Eating in Antigua

Antigua is a foodies dream. It’s a hub for backpackers and tourists so it caters for all and has all types of cuisine. Here are a list of some of the restaurants I tried and that I would recommend.

Amanecer juice bar– I was so happy to see iced or hot matcha lattes on the menu. Lovely small juice bar doing coffees, teas, protein smoothies, juices, acai bowls and wraps right opposite Bigfoot Hostel. Good for a healthy snack, drink, breakfast or lunch.

Tienda La Canche – this came recommended by a friend and by the lonely planet. To be honest I was very underwhelmed. It was a table at the back someone’s house and was insanely cheap but the food wasn’t great. They had one option on the menu, a chicken stew but by the time it was my turn to order there was none left so I beans and rice with tortillas. Standard Guatemalan dinner! Good for a budget backpacker and hopefully you’ll be in luck with their speciality.

Cafe Boheme-this is a really cute cafe that is run by a French lady. It caters for vegans and has gluten free options. She does salads, omlettes, sandwiches, wraps and amazing tarts.

Los arcos reds bar y restaurant– I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I saw the menu here and the beautifully presented colouful salads, acai bowls and smoothies. This Greek establishment does pizzas and craft beer too and turns to a lively bar in the evening.

Puerta once– we picked this place one evening due to convenience and proximity to the hostel. It’s not exactly health food but was exactly what we were looking for the night before climbing a volcano and after a 10 hour bus. They serve pizza, chicken wings where you choose your sauce. It was 3Q per wing once you order over 10 wings. They do the most amazing loaded fries. We got cheese, bbq sauce and bacon loaded fries.

Market food– if you’re on a budget this is where you should definitely check out and you should still eat here even if you’ve money to burn. I had an incredible toastada loaded with vegetables, beans, pasta and coleslaw for 15 Q (€1.50). The stands I went for are located outside the Iglesia de la Merced.

Samsara- this restaurant has a sister restaurant in San Marcos by Lake Atitlan. It serves great vegetarian and vegan food from breakfast to dinner. I tried quinoa porridge which was soemthign new for me and they have delicious tofu stir fry dishes for lunch and dinner.