The best restaurants Guatemala

Timetable

Although it's hard to find a kitchen open after 9 p.m., you don't need to make a reservation, except at certain chic addresses in the capital.

Budget & Tips

The price range is quite wide. In "comedores", a kind of convivial local canteen, a good roast chicken and its accompaniments cost around Q40, while a dish can cost Q90 in a restaurant in the "strict" sense of the term.

What costs extra

While it is customary for a satisfied customer to leave a tip of 10% of the bill for service, many restaurants automatically include "propina " in the bill, sometimes without informing the customer in advance. Taxes, on the other hand, are usually included in the price on the menu.

The local way

Although it is not always specified, the dishes are often accompanied by tortillas and "frijoles", the beans that form the basis of the Guatemalan diet. They are eaten so much that they are an essential part of the desayuno típico chapín, the breakfast that can be found on the menu of all comedores and restaurants. It also includes eggs - scrambled or fried - plantains, coffee and sometimes fresh cheese.

The more local the cuisine, the larger the portions: if they are larger than your appetite, you can ask to take the leftovers from your plate to go - as long as you have something to keep them fresh.

Finally, don't be afraid to eat fish outside the coastline: because of the country's small size, you don't have to be by the sea to eat a fresh "caldo de mariscos ". Fruit and vegetable producers are also more or less all around.

To be avoided

It is advisable to avoid raw vegetables - and ice cubes - and to drink only bottled mineral water. Also, although very cheap and culturally enriching, street food is not recommended in Guatemala, where food poisoning is rife. That said, eating food cooked in a market is not a problem... As long as you are sitting at a comedor.

Kids

Children are welcome, as the locals themselves go to restaurants with their families - sometimes without worrying too much about the noise made by their children. Dishes are rarely spicy, so even unaccustomed palates will find something to enjoy.

Tourist traps

Pretty garlands of lights, lots of plants, background music, a menu in English made up ofavocado toasts, brownies and smoothies... Guatemalans and, above all, expatriates, have managed to appropriate Western codes to seduce the tourist. Nevertheless, once you are aware of it - and you are ready to pay a little more - there is nothing wrong with eating in this type of restaurant. As everywhere, some are very good, others not so good.