specials such as toast topped with strawberries, papaya, or mango, and omelets made with fresh vegetables will give you plenty of sightseeing fuel. (Breakfast is served all day if you like.) After such a big breakfast, don't count on eating much for the rest of the day. For lunch, try the quiche or the Brie plate; the homemade pies and pastries are also notable. You can eat in the café's airy dining room or grab a cappuccino and a sweet roll at Café Condesa Express next door. Either way, the location right on the Parque Central can't be beat.

For an around-Guatemala tour of the country's cuisine, we like this down-home New City restaurant with its bright yellow walls and colorful textiles hung from the ceiling. The emphasis is on meat, including typical national dishes such as pollo loroco (chicken-and-vegetables), pepián (chicken fricassee in pumpkin and sesame sauce), and kaq'ik (a turkey stew from Alta Verapaz). Be sure to accompany whatever you order with the restaurant's warm homemade tortillas.

You'll feel appropriately cool chilling in a hammock or shooting the breeze with another wanderer in this leafy garden café, sipping lemonade or an iced latte. If you're bored by the national beers, Gallo in Guatemala or Belikin in Belize, this café serves real IPAs and a selection of imported craft beers. You can eat breakfast for under Q40, and light meals are served the rest of the day. There's free Wi-Fi.

This restaurant—named after the mistress of Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado—is something of a local institution; tables are scattered throughout a dozen rooms, but it's still not easy to get a seat. Early-morning specialties include fruit salad, pancakes, and very fresh bread (the bakery is right downstairs). Sandwiches and other light fare make for ample lunch and dinner options. The service can be slow, but the eclectic decor makes the wait pleasant. The bulletin board downstairs is an excellent source of information for travelers. Calling it “Doña Luisa” works too.

Set in a hacienda-style building, away from the bustle of the city, Jean François is one of the prettiest and most tranquil restaurants in town, with a lovely courtyard/garden and tables tucked under the surrounding arcades. If you prefer to sit inside, there's a charming dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a cozy fireplace. The food is equally impressive, mostly French classics with an occasional New World touch. For an appetizer, try the warm shrimp mousse wrapped in spinach, and for your main course beef with béarnaise or Gorgonzola sauce, or maybe grilled robalo with fresh tomatoes and basil. The french fries are top-notch, and for dessert our favorite is the wonderful, light mousse de chico (a type of tropical fruit).

An old Antigua favorite, this place has three locations serving the same Guatemalan and Mexican fare. The newest branch is housed in a colonial home, spacious enough to offer indoor and outdoor seating. Musicians stroll about on weekends. The menu includes queso fundido and the restaurant's famous caldo real (a hearty chicken soup). Other locations are the original on 5 Avenida near Parque Central, and a newer branch just across the street from that one.

A longtime Old City favorite, this courtyard dining room brims with the charm of another era, from the wooden balconies hung with colorful huipiles to the traditional highland dress worn by the waitstaff. The menu has an extensive selection of both international and Guatemalan fare, and among the desserts the coconut cream pie is a standout. On Sunday there is a brunch buffet with live marimba music.

We could picture Che Guevara plotting the revolution in a corner of this café, a hangout of young expats in the heart of Antigua's language-school district. You'll find some meat on the menu, but vegetarian fare dominates. (We love the falafel and hummus dishes.) The place is immensely popular. Don't be afraid to ask if you can squeeze in if you see no available tables indoors or in the courtyard. There are lectures, in English, on some topic of political interest, each Tuesday evening, and live music many other nights.

If you're looking for delicious, authentic, homemade Guatemalan food at great prices, you've come to the right place. There's a good chance your whitefish was caught from the lake that morning, and the tortillas are homemade with pride. The grilled chicken is mouthwatering, and the soup is a must-try on a cooler day. The thatched-roof, open-air restaurant is nothing fancy, but you'll get attentive service—and breakfast, lunch, and dinner all hit the spot.

This big, raucous restaurant/bar in the Plaza Fontabella shopping complex is the Guatemalan outpost of the popular American chain. As the name implies, the food is Italian, with favorites including fettuccine frutti di mare (with seafood), ravioli alla Bolognese (with a variety of meats), and the quattro stagione (four-season) pizza. Top it all off with chocolate mousse, homemade ice cream, or a cappuccino or espresso brewed in an authentic Italian coffee machine.

It's a good place to bring kids if you're looking for familiar cuisine and surroundings.