Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants is heading to the old capital city of Guatemala for its 2025 edition. Here's where to eat, drink, sleep and go in Antigua.
Surrounded by three noble volcanoes and infinite coffee farms, Antigua, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is the quintessence of Latin American small-town grandeur. Long ago, it was the capital of a vast Spanish territory; today it's a riot of colour where tradition and mystical monastery ruins comingle with high-tech coffee shops, hidden cocktail dens and hacienda splendour.
It's verdant, flawlessly scuffed and inhabited by warm people thirsting to share their culture. It's a you-can't-get-lost kind of town, made for walking and lingering over history, enjoying plates of terroir-driven fare and multiple cups of deeply satisfying, pour-over coffee – and perhaps even a cocktail or three.
Where to eat
Chilean chef Rodrigo Salvo worked at Boragó, D.O.M., Noma and Mugaritz before opening Quiltro in 2017
Quiltro
@quiltro_gt
Chilean chef Rodrigo Salvo stacked his resumé with stints at Boragó, D.O.M., Noma and Mugaritz before opening Antigua's first fine diner in 2017. It's snug, with a smattering of tables and an open kitchen wrapped in a hulking slab of wood. Salvo's 10 or 12-course menus blend cultures in a kaleidoscope of textures and layered aromas. They're anchored by house-made meads, crafted with native honey, though Quiltro keeps a short, Chilean-centric wine list on hand too.
El Comalote
@comalote
El Comalote is what happens when people care about their heritage and the smallholder farmers who keep heirloom crops alive. It came about as founder Gaby Perdomo was appalled to learn that most domestic tortilla factories don't use native corn. The restaurant, a fiesta of jaunty interiors, celebrates traditional Guatemalan food, made with honest, indigenous ingredients: generously stuffed tamales; fragrant, wood-fired pepián stew – Guatemala's national dish and a hug of culinary heritage; as well as tortillas coming straight from the comal at the in-house tortillería.
Barriga Llena
@tenemoslabarrigallena
Friendly, unfussy, with a name that means 'full belly', Barriga Llena is a fun house with a short menu of crowd pleasers like pork dumplings and fried chicken with black garlic mayo, and a long list of market-driven, improv-creative specials. But just like your morning commute, it gets crowded during peak hours, so plan your visit accordingly.
Nanik
@nanik_antigua
With an interior that juxtaposes the calculated and the unpretentious, Nanik puts local ingredients and ancestral traditions into a contemporary blender, whipping up an innovative menu – both a la carte and eight-course tasting – that leans heavily on fish, vegetables and artisanal products.
La Fonda de la Calle Real
@lafondadelacallereal
'Chapin' is what Guatemalans call themselves, hence 'chapin food' is what they reach for when they crave classic home cooking. If you're going to eat like a Chapin, you might as well do so in the postcard-pretty inner courtyard of an old mansion where a few of these dishes were invented. All day-open La Fonda de la Calle Real has been serving specialities from various corners of the country since 1975. It's a formidable place to take a break when you're done gawking at the iconic Santa Catalina Arch, just down the street.
Where to drink
As well as the fun speakeasies, Antigua has plenty of casual-yet-great places to soak up the atmosphere
Ulew
@ulewcocktailbar
Tiny, vibey Ulew plays the old speakeasy cliché by hiding behind a phone booth in a corner of Antigua Brewing Company. It's the town's worst kept secret and most-touted watering hole, eschewing standard-issue menus in favour of tailored tipples.
Wisdom
@wisdomantigua
Like Ulew, Wisdom also milks the speakeasy-trope, albeit with a slightly sneakier ruse, granting access to a cocktail kingdom beyond a wig shop. Once inside, you'll feel like you just teleported to your intellectual uncle's suave man cave. And when you've downed your martini, you can leave drunk uncle behind and slip through another secret door that leads directly to Las Vibras nightclub.
Café No Sé
@cafenose
A deliberately scruffy, candlelit dive bar with an extensive mezcal selection, lurking behind an actual refrigerator door.
Suelo
@suelo.vinosnaturales
The town's first natural wine bar is as rustic chic as it is well stocked. And if that's not enough, there's wood-fired pizza too.
Where to stay
The stately Villa Bokéh, on the edge of the city, features 15 individually designed suites
Villa Bokéh
@villabokeh
A pool with volcano views, a pond with rowboats, six acres of lushness and 15 individually decorated suites, some of which boast terraces with fire pits. Add to that a spa and an indoor-outdoor restaurant with a lavish brunch, and you've pretty much got it all. Villa Bokéh, at the edge of town, is a stately, immaculately renovated hacienda full of enchantments and tasteful art.
Casa Santo Domingo
@hotelcasasantodomingo
Once the largest convent in the Americas, Santo Domingo was destroyed in 1773 when the notorious Santa Marta earthquake obliterated most of Antigua. Today it's an atmospheric hotel and labyrinth of antique-strewn parlours, verdant outdoor spaces and 134 cosy rooms that conjure the town's colonial past. Naturally there's a chapel, more surprisingly there are a few small museums. As would be expected, there's a swanky spa with a stunning pool (open by appointment to non-hotel guests). The hotel also runs Santo Cielo, a glamping concept with Airstreams and cabins on the outskirts of Antigua.
Where to sip coffee
Finca La Azotea is a 150-year-old coffee farm-turned vibrant community centre
Coffee is no laughing matter in Guatemala; even McDonald's sells single origin java. And while that titbit might have a certain wow-factor, we suggest you explore the following, vastly more interesting speciality coffee shops.
Finca la Azotea
@fincalaazotea
A sprawling, 150-year-old coffee farm that has turned into a vibrant community centre of sorts, with a coffee museum and tour, cacao workshops, a restaurant and a beer garden, as well as horseback riding, bike rentals, mini golf and more.
Crema Rosa earns bonus points for being both a hipster shop, a vinyl listening bar and a pro java purveyor. Besides being a coffee roastery, Fernando's Kaffee offers chocolate workshops and sells some of the country's finest cacao-based goods. Other top places to get your caffeine fix include Fat Cat Coffee Roasters, Artista de Café and El Gran Café.
Things to do
The impressive Arco de Santa Catalina as seen from above
La Tienda de Doña Gavi
@latiendadedonagavi
Part incense and potion shop decked out with sundry scented candles and dried flowers, part artisanal ice cream parlour serving legendary, seasonal gelatos. Doña Gavi is an institution and Lilliputian marvel.
Luna Zorro
@lunazorro_studio
Also at Finca la Azotea, Luna Zorro is a textile studio that offers workshops and a deeper dive into Guatemala's phenomenal weaving, embroidering and vegetable dyeing techniques. It's also a boutique where you'll want to drop all your coin on handwoven home goods, kaftans, robes etc.
Del Otro Lado Más Verde
@delotrolado_masverde
A one-stop gift shop with a well-curated selection of domestic, gastro-focused stuff for your pals' pantries, and yours too.
Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 will be revealed on 2 December 2025 live from Antigua Guatemala.
