Last updated on May 25th, 2026
We’re sharing some of the best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala, plus some of our favorite dishes to try, both traditional and international!
It’s no secret we LOVE to eat. Especially when traveling! And despite its smaller size, Antigua is loaded with delicious eats, from fresh corn tortillas being handmade right off the street to rich and savory traditional stews.
But the city is so much more than Guatemalan cuisine! Here you can also find some insanely delicious ramen, marshmallow torched ice cream, and farm to table eats. There’s truly something for everyone!
During our time in Antigua it became our personal mission to try as many of the city’s best restaurants as we could. So if you’re feeling hungry while in Antigua, you’ve come to the right place! We’re sharing the best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala, plus coffee shops, sweet treats, breweries, and so much more!
Looking for more Guatemala resources?
- The Perfect 2 Week Guatemala Itinerary (for first-timers!)
- Our Top 22 Guatemala Travel Tips & Things to Know
- The Ultimate Guatemala Packing List (with downloadable list!)
- The 23 Best Things to Do in Antigua, Guatemala
- Guatemala’s EPIC Acatenango Volcano Hike: Everything to know in 2025
- 21 Fun Things to Do in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
- Where to stay in Lake Atitlán: The BEST towns & lodging options
- The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Semuc Champey in Guatemala
- Watch our Guatemala YouTube series
The 20+ best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala
Coffee shops
1. El Gran Café
Easily one of the best coffee shops in Antigua, Guatemala is El Gran Café. This small spot has a beautiful design, with tile floors, a wood ceiling, and a subtle floral pattern on the walls. And while it doesn’t have a ton of seating, don’t let that stop you from swinging by. Their coffee is insanely delicious. And the best part? A cappuccino is under $2 USD!
2. Alegría Cafe
Just across the street from El Gran Café is Alegría Cafe, another one of the best coffee shops in Antigua, Guatemala. Similar to El Gran (and every coffee shop on this list), the aesthetics are strong here, with a colorful interior, featuring local art on the walls. But the difference is that they offer a more complete food menu as well, with toasts, pancakes, burritos, and smoothies.
We will say, the prices here are a bit higher (our cappuccino was double the cost of El Gran Café), but with more space to hang out, plus food to eat, it’s still definitely worth a stop.
3. 12 Onzas
12 Onzas is another delicious coffee shop (we loved their flat whites!) and cafe, with a wide variety of food items to choose from. It makes for the perfect spot to grab breakfast or brunch before exploring all of the best things to do in Antigua.
They have a small indoor seating area, plus a lush courtyard to hang out in! We saw quite a few people having meetings and working here, so it’s a good spot for digital nomads as well.
4. La Rosona Coffee Shop
We randomly stumbled upon La Rosona Coffee Shop after our Acatenango hike (you can probably see how exhausted Adam looks in the photo). And it was such a great surprise! Tucked down a slightly quieter street, this spot would possibly be easy to walk past. And we almost did! But our tired bodies were lured in by the smell of coffee and we enjoyed a solid flat white here.
It’s a smaller shop, but has a handful of tables, including some right by an open door, where you can people watch on the streets of Antigua!
A few bonus coffee shops in Antigua
With early morning tours and shuttles, plus our hostel having some pretty solid free coffee, we didn’t get to try all of the best coffee shops in Antigua, Guatemala. A few we would love to visit next time are:
Markets & quick eats
5. Iglesia de la Merced
Iglesia de la Merced is one of the many ornate buildings to check out while in Antigua. And during the day (especially on the weekends!), the outside of this church is filled with locals setting up stands and selling tostadas, drinks, and even handicrafts. While we did not have any food here, we did try Atol de Elote, which is a hot drink made with sweet corn and flavored with vanilla or cinnamon. It tastes a lot like creamed corn (a Texas BBQ staple)!
6. Mercado Central
For a larger market experience, head to Mercado Central, the main market in Antigua. You can find a wide variety of produce here, fresh tortillas, plus food stalls selling different Guatemalan dishes. A popular stop inside the market is Comedor Las Canches for traditional stews or breakfast.
7. Delicatessen El Cazador Italiano
Delicatessen El Cazador Italiano is a little slice of Italy in the heart of Antigua! This small shop features Italian wines, plus a deli and bakery, with fresh breads, meats, and cheeses. We stopped here before heading out on an 8 hour shuttle ride to Semuc Champey and got some delicious sandwiches to enjoy along the way. We highly recommend it if you just need a quick bite or a picnic lunch!
Restaurants
8. El Comalote
Guatemala may be home to our favorite international breakfast! Commonly called “Desayuno Típico” or “Desayuno Chapin,” this dish consists of refried black beans, eggs, fried plantains, corn tortillas, and sometimes cheese, with a red salsa. It’s the perfect mix of sweetness, savoriness, and spiciness!
While you can get this meal all over town, we loved El Comalote. It’s tucked a little bit away from the main tourist parts of town and is colorful and fresh, with handmade tortillas made right in front of you.
Make sure to order the Chapin Galán breakfast plate, which comes with a gooey, cheese filled tortilla. And if you visit on the weekends, their chuchitos are a must! These are Guatemalan tamales with a thick layer of masa and filled with pork or chicken, plus a red chile based sauce (recado).
9. Caoba Farms Restaurant
One of our favorite dining experiences in Guatemala was Caoba Farms Restaurant. This former coffee and rose farm is now an organic farm growing herbs and produce, plus is home to a nursery, butterfly exhibit, murals, a market, and a restaurant!
We enjoyed an incredible lunch here, with one of the most colorful and fresh salads we have ever tasted, plus a delicious wood fired veggie pizza (with a corn sauce base…yum!). And not only was the food worth the walk from town, but the environment is fantastic! The seating area is a mix of a covered greenhouse-like space, plus hidden nooks among plants. It’s incredibly magical! And if you’re lucky, a very sweet cat will come join you for lunch. 😍
Plus before or after you eat you can freely walk around some areas of the farm!
10. Kombu Ramen Shop
You may be thinking, “ramen, in Guatemala?” While this may not be the first type of food you envision eating on your trip, trust us when we say that Kombu Ramen Shop is one of the best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala. We went on our last night and had we tried it sooner, we would’ve definitely gone back again!
We loved their La Picante and Curry ramens, which were both extremely flavorful, yet completely different. Plus their katsu, which was crunchy on the outside, with juicy pork. We haven’t been to Japan yet (but we will be soon!), but this was easily some of the best ramen we have had so far.
Note: They are only open for lunch (12 PM-3 PM or 4 PM) and dinner (6 PM-9 PM or 10 PM) and are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. So make sure to plan accordingly!
11. La Casa de las Sopas
While we did eat a lot of non-Guatemalan food in Antigua, we also tried some of the country’s most iconic dishes. Including Pepián de Pollo, which is the national dish of Guatemala! This is a chicken stew made with tomatoes, roasted seeds, and peppers. It has such a deep, rich flavor!
And to try it, we went to La Casa de Las Sopas. As the name implies, this restaurant specializes in soups, including Pepián, plus Jocón con Pollo, which is made with a tangy and slightly spicy tomatillo based broth. Both soups came with HUGE pieces of chicken (on the bone), which were perfectly tender and juicy!
12. Rincón Antigüeño
After arriving in Antigua from the airport, we immediately headed to Rincón Antigüeño. This chicken shop is one of the best affordable restaurants in Antigua, with a chicken plate that includes a piece of chicken (you can choose the cut), vegetable, salad, fresh corn tortillas, and drink, for around $5 USD! Our only complaint is that we were still a bit hungry, but you can add on extra chicken or items.
It’s very hard to beat this spot for a good lunch deal. Just keep in mind, they close at 4 PM!
13. La Cuevita de Los Urquizú
One of the best places to eat in Antigua, Guatemala for local food is La Cuevita de Los Urquizú. They offer a ton of traditional Guatemalan foods, displayed in clay pots, which makes it a more unique dining experience.
For about $12 USD you get a meat and two sides of your choice, plus a tamale and corn tortillas. After making the tough choice of what to get, you then get to go eat in their beautiful courtyard!
14. Toko Baru
After trying many Guatemalan dishes, we wanted to spice things up a bit and visit a local spot specializing in other cuisines. So we headed to Toko Baru! This restaurant focuses on Middle Eastern cuisine, with pitas and curries. We tried their beef shawarma pita (loaded with amazing potatoes too!), sweet potato fries with a delicious garlic sauce, and the beef rendang. Everything was delicious and portions were also very large (which is important to Adam)!
15. El Bowl
While we love black beans and corn tortillas, we were missing vegetables, so we decided to pop into El Bowl for a healthy lunch. And it didn’t disappoint! They have both smoothie bowls and savory bowls. Their savory bowls offer flavors from all over the world, with Asian, Mediterranean, and Mexican focused bowls. They are all loaded with veggies, plus protein, with your choice of a base (rice, lettuce, etc). We both really enjoyed the Thai bowl!
16. Y Tu Piña También
To continue our quest for a lighter meal, we also visited Y Tu Piña También. This charming cafe offers a wide variety of breakfast items, plus lunch bowls and flatbreads. All in a colorful space, with vintage decor and rustic doors. We opted to get their Jerk and Mexican Fajita bowls, plus their piña colada smoothie, which was the perfect, fresh lunch!
Breweries
17. Antigua Cerveza El Bosque
Since we don’t drink alcohol, going to a brewery is typically not something we do while traveling. But when boppin’ around Google Maps, Adam found a spot called Antigua Cerveza El Bosque and we KNEW we had to go there!
And we’re so glad we did because it quickly became one of our favorite finds in all of our travels. This brewery is tucked into a lush park, with string lights, fire pits, and tons of areas to hang out, including a play area for kids. And while many may come for their beer, they have a lot more to offer! You can get food from various vendors (the pizza and tacos were delicious!), listen to live music on certain days of the week, and play lawn games. And for the non-drinkers, they have some insanely good jugos naturales. We loved the Jamaica and the Mangorola!
It’s such a fun and tranquil escape, right in the middle of the city. We loved it so much that we went multiple times!
Sweet treats
18. Glacy Cream
Need a sweet treat? Look no further than Glacy Cream. This local ice cream shop has a mix of traditional and more unique flavors, all of which are creamy and delicious. But the best part is the torched marshmallow topping, which they torch right in front of you. It takes the ice cream to the next level!
As self proclaimed ice cream connoisseurs, please do not leave Antigua without trying this spot!
19. Parque Central
Parque Central is one of our favorite areas of Antigua! This lush park is filled with trees and an interesting fountain, and surrounded by stunning buildings. And during the afternoons and evenings you can find vendors selling snacks and sweet treats. Like this yellow ice cream with red sauce that we saw dozens of locals walking around with!
While we are still not 100% sure what the ice cream was, we believe the lady we bought it from said it was pineapple. But some people’s ice cream looked more orange and could’ve been mango. The ice cream was a bit icier than Glacy Cream, but still very refreshing on a sunny day.
And what makes this ice cream even more fun is that many vendors sell it out of a little stand that looks like a chicken bus. Doesn’t get much more Guatemala than that!
20. Doña Luisa Xicotencatl
Last, but certainly not least, one of the best places to eat in Antigua, Guatemala is Doña Luisa Xicotencatl. This bakery serves a variety of food items, but we came here for one item in particular: banana bread. We had heard that they had some tasty banana bread and they weren’t lying. It was the perfect snack to bring on our Acatenango hike!
If you’re only coming for banana bread like we were, enter the bakery entrance (instead of into the restaurant) and you can easily buy some there! It comes in either a pack with two thin slices, a half loaf, or you can get a full loaf.
Tips for eating at the best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala
Check to see if they take credit card or cash
While many restaurants in Antigua take credit cards (some with an extra fee), there are still many cash-based restaurants. Make sure to check in advance if a restaurant is cash-only or not. On this list of the best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala, these spots are cash only:
- Rincón Antigüeño
- La Casa de las Sopas (they may take card for an extra fee, we honestly cannot remember how we paid 🙈)
- Vendors at Mercado Central, Iglesia de la Merced, and Parque Central
You may have to ask for the bill
Unlike in the United States, where waiters drop off the check after you finish eating, in Latin America you typically have to ask for the bill. We like that this means they aren’t rushing you to get out, but you can sometimes end up waiting a while if you don’t realize this. To get your waiter’s attention, wave your hand and say “la cuenta, por favor!”
Want to try a lot of food in a short period of time?
Go on a food tour! You will be able to sample a wide variety of restaurants and dishes, all with a local expert, to ensure you’re visiting solid spots. This Antigua Foodie Tour focuses on high quality dishes across multiple cuisines, while this Street Food Tour is a great choice if you want to focus more on local spots.
Want to save some money on this tour or experience? Join Tripadvisor Rewards to earn 5% Trip Cash on any hotel or experience booking made in their app, which can be applied to future in-app bookings!
Save this guide with the best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala
