72 Best Restaurants in Honduras

Looking a bit like a psychedelic museum, this longtime favorite is decorated with island paraphernalia and tunnels, sculptures, and gazebos built from mosaics of colored glass. The best place to enjoy the big platters of seafood is in the pleasant garden. Stop by for one of the best fresh fruit shakes you'll find on the islands, and top off the evening with a drink in the tree house bar. If you want to stay the night, the Nightland cabins have two double beds, spacious bathrooms, and stunning interior decor.

You'll hear locals still calling this place Tong's Thai, and while former owner Tong left the island long ago, thankfully the cooks stayed on. Spicy noodle dishes are served on the beachfront gazebo, and at night, the candlelit dock makes for a romantic dinner on the water. Honduran twists are added to traditional favorites by adding lobster to pad thai or squid to vegetable curry dishes.

If the rows of seafood champas (shacks) lining the beach don't manage to entice you, then this casual open-air restaurant should. Just a step away from the water, the eatery offers delicious ceviche, king crab, and lobster dishes. Doña Pancha herself is often around to help with serving heaping portions of diners' favorites, like garlic-soaked shrimp or breaded conch.

Grilled meats served fresh off the parilla (charcoal grill) are this steak house's specialty. Juicy fillets of beef tenderloin accompany local fare like wahoo steaks and lobster tail. Italian pasta and vegetarian dishes are also available. In the evenings in good weather, there is an option to dine barefoot on the beach with large lanterns lighting your table. The service is friendly but slow.

Set in the intimate garden of a very posh, very private beach club, the eatery serves up high-end surf and turf fare. Grilled lobster, shrimp, and grouper are listed alongside vodka-infused baby back ribs and buttery rotisserie chicken—San Simon's specialty. Sun beds and beach cabanas can be rented for half or full days. The club also has free Wi-Fi and private showers for guests.

Crispy brick-oven pizzas served in five sizes (try the meter-wide pie!) and savory panzarotti pastries keep this kitchen, owned by Italian expats, busy all evening. Vito churns out homemade dishes from the back, while Sissi flits busily between diners, who she says enter as clients and leave as friends. Indoor, terrace, and sidewalk seating offer a warm and inviting atmosphere, and the bar is stocked with local beers and Italian wines and liqueurs. They open at 4:30.

Hearty breakfasts and generous dinners please many a hungry diver at this popular hangout. Start the day with banana pancakes, baleadas, or a taste of the full espresso bar. The lunch menu lists hot submarine sandwiches and chicken nachos, and evening dishes include seasoned fish burgers and veggie enchiladas. The open-air lodge has seating at comfy booths or out on the street-front patio.

With a couple of tables out on the sidewalk and a cozy dining room within, this Italian eatery has become very popular. The bruschetta ai pomodori (toasted bread with tomatoes) makes a tasty starter, especially when followed by the pasta alla puttanesca. Imported beers and wines pair nicely with dinner, and grappa or amaretto will bring things to a fine finish. The restaurant also has small sandwich shops in the nearby La Carniceria meat market and at the Muelle de Cabotaje.

Hearty soups, tasty pastas, huge sandwiches, and abundant salads are the draws at this restaurant in Colonia Palmira. The outdoor terrace is a good spot for a beer, or even a bottle of French wine. If it's cloudy, head into the wood-paneled dining room. The café space also includes a European-style deli and a salon.

That just might be the ghost of Che Guevara plotting the next revolution off in the corner of this unpretentious little coffeehouse with a slightly political bent. Paradiso serves local beverage specialties, but is best known for its carajillo (coffee with cognac). The food is basic but filling, with locals leaning toward favorites like the tortilla española (Spanish omelet). While you wait, peruse the selection of books on Honduran history and politics, or stop by on Thursday evenings when a film is screened.

The aroma of freshly ground coffee envelops you as you walk into this small café set on the patio of a brick house. In addition to the coffee, you'll find a nice selection of Chilean wine and sandwiches made with artisanal cheeses from a farm outside of town. Try the grilled turkey and blue cheese. If you come here for dinner, make it an early one; the place closes at 8.

Though many backpackers flock here, Vía Vía provides a great meal and atmosphere attractive to nearly any traveler. Food is served from 7 am to 9 pm every day, and the bar stays open until just before midnight. Great selections of world music, as well as salsa-dancing lessons, bring in lots of people in the evenings. The kitchen specialties include vegetarian dishes, Indian and Thai food, and local favorites, all at great prices. Basecamp Tours, the affiliated tourist information center, is located across the street, making this a great first stop on your visit to Copán.

Perched on a hilltop just below the Christopher Columbus statue on the Mirador close to Parque Central, this cozy little spot may have the best view in town. Look for signs near the park that point up the road to the restaurant. Enjoy the view with wine or a cold beer, fish, meat and pasta dishes, or little snacks like pupusas and beef brochettes.

A grassy lawn with shaded tables and patio seating offers tasty tapas, imported wines, and gourmet lunches. Fish, chicken, and pasta dishes drizzled with bold sauces are served with salad during the day. At night, the menu includes mango and strawberry canapés and well-seasoned beef brochettes. Signs next to the bank at the Parque Central point diners up the road toward this pleasant hilltop eatery.

This cheerful eatery on Parque Central serves up inexpensive Spanish-style dishes that are a welcome change from the beans-and-rice routine. Get here early, as it's only open until 8 pm. Breakfast is a bargain, and the coffee is nice and strong.

You smell the sizzling chorizo and carnitas (chunks of beef) cooked by Don Manolo even before you see his popular restaurant.

Housed in a charming wooden building, this longtime favorite has sweeping views of the valley from its second-story dining room. Wonderful smells emanate from the meats on the grill, which is crowned with a stone skull reminiscent of those at the nearby ruins. One of the favorite dishes here is the carne encebollado, sizzling beef topped with onions and accompanied by a mound of french fries.

This cheery little restaurant is a popular evening hangout for tourists, especially since it has a bookstore and a small art gallery. Casa Azul is known for Italian dishes such as pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. The staff is justifiably proud of the "big clean salads." Honduras Caribbean Tours has its office in the front of the restaurant.

Frequented by the country's upper crust, this genteel restaurant has plenty of rooms that can be closed off for presidential meetings. Yet Melba Robelo, the Nicaraguan owner, makes sure everyone feels welcome. The fish dishes, made with the freshest ingredients, all have intriguing flavors. Try the onion soup with Swiss cheese, followed by breaded camarones (shrimp) served with butter and tarragon. The famous crepes de manzana (apple crepes) are served with almonds and liqueur. The service is irreproachable. /

Sambo Creek's best-known restaurant fills up with patrons from La Ceiba on weekends. Once you try the king-crab soup or the shrimp salad, you'll understand why. As a bonus, there's a spectacular view of the Cayos Cochinos. Because the restaurant is so huge, it feels a little deserted on weekdays.

San Pedro Sula isn't far from the Caribbean, which means you can easily find delicious seafood. This local favorite is run by a Garífuna family, and everything is as fresh as possible. Recommended are the king crab, jumbo shrimp, and the negro bello (a mixed plate of meat, conch, and fish). If it's available, don't pass up the lobster. The service is attentive.

A long-time local favorite that has morphed into a favorite of visitors offers down-home dining at bargain prices. Pull up a chair to one of the wooden tables and partake of a pupusa, the specialty here. The dish originated in neighboring El Salvador and they are that country's answer to the crepe, with a filling of chicken, pork, or beans and tangy cabbage.

One of the oldest still-operating restaurants in Tegucigalpa, Don Quijote has been in business for more than three decades. Straightforward Spanish dishes are the specialty, especially the paella valenciana, made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood. Another highly recommended dish is the hearty fabada asturiana (a meaty stew). There's also a fully stocked bar.

This restaurant is named for a traditional Honduran mush of refried beans, cream, and cheese served with tortilla chips in a clay container, but don't be misled: other items on the menu, the pastas and pizzas in particular, are good here, too. It's a great place to down a beer, as it is often open until 10 or later.