24 Best Restaurants in Guatemala

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.

Combining a cultural and educational experience with good food, this restaurant is the creation of German architect Dieter Richter, who has worked on projects at Yaxhá and Naranjo. You can browse a collection of books, photos, maps, and other information about the Mayan world while you enjoy a hamburguesa or a Mayan dish such as Pollo Xni Pec (chicken in a chili sauce served with rice and yucca). You can also book tours to Yaxhá and elsewhere.

Homemade everything adds a nice touch to this farmhouse-style restaurant between the Biotopo del Quetzal and Cobán. Sauces, dressings, jellies, tortillas, and cheeses are all prepared on-site. The place comes into its own with its huge farm-style breakfasts of eggs, breads, plantains, beans, and cheeses. It's a terrific place to stop if you're out early in the morning. If you go for dinner, get there early: the place closes at 7:30 pm.

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.

Though smack-dab in the middle of the market hubbub, this peaceful second-floor restaurant, with its wrought-iron chairs and wood tables, offers a reasonably quiet respite from the activity below. These folks dish up their signature pollo estilo San Juan (chicken breast in tomato sauce), with guacamole salad and rice on the side. The menu makes a big deal of specifying that the chile relleno is "not spicy." It's actually a beef and vegetable-filled bell pepper, a signature highland dish. Whatever your main dish, be sure to accompany it with the warm homemade tortillas. Sunday market-day lunch gives way to a sumptuous buffet.

A cage of lively birds lends a cheerful atmosphere to this small eatery, which serves good Guatemalan fare. The avena (a warm oat beverage) is delicious, especially on a cold morning. There is no sign of the restaurant's trusty namesake, though a ceramic sailfish atop the refrigerator comes close.

Good food, attentive service, and reasonable prices make this place popular with the locals, so it can be tough to get a table later in the evening. It couldn't be described as fancy, but this restaurant's long polished bar and wood paneling raise it above the usual neighborhood dive. The menu has a number of delicious appetizers, including traditional queso fundido and a selection of meat and seafood dishes that are smothered in rich sauces. Saturday, the place whips up its caldo de mariscos (seafood stew).

The lime meringue pie alone is worth a trip to this charming log cabin–turned restaurant just south of Cobán, but you'll likely want to precede dessert with a full Verapaces-style meal. The ubiquitous regional turkey stew kaq'ik is on the menu, of course, but you can also try roast lamb, beef, or rosemary chicken.

Although it's known by the outdoor patio with umbrella-covered tables that gives the place its name, most of the restaurant's tables are inside a large dining room decorated with lots of palms and ferns, and a few indigenous drawings on the wall. Nevertheless, the lunch and dinner menus offer great variety, including such choices as pepper steak, roast pork, and chicken à la king. It's also a popular spot for breakfast. You'll find a couple of Internet computers to log on to after you eat.

This large restaurant is popular with a local crowd, and at lunchtime you're likely to find a soccer match playing on the projection TV. The decor is simple, with tile floors, tall ceilings, and guitars hanging from the walls. The menu is extensive and includes pastas, grilled meats, seafood, sandwiches, and burgers, but the specialties here are traditional dishes such as kaq'ik (preceded by a bowl of hot chocolate), suban-ick (chicken and pork in a delicious tomato sauce), jocón (chicken in a mild green sauce), and sopa de tortuga (turtle soup). Save room for the homemade pies.

One of Antigua's original elegant restaurants is in a 16th-century house near La Merced church a few blocks north of the Parque Central. The place is huge and does a brisk event business, but offers plenty of secluded tables for intimate, candlelight dinners. Lunch is served in the downstairs courtyard; dinner expands to the upstairs terrace with stupendous mountain and city views and gorgeous end-of-day sunsets. The menu changes every few months, but always consists of a mix of Guatemalan and international fare—perhaps a three-meat pepián, or a tarragon leg of lamb with a mango shrimp salad on the side.

Our favorite in-town lakefront restaurant, with great views from its picture window, takes its name from the tightly wrapped cloth worn as a headdress by Tzutuhil women in the area. This is about as elegant as Panajachel gets: waiters in white shirts and bow ties scurry around and serve pepián or chile relleno on the local side of the menu, or a good steak if you're looking for something international. This is still Pana, though, so you don't need to dress up.

This Zona Viva steak house is known for its quality cuts of beef, yet the atmosphere has won over more than one vegetarian. The dining room calls to mind the American West, with such touches as sturdy wooden tables and old saddles. Eat inside or in the small garden. Grilled meats, chicken, and seafood dominate the menu, and there's a decent wine list.

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 colorful little corner restaurant is friendly and popular among the locals. Come early for the excellent pancakes served at breakfast, or stop by for beef and chicken dishes—pepián (a fricassee in pumpkin and sesame sauce) or chile relleno are favorites here—at lunch or dinner. The menu includes a few Mexican favorites as well.

Located in the heart of the Zona Viva, this popular eatery feels more like the beach, thanks to its setting in a huge palapa surrounded by tropical plants. At dinner the soft lighting and candles on the tables make for a romantic atmosphere. Although the menu includes a good selection of meat and fish, the specialties of the house are national dishes such as jocón and pepián; Kacao is also one of the best places in town to try an assortment of Guatemalan tamales. Waiters wear traditional dress, and to complete the effect, lively marimba music plays on the stereo.

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.

This restaurant's second-story balcony overlooking Plaza Mayor is a great place to watch the vendors set up on the eve of the market. The pollo chimichurri (chicken in an herb sauce) is one of the best choices from the mostly traditional menu. There are also a few surprises, such as pizza and pasta.

With two locations within a block of each other, it's hard to miss this longtime favorite. The smaller of the two has patio seating right on the Parque Central, where you can watch the vendors setting up their stalls while you feast on Belgian waffles or sip one of the finest cappuccinos in the country. If you're in a hurry to get to the market, remember that the service here can be miserably slow. The other location, called simply Los Cofrades, a block away on 5 Calle, has a less hectic atmosphere on a second floor that lets you survey the fringes of the market.

A pretty white colonial facade with picture windows welcomes you to one of Guatemala's best steak houses. Most meats, including the rib eye and chateaubriand, come from the United States, including the specialty of the house, a skirt steak called the churrasco los ranchos. Ask your server to recommend one of the excellent wines from Argentina, Chile, Spain, or France. And save room for dessert, which ranges from tiramisu to tres leches, a type of cake soaked in condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cream.

The name means "beautiful" in the language of the Q'eqchí, and that's an apt description for the best eatery in El Estor. Built over the water, the palm-thatched building is the perfect place for a breakfast with a view of the majestic Sierra de las Minas or for a dinner accompanied by a spectacular sunset over Lago Izabal. You may even get a chance to snap a photo of a fisherman delivering the catch of the day. Call ahead of time to enjoy a bowl of seafood tapado, a hearty stew prepared with coconut milk and plantains, or stop by anytime for lake perch or river robalo. For dessert, try a pineapple smoothie.

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.

Take a break from shopping at this tiny eatery—you'll find just 10 tables here—with plain decor on the corner of the Parque Central. This place offers a huge selection of sandwiches—choose from chicken, various cheeses, ham, roast beef, or club—or opt for the daily lunch special, with a main course, usually chicken-based—perhaps a pepián, with a side of rice and vegetables—for Q25. You can fortify yourself early in the day, too, with a breakfast of omelets or pancakes.