5 Best Restaurants in Guatemala

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 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.

The large, cartoonlike Capitán Turtle sign may fool you into thinking this restaurant is just for kids, but the grilled meats, pizza, tacos and burritos, and other options make this a solid choice for a meal with a view. The pinchos (grilled kebabs) are cooked on an open barbecue, sending enticing aromas throughout the restaurant. There's a nice patio out back, which offers tremendous sunset views of the lake.

This adobe building, set back from the street behind a high wall, is decorated in a Western theme, with tile floors and simple wooden furniture. There's also a pleasant central patio with a fountain and tables with umbrellas. Out front, away from the dining areas, is a small play area for kids. Specialties of the house include steak, ribs, pork, salmon, and robalo, all served with a variety of savory condiments like fresh salsa, pickled carrots, and jalapeños. The attentive, exuberant servers bring endless baskets of warm tortillas, but try not to fill up—the truly incomparable caramel flan shouldn't be missed. To top off the experience, a Latin trio strolls through in the evenings and at lunchtime on Fridays. OTHER="spoke with Fidelia de D'Avila, secretary, [email protected]"/

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.