12 Best Restaurants in 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.

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.

For Italian food in the city, this tiny restaurant can't be beat. Northern Italian specialties, delicious antipasti, and delicate homemade pastas are among the favorites. Wash it all down with a selection from the affordable wine list. The atmosphere and decor are low-key. Instead of giving out individual menus, waiters lug the menu board to your table to explain what's available. Hours can be a bit capricious; evening dining may begin at 6 or 7 pm, or whenever the restaurant opens, but the service is first-rate. Reservations are recommended.

You half expect Enrico Caruso to emerge from the shadows when you walk into this trattoria a couple of blocks from La Merced church. It's generally a bit cluttered and crowded, and it fills up quickly. You'll find overflow seating on the back patio, but sitting out there isn't nearly as atmospheric. For an Italian restaurant, the selection of pastas is small, but the café's signature plates are its various tenderloin dishes—we like the beef prepared with Gorgonzola cheese, nuts, and rosemary. There's also a wide selection of paninis and gelato.

This fun place behind the cathedral has gained cachet with Antigua's foreign population, expat and tourist alike, who have made it one of the city's liveliest restaurants. You'll find a good selection of pizzas and pastas on the menu, along with less traditional dishes such as panfried salmon and grilled beef fillet with sautéed spinach. Italian music—it might be Sinatra, it might be Pavarotti—wafts through the three dark-wood rooms (one upstairs), along with convivial chatter from the spirited bar, making it an especially good place to eat if you're here with a group.

For a home-style southern Italian atmosphere with checked tablecloths, opera music, and basketed Chianti bottles hanging from the rafters, head to Il Cardinali. The extensive, pasta-heavy menu also includes pizza and a decent wine selection. The service is friendly and quick. The front room gets chilly at night. Opt instead for the larger and bustling, but cozier back room.

An open-air restaurant centered around a bamboo hut and a fire pit, this little Italian eatery offers such continental favorites as fondue and spaghetti, and also has a good selection of vegetarian entrées. There's live music from time to time, making this one of San Marcos's social hubs. Be sure to leave room for the delicious tiramisu.

One of Antigua's best small Italian restaurants serves up homemade pastas and pizzas from a wood-burning oven, and a variety of home-baked breads. Choose from an impressive selection of cheeses and wines sold by the bottle or glass. This is mostly a place to stop for a light bite, rather than a full meal. Most of the seating is outside, but you'll find plenty of covering to duck under on a rainy day.

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.