16 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.

Waiters in white jackets and ties move briskly around the pleasant covered courtyard that serves as the main dining room, once the home of Guatemala City's German Club. Founded in 1948, the restaurant is still serving classic Spanish and Basque dishes such as paella, calamares en su tinta (shrimp in their own ink), and for dessert wonderful torrejas (crusty bread soaked in whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk with a touch of anise). A branch in the New City maintains the old style and impeccable service of the original city-center restaurant.

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.

This is a "must stop" when you're in Cobán. Have a seat in one of the intimate dining rooms or out in the garden and enjoy delicious international dishes. Though the menu includes nicely prepared pastas and pizzas, the grilled meats, accompanied by grilled vegetables and a variety of homemade salsas, are especially succulent. All the vegetables, and even the lamb and pork, are grown organically on El Bistro's own farm outside of town. The coffee stands out even in a city known for the brew, and the breakfasts here are legendary. The homemade desserts are the best in the city; a brownie or a slice of carrot cake makes a great midday snack. The restaurant's gift shop also offers the highest-quality handicrafts in Cobán.

Hummingbirds dart among flowering vines at this romantic eatery just up the street from the lake. Enter through an iron gate that leads into a garden hidden behind a low wall. There are outside tables and a pair of intimate dining rooms. All the delicious Italian food, from the tasty bread to the fresh pasta, is homemade. Two standout specialties are the fettuccine arrabiata (with a slightly spicy tomato sauce), and the steak au poivre (cooked in a wine sauce and black pepper) served with fresh vegetables.

The Uruguayan and American owners contribute to the live acoustic music many evenings here at one of Calle Santander's liveliest restaurants and a favorite with Pana's expat community. Grab a seat in this semi-open-air place, enjoy the entertainment, and survey all the action on the main drag. Uruguayan-style beef tenderloin rules, as do churtos (beef cutlets prepared variously with mozzarella cheese, ham, bacon, peppers, or olives).

If you only have one meal in Guatemala City, head to Jake Denburg's place. A New Jersey–bred painter-turned-restaurateur, Jake uses his creative talents on food, producing dishes ranging from osso buco to crab cakes with avocado-and-wasabi cream sauce. A longtime favorite is the vaquero chino (Chinese cowboy), a tenderloin steak served with a sweet soy, espresso, and star anise sauce. For dessert, the pudín de chocolate and cheesecake with crème brûlée are divine. The restaurant is in a beautiful converted farmhouse with hardwood ceilings, tile floors, an outdoor patio, and a sophisticated lounge. The wine list is quite possibly the best in Central America.

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.

You'll feel like a guest in a private home when you arrive at this restaurant. Take your pick of tables, which are on a patio with cascading orchid plants, by a small pool, festooned with candles and flower petals, in the rear garden, or in one of the elegantly appointed dining rooms. The menu includes homemade pasta dishes, such as anolini served with a creamy pepper-and-cognac sauce, as well as fish and meat dishes served with a variety of sauces. All the vegetables are organic, and the bread is baked right on the premises.

Occupying an elegant space in the heart of the Zona Viva, Zumo greets diners with simple modern decor, including a comfortable patio and a cozy downstairs bar. Chef Rodrigo Alvarado takes the often overused term "fusion cuisine" seriously, and mixes in-season Guatemalan ingredients with an around-the-world menu. We like the shrimp in mango sauce with avocado butter, the steak in tamarind sauce, and the pumpkin crème brûlée with amaretto ice cream. There's also an extensive wine list (one of the best in the capital, with 60 international offerings), and the service is impeccable.