Foodie Guide: Best Restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala

I am obsessed with Latin America. Yes, the entire region. I’ve extensively traveled through South America, parts of Central America, and the Caribbean and I can’t get enough. Each country has so much to offer from food, to culture, to wine, to coffee (duhh), to history…I can go on and on.

Guatemala is no exception. There are so many reasons why I decided to visit this country on a solo trip back in November but one of the main reasons is because I read that it was a vegetarian’s paradise. Food = my one true love. I’m such a foodie and any country that has a ton of vegetarian options is immediately high on my list.

I’m so glad I went because it definitely lived up to the veggie friendly reputation and the food was fantastic, especially in Antigua (the focus of this blog post). Buckle up because we are going to get into a list of the best restaurants in Antigua so you can eat your way through this wonderful city.

Why you should visit Antigua

While there is a lot to see and do in Guatemala so you have to prioritize where to visit, I think Antigua is a must for any traveler. I’ll give you a few reasons.

It’s easy to get to

It’s only about an hour from Guatemala City so it’s very easy to get to. Depending on where you’re coming from, you could even just do a quick weekend getaway to Antigua.

There are sooo many great restaurants

Obviously, that’s what this post is about so we won’t go into too many details here

It’s incredibly picturesque 

Cobblestoned streets, vibrant colored buildings, hidden gardens, ancient ruins, and so much more. Every corner you turn, you’ll be tempted to pull out your camera. The energy in this city is so uplifting. It’s hard to put my finger on but I couldn’t help smiling every time I left my hotel to walk around.

It’s the perfect place to reflect

While there is plenty to do so you can always be on the go, it’s also a great place to sit and reflect. I did a solo trip to Antigua so I had plenty of down time and I loved pulling out my journal, doing some people watching, and sipping a cold beer.

Obviously, there are many more reasons to visit Antigua but I hope I’ve convinced you with these few! 

What is the restaurant scene like in Antigua?

In short: it’s wonderful. There are a ton of vegetarian and vegan options all throughout the city. You won’t have a hard time finding a delicious meal at any time of the day. Normally, I am only interested in trying local dishes when I’m traveling however, Antigua boasts an incredible variety of international restaurants and a lot of the restaurants that are vegan / vegetarian friendly are the international restaurants. 

You will also find restaurants that specialize in traditional Guatemalan food or are a modern fusion twist on classic dishes. Some of the popular dishes in Guatemalan cuisine contain meat but you can find some vegetarian options as well if you’re looking to try local dishes (which I highly recommend you do). 

The best part about the restaurant scene in Antigua? The spectacular view from all of the rooftop terraces. Seriously. I will first and foremost always value the quality of food over ambiance. Who cares if a restaurant is pretty if the food sucks. Antigua is one of those cities that manages to deliver both. Even unassuming restaurants typically have some sort of hidden garden or patio area. They’re all simply beautiful. 

Why should you trust my recommendations?

I can’t believe you’d even ask this. Just kidding. Whenever I read travel blogs I’m always like “yeah but should I trust this person? How do I know these are actually good recommendations?” So, I respect you asking this question (even if I kind of forced you to do it).

I am that friend of yours who spends hours researching restaurants. Yes, hours. I like to look at menus, read reviews, and other articles talking about the restaurants (I know I have a problem). I don’t care if it’s an “Instagram worthy” restaurant. If the food isn’t good, I’m not interested. Food quality over ambiance any day baby (though it’s obviously great if a restaurant has both).

I also believe that food is one of the strongest ties to culture and I am very privileged to have tried local dishes from all over the world. Food is hands down one of my favorite parts about traveling.

Oh also, I will never ever include a restaurant in a blog post that I wouldn’t go back to. 

Now that you trust me, let’s get into my fav spots!

Take this post on the go

Click on the map for it to open up in your Google Maps app so you can easily reference it on your trip. Don’t say I never do anything nice for you.

Favorite Antigua restaurants, bars, and coffee shops!

Coffee + Other Sips

Amanecer Juice Bar

Oh man how I wish I had this place down the road from me. The first day I arrived in Antigua, while I was waiting for my hotel to be ready, I stopped at this juice bar. There were so many options! They make the juice fresh right when you order it and it’s so cheap (compared to a fresh juice in the United States). Like a couple of bucks. They also have fresh fruit smoothies and coffee, though I didn’t try either of those. I came back to this little spot multiple times! I truly couldn’t get enough. 

12 Onzas

It’s no surprise that Antigua is full of incredible coffee shops given the culture around coffee. I had an avocado toast on brioche bread (talk about yummy and decadent) and an oat milk latte. Both were really solid and I would definitely come back. There’s both inside seating and a little outdoor patio tucked away which I didn’t see until I was already leaving. Sad.

Artista de Coffee

This was the best coffee I had in Antigua and the coffee shop has immaculate vibes with a clean modern interior. I got a french press medium roast and opted to sit outside (there’s a cute spot down the stairs in the back of the coffee shop). It’s definitely worth a stop!

De La Gente

Okay, so this is technically a coffee tour but it’s so worth it. They come and pick you up from your hotel and then you get to do a coffee tour with a local coffee farmer. For our tour, we went and saw the coffee plants, learned how to roast the coffee, and of course, tried some coffee. We also got to have lunch with the farmer and his family. I liked doing a tour with De la Gente because they are working on solving challenges that producers face and have transparent relationships with the farmers and their families. It was great to be able to support a local family by doing the tour and buying coffee. Plus, I learned a ton!

Rooftop Antigua

I had the best time journaling at Rooftop Antigua. The views are immaculate and it was a great place to sit and stay awhile. I had a latte and it was good, though not as good as the one I had at 12 Onzas. 

Bars

Antigua Brewing Company

This spot is definitely worth a stop if you’re looking to try local craft beer. If you take the stairs all the way to the top, you’ll find a stunning rooftop bar with the best view of the city and the surrounding volcanoes. The beer itself is pretty good. It’s always interesting to try craft beers from different countries. Though I wasn’t particularly wowed by any of them, I still enjoyed sipping them and would definitely come back here.

El Bosque

This was such a neat spot that I stumbled upon. It’s a little beer garden in the middle of a forest. Another perfect spot for an afternoon journal session (can you tell I was doing a lot of reflection on this trip?)

Ulew

This speakeasy is located inside Antigua Brewing Company. To enter this bar you go through a telephone booth. This spot is definitely popular so I would recommend coming when they open. I’m not sure if they take reservations or not. Instead of a menu, you tell the bartender what you’re looking for and they craft a cocktail for you. Every drink I had was really unique and the presentation was excellent. 

Here’s a fun story for you. It was already pretty busy when I got there so they seated me next to a family as there was one open seat beside them. We got to chatting and it turns out they are from my hometown in South Carolina!! How crazy is that? We even had mutual friends and everything. I love how small the world is.

Ilegal

I think this was my favorite bar of the trip because I had such great mezcal cocktails here. It’s definitely a no frills spot (which I love). I told the bartender that I liked spicy mezcal drinks and he made a fantastic drink for me. I also met some expats who were from Canada and living in Antigua and ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the night!

My Top Restaurants

Once Once

This is one of the popular vegan restaurants in Antigua. I got these vegan tacos that were pretty good. I do think they could have punched up the flavor and spice a bit more. On the menu, you’ll find mostly international dishes with a few vegan twists on local dishes. Given the entire restaurant is vegan, I would definitely recommend it and I’d personally like to try some of their other dishes.

La Bruja

This little vegan restaurant is tucked in a corner of a larger courtyard that boasts other dining options. It’s worth walking around and seeing if any of the other great restaurants tickle your fancy. La Bruja is a great option if you’re looking for some healthy lunch dishes like bowls and salads. 

Caoba Farms

This organic farm was definitely one of my favorite places in all of Antigua because it was a whole experience. I went there for donation based yoga through Om Where You Roam and then spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying some great food, live music, and just the tranquility of the farm. You can also walk around, explore the farm, and see the animals. It’s a good place to spend a few hours. They also make their own milks and I had a latte with macadamia milk (delicious!). 

Porque No

This tiny restaurant was another one of my favorite places on my trip to Antigua. The restaurant is so small that I almost wandered right past it. I sat at a bar height counter facing the street but the upstairs looked like the place to be, though perhaps a little treacherous to get up there. I ordered the eggplant appetizer as my main dish and, paired with a glass of wine, it was incredible.

Samsara

I ate at Samsara after I did a day hike of the Volcan de Pacaya and it was the perfect place to refuel after a somewhat challenging hike. Another all vegan restaurant, it features really good food, smoothies, kombucha, and more. Their portions are massive (I feel like I barely made a dent in my bowl). The cuisine is mostly a fusion of different international dishes. 

Cafe Boheme

I had brunch on my last day here and it was such a great way to end my trip in Antigua. Another rooftop terrace with stunning views. Seriously, it’s incredible how every restaurant has some type of outdoor space. I enjoyed a latte and one of their croissants stuffed with avocado and mozzarella cheese. Delicious. 

El Local

Tucked away in the same courtyard as La Bruja, this restaurant has wonderful plates and delicious smoothies. I tried their goat cheese, tomato tartine with caramelized onions and it was scrumptious. 

Antojito Salvadoreño

This unassuming restaurant is the spot to visit if you’re interested in trying pupusas, a traditional dish from El Salvador that is similar to a corn pancake with bean and cheese or meat filling. This spot had a few different veggie options and they were wonderful! 

27 Adentro

This restaurant was a stop on a food tour that I did and I wanted to come back the next night and try a full dinner here but it is closed on Mondays. I feel like this could be my favorite restaurant in Antigua but, since I only had a few bites on the tour, I can’t conclusively say that just yet. This spot features a fusion of authentic Guatemalan food with other Central American and Caribbean food. They seriously have some incredibly delicious food and their rooftop terrace is stunning. This is hands down a restaurant I plan on returning to!

Saberico

I popped into this bakery / restaurant to get a quick sweet treat. Their chocolate is simply to die for. If you head to the back, you’ll find this stunning oasis hidden in the back. I didn’t try any dishes at their restaurant so I can’t comment on the food but it’s definitely worth a stop if you want something sweet.

Glacy cream

This is one of the best places to satisfy your sweet tooth. This was the last stop on our food tour and it was worth finding just a little more room in my already full stomach. The ice cream flavors are creative and full of flavor. As someone who isn’t a big ice cream lover (I know shocking, right), I thoroughly enjoyed this spot!

Restaurants I didn’t get to try but were on my list

Of course, every time I travel, there are always a ton of restaurants I was interested in checking out but didn’t get a chance to. Here’s a few that I had on my list.

Restaurante Zocalo

I saw this on a list as one of the top spots in Antigua to get Mexican food. The owner is Mexican so the food is authentic (or so I’ve heard!)

Indian Accent

When I was in Lake Atitlan I ate at this Indian restaurant called Delhi 6 that was absolutely phenomenal. I’m insanely picky about my Indian food because most restaurants can’t hold a candle to what my mom can make. I was so surprised to not only find a restaurant in Lake Atitlan that was Indian but also had some of the best food I’ve had in a restaurant setting (Indian food that is). Like Delhi 6, the chef at Indian Accent is also from India and I definitely plan on trying it next time in Guatemala.

Rincon Tipico

I wanted to try this spot because it’s known for its traditional Guatemalan dishes. I’m not positive how vegetarian friendly it is since I didn’t get to check it out. 

Other things to do in Antigua besides eating

Here are some of the things to do in Antigua besides chowing down on delicious food.

Hike one of the nearby volcanoes

Okay so technically this is outside of Antigua however, you can hike the Pacaya Volcano on a quick day trip. I booked my tour the day before directly from my hotel. This hike isn’t as strenuous as the Acatenango volcano hike, which does require two days to do. That being said, it was still fairly challenging, even though it is a short hike. 

Explore the ancient ruins

There are so many different ruins in Antigua and they are all so fascinating to explore. My favorites were the old Antigua Cathedral ruins (pictured below) and the Convento de Santa Clara ruins. By the way, I saw a wedding being set up at Convento de Santa Clara and it was stunning so if you’re looking for a wedding venue, you should definitely check it out!

Have a spa day at Casa Santo Domingo

This stunning hotel also features a beautiful spa that you can book as a non guest. If you get a massage (which I highly recommend you do), you’ll also have access to their entire spa day all day which includes pools, a jacuzzi, and more!

Walk around and explore

It may sound cliche to say “ditch the map and wander around” but honestly, that is one of the best things to do in Antigua. Each street has so much to offer and is so beautiful that it’s worth it to just wander around. 

Take dance lessons

I didn’t get a chance to do this but was very interested in taking salsa dance lessons at New Sensation Salsa Studio. I believe they offer other types of dance classes as well such as bachata. There are also other studios in Antigua that you can try out. Take this opportunity to try out a few lessons!

Learn Spanish

Lots of people come to Guatemala solely to learn Spanish as there are numerous schools that offer affordable classes. While I didn’t take lessons in Antigua itself, I did do some virtual lessons with one of the schools based in Antigua, Spanish Academy. 

Bottom Line

One of the best things to do in Antigua is eat your way through this stunning city. If you’re short on time, why not create your own food tour and grab a small bite at multiple restaurants? Antigua is incredibly walkable so this is definitely doable! If you end up trying any of these spots, please let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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