I came to Guatemala
for one reason ...to eat.
I asked a dozen people
who had been to Guatemala what to eat when I was here. Most confessed little or
no memory of the food. Tourists come for the spectacular textile market in Chichicastenango
and Lake Atitlan, the most beautiful lake in the
world. They don't come to eat.
For the past two
weeks, I've been looking for reasons to love Guatemala's food. I didn’t have to
search too hard. There’s so much good food here and I’ve just scratched the surface.
Here’s 15 reasons why
you're going to love it, too.
Buen Apetito!
1) My new food addiction: Buñuelos.
Once you've had a
Buñuelo, fried Guatemalan sweet bread served with a warm, sugary syrup, you'll
never forget Guatemalan food.
The consistency of
Buñuelos reminds me of one of my favorite foods, popovers.
These sweet treats are
from a street vendor outside La Merced Church, 1 Calle Poniente and 6 Av. Norte 5Q.
2) Food Cravings
From a hot dog (called
shuco dogs) to Texas BBQ, you can find any type of cuisine in Antigua. In fact,
according to Trip Advisor, there are 232+ restaurants in Antigua.
This local sandwich
comes from La Parrilla, 4 Calle
Poniente #5. It's made with Salchicha (the hot dog), chorizo, longaniza
(the white sausage) and salami and is served with guacamole, mayo, boiled
cabbage and mustard. Like the Chicago dog, they have the good sense not to add
ketchup. With an ice-cold Cerveza Modelo Especial, this lunch will run you 40Q.
10Q just for the sandwich.
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This pulled pork
sandwich with cole slaw (is this Texas or Carolina?) is piled high at Pappy's
BBQ, 6a Calle Poniente #21.
62Q. The Friday special is a board of ribs for 75Q. Both are
home-sweet-home good.
I've also had BBQ ribs
at the picturesque Meson Panza Verde, 5th
Ave S #19. The Asian Pork Ribs were made with Ginger, Star Anise and Soy
Sauce and were served with a mound of whipped sweet potatoes.155Q.
Beignets almost as
good as Café du Monde? You’ll find them at Epicure Restaurant, 3a Avenida Norte 11B. 5Q. They also have
made- to-order deli sandwiches with pastrami or corned beef for 25Q.
I never imagined that
Antigua's menus would be so diverse.
3) Need a restaurant recommendation?
After three impressive
meals at Bistrot Cirq 5, I had so much confidence in Chef Mario Godinez’s taste
buds that I asked him where else I should go to eat.
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He sent me to a
Japanese restaurant called Orgami Organic and Oriental at 6a Calle Oriente #6.
This rib bowl was 65Q
and a tasty treat for anyone craving healthy, Japanese food.
Miwa is from a family
of chefs back in Tokyo and definitely has that magic touch when it comes to
preparing dishes to write home about.
4) The Mexican food you know and love?
Never mind that a
Mexican Taco = a Guatemalan Taco that's rolled and looks like a Flauta or that
a Mexican Tostada = a Guatemalan Enchilada.
Forget Mexican food
while you're here and embrace everything that is Guatemala. You'll be glad you
did.
We've had one
disappointing meal in the past two week. Not bad considering we eat out every
day. I will not mention the Mexican restaurant but even the Margarita
lacked one essential ingredient...tequila.
Traditional-modern
Guatemalan food is served at Los Tres Tiempos, 5 Avenida Norte 31, just under the Santa Catalina Arch.
They have a stunning
rooftop patio and pay close attention to the artistic presentation of the
food.
Try the Tamalitos
Montados, Q 39 or the Guatemalan version of Carnitas, under 100Q with a
beverage.
The clientele that day
was primarily Guatemalan which tells you that the kitchen is doing something
right.
5) Haute cuisine
All of this pre-trip
research didn't lend a clue to the fact that Antigua has so many French
restaurants.
The master of them all
is Chef
Mario Godinez of Bistrot Cirq 5,
4a Calle Oriente #7, who did it again
with his take on Arrachera smothered in miniature, french-fried onion rings.
175Q.
Earlier in the week,
we tried his version of Steak Frites which were à la perfection. 145Q.
Going for dessert? How
about petite Profiteroles with caramel ice cream and an ample fix of hot fudge.
45Q
I would eat at Bistrot
Cirq 5 every day if I could because French just doesn't get any better than
this.
6) Got to love a city that has just one…
Since 2006, La
Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo blog documentary has been using
photographs and narratives to illustrate everyday life in Guatemala and
includes a very detailed section on the local cuisine. He's a walking,
talking authority on all things Antigua and conducts the ever popular Antigua
Photo Walk, which is rated #6 of 105 things to do in Antigua on Trip
Advisor.
7) Organic Options
Caoba Farms:
At 5a Ave Final Sur, this farm supplies
many of the restaurants in Guatemala with just-picked, organic produce.
A fairly new Farmers
Market is held once a month. We enjoyed this one March 7th, which
included a walk of the splendid grounds.
EarthLodge:
This mountain lodge
and avocado farm is located just outside Antigua.
Want a breathtaking
view? Overnight in one of their tree houses. With a private bathroom and that
all important hot shower, it runs 280Q.
Restaurant Cerro San Cristobal
This restaurant is
perched on the hill in San Cristobal El Alto, a 15 minute shuttle ride from Nim
Po't Centro de Textiles Tradicionales at 5a Avenida Norte 29 in Antigua.
It has a small organic
farm so handpicked vegetables are along for the ride on the shuttle back to
town.
Don't be in a hurry;
the shuttle runs whenever and is often over packed buts it's worth a visit just
for the views.
Their orchid
greenhouse has 2,000 + orchids so something is always in bloom.
8) The best local eats…
are on the streets but
you don't have to hike all over town to find them. Just go outside many of
Guatemala's churches.
These street vendors,
at La
Merced Church, 1 Calle Poniente and
6 Av. Norte, were dishing out some of Guatemala's most beloved classics.
Also visit Iglesia
El Calvario, Alameda
el Calvario final, where the Buñuelo vendor is reported to be the best in
Antigua.
9) Fried Chicken
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From the markets in
Chichicastenango and Antigua to Pollo Camero, the local brand of
your grandmother's best, this part of the world loves fried Chicken too.
Pollo
Camero is at 5a Avenida just 4 doors down from
Central Park going towards the arch. Fries, a chicken breast and leg and a
drink is 43Q. 15Q for a breast. Ask for extra crispy.
10) Food Truck: Shtilero Antigua
We lunched at this
wildly popular food truck and like most food trucks, it has ridiculously good
food.
I'm not a huge fan of
meatballs but we loved theirs. The sandwich was easy to eat; not overloaded
with either meat or sauce. Their secret? Like any great sandwich, it’s all
in the bread.
Check out their
Facebook page for an exact location before you go.
11) Exotic Ice Cream
Sobremesa
owner Alex Ferrar was
described to me as wonderfully funny and a bit crazy in a good way. How about a
genius?
He's the mastermind
behind Exotic Ice Cream, located on 4 Ave between 3rd and 4th street. 20Q.
Mono Bolo? Translated,
that’s Drunken Monkey; a delicious blend made with Macadamia nuts, white
chocolate and of course tequila. It was sensational.
Another mixture was
simply called Breakfast: Coffee, maple and bacon.
They were getting
ready to do a photo shoot for the New York Times when I was there.
If you don’t know, now
you do…Exotic Ice Cream rules.
Drinking Guatemala…
12) Guatemala’s Coffee
Guatemalan coffee is
some of the best in the world.
It's full bodied, more
so than other Central American coffees, and has a flavor that has been
described as both spicy and rich. I would also add that it has heavy notes
of Chocolate. No wonder I like it so much.
This cup of cafe con
leche is from El Sol Café in
the Central Jardin. 16Q.
You’ll meet a lot of
locals at El Sol Café after you've
sunk in to the pace of a city or you can compare food notes with globe-trotters
from around the world. In particular, a large number of Europeans visit
Guatemala each year.
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One thing for
sure…both the natives and tourists are really friendly here and you’ll meet
people of all ages and nationalities.
13) Wine
The good news: Wine is
imported, mainly from South America. The
bad news: Don’t expect Guatemalan prices for a high-quality glass.
These restaurants have
some of my favorite wines to pair with food and will not break your travel budget:
Hector’s Bistro, 1st Calle Poniente, has a nice Viura Infinitus Spanish Chardonnay for
45Q a glass to go with their magnificent open faced beef tenderloin sandwich.
85Q.
At Bistrot
Cirq 5, 4a Calle Oriente #7,
indulge in a glass of Rio Claro Chardonnay from Chile for
50Q or head for Meson Panza Verde, 5th
Ave S #19 and try a glass of Adobe Reserva Chardonnay D.O. Valle de Casablanca
2013. 65Q a glass. 225 for the bottle.
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Tartines, 4
calle Oriente #1C, also serves a good red, a 2013 Chilean D.O. Valle Central
Misiones Drengo Carmenere, for 40Q a glass. They have nice views from
their rooftop so go for sunset and try their pepper steak. A lot of fresh
pepper and a few tablespoons of sauce would have been perfect to flavor this
steak so ask for the sauce on the side. 165Q.
14) Rum: Ron Zacapa
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If you came to
Guatemala to drink good quality rum, you’re in luck.
Fantastically smooth Ron
Zacapa was the first rum to be included in the International Rum Festival's
Hall of Fame.
The House Above The
Clouds is Ron Zacapa's aging facility located in the highlands of
Quetzaltenango, 7544 feet above sea level.
Just like aging
Sherry, they use the Solera method to achieve its tantalizing flavor and
perfect balance.
This high-end version
runs $160 US per bottle.
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A taste can be
purchased (100Q) at the charming, little wine bar called Tabacos Y Vinos, 5a Avenida Norte No 28 B, Calle Arco.
Ron Zacapa will get
you on the first sip and you're not likely to forget Guatemala's distinctive
drink profile ever. The taste is remarkably intense with peaks of brown sugar, oak,
toffee, cedar and tobacco.
15) Guatemala's National Beer: Gallo
I know beer is a great
thirst quencher when drinking the water is not an option but beer for
breakfast?
Then I remembered my
#1 Traveler's Rule: when you're on vacation you can have anything you want for
breakfast...even a beer. 20Q