Los Johnson
Things To Do
Mercado San Lucas Sacatepequez
Travel day got you hungry? Ask your shuttle or taxi driver to stop you by the Mercado de San Lucas on your way in or out of Antigua. Find a spot that sells Tortilla con Queso (about $0.75) and a gallo (Guatemalan beer) for one of my FAVORITE Guatemalan welcome/farewell snacks.
Barriga Llena
When Ben and I were in Guatemala in September we stopped in for a dinner at Barriga Llena. It is a small, local restaurant run by young Guatemalan chefs. You get to see Guatemalan culinary evolution at play, while enjoying non-fussy, colorful, delicious food. An added bonus is that they don’t serve any imported ingredients, so everything you’re enjoying is made in Guatemala.
Restaurante 7 Caldos
It’s no secret part of my Guatemala Joy Algorithm includes caldo every single day. 7 Caldos is my favorite place to try soups and stews from Guatemala. The servings are huge, the ingredients are peak freshness, and it’s just heartwarming and delicious. Make sure to order a naranjada or limonada to enjoy with your caldo.
Caoba Farms Restaurant
Caoba farms is one of the best places to experience farm to table dining in Guatemala. You can tour the gardens where the food you’re eating is grown, and as an added plus it is super kid friendly.
El Comalote
You all know I have an obsession with corn and tortillas. For the best heirloom corn tortillas and corn-based foods, visit el Comalote where local Mayan artisans are slanging the best tortillas in town.
Casa Escobar Antigua
If you want a swanky meal while in country, we recommend the steaks at Casa Escobar. The presentation is showy, but the meat quality is superb and the cocktails are wonderful.
La Cuevita de Los Urquizú
If what you want is home cooked Guatemalan food, it doesn’t get a lot better than La Cuevita de Los Urquizu. The menu is stacked with home-cooked, regional foods and we’ve never had a bad dish here!
Mesón Panza Verde
For another date-night type restaurant in Guatemala, we recommend Meson Panza Verde. It’s located in a boutique hotel, and we recommend ordering an Uber or tuktuk as there isn’t a side walk around it. While you’re there, don’t miss out on checking out their beautiful rooftop terrace for beautiful gardens and views!
Rincón antigüeño
Okay this is a can’t miss from us! Rinconcito has the BEST pollo adobado in Antigua. For 5 dollars you get a wood fired quarter of a chicken with a side of rice and salad + Jamaica (hibiscus tea). We recommend skipping the salad here, BUT THE CHICKEN. Devour every last bit (and then go back for more).
Hotel Casa Santo Domingo
If you happen to be in Antigua on a weekend day (we suggest Saturday as we’ll have brunch together on Sunday), we HIGHLY recommend getting a brunch reservation at Hotel Casa Santo Domingo. It’s Antigua’s 5 star hotel, and is a museum compound, as it is an archeological site. You can pay a small fee to access the grounds and walk around (the chocolate shop and candle making workshop are personal favorites!), but the real star of the show is the brunch! There are multiple rooms you wander through filling your plate with local, artisanal breads, pupusas, beans, the freshest fruit, and eggs to order. It is a beautiful eating experience all around, and we go every time we get the chance!
El Tenedor
Speaking of Casa Santo Domingo, they have a compound on a hill on the outskirts of Antigua where they have a beautiful art museum, playground, and a restaurant with excellent views. If you want one final dinner view of Antigua and it’s volcanos, we recommend dining here on one of your last nights.
Hobbitenango
Tolkien fans unite! Nestled in the foothills of Antigua is a beautiful day excursion to Hobbitenango, an attraction of Lord of the Rings themed homes. You can walk around, take a ride on the slingshot, take breathtaking fotos in the hand (you’ll see what I mean), and eat the BEST pizza in Antigua. I’m not kidding. They grow their tomatoes in the fertile, volcanic soil of Antigua, and I can’t explain the explosion of flavor (y’all know I’m a tomato girly). Just check the weather before heading up, as you’ll want to go on a clear day to appreciate the views.
Hilosophy
Guatemala is well known for its beautiful, artisanal textiles. If you’re shopping for one of a kind textile pieces for your home, Hilosophy is a personal favorite shop of mine for its thoughtfully curated selections, and it’s high fair trade standards.
Nim Po’t
Shopping for small gifts or craft wares but overstimulated by Mercados? Head to Nim Pot’. Iconically placed right below the arch, this one stop shop has a great curated selection of Guatemalan-made items with set prices that are fair to local artisans. If you are only in town for a short while, this is a good place to drop in to pick up gifts and souvenirs.
Juguetería MICO
Shopping for the kids in your life? Stop by MICO to pick up Guatemalan gifts for kiddos. Their selection of Guatemalan cultural books is a personal favorite!
Paradise Tattoo Antigua
It’s no secret Ben and I love getting tattoos in Guatemala! And if we’re going anywhere, we’re going to Paradise. We have personally worked with Brandon (my jaguar + our nahual tattoos), Ande (my mujer de maiz), and Rosales (Ben’s Filipino Sun), but the entire studio is stacked with super talented artists. We recommend booking a tattoo for one of your last days in Guatemala, and reaching out to the studio via DM before your trip to make an appointment and get matched to an artist that best matches your style/vision!
Artista de Café - Specialty Coffeeshop
Coffee fanatics unite! If anyone is coworking while in Guatemala, finishing school assignments, or needs a quiet place to think or journal, we love Artista de Cafe! The space is beautiful, the coffee is sublime, and Mary-Beth and Aryam once ran into a celebrity here.
El Gran Café
Guatemala is well known for its coffee. All around Antigua you can tour coffee farms in the highlands that produce and export millions of pounds of coffee to the US (the vow renewal will be held at peak harvesting season, so it’s a good time to tour!). However many of these are US owned and have exploitive practices. El Gran Cafe isn’t just a wonderful coffee shop, but they work with small, locally owned (many women-owned) coffee collectives. The fertile volcanic soil of the Guatemalan highlands produces a smooth, sweet, chocolate-y coffee. Anytime we’re in town, we buy coffee from this spot to bring home knowing they have high standards for fair trade, Mayan owned collaboratives that practice regenerative growing practices.
Panaderia San Antonio Lo de Cuchi-Cuchi
It is Guatemalan tradition to travel back home with Guatemalan sweet bread. Last time we were in Antigua someone recommended the champurradas (like firm sugar cookies to be dipped in coffee or tea) and Hojaldras (similar recipe, braided and covered in granulated sugar) at panaderia San Antonio in the Central Park of Antigua. They bring in local butter from the highlands and it gives the sweet bread a rich profile, and GREAT structural integrity ( you can hold it submerged in coffee for >4 seconds without it sinking to the bottom; you’re welcome for this service to science). They also package it well for travel. Because of the manner in which they’re cooked, champurradas are shelf stable up to two weeks! If you want to bring something wonderful home to extend your Guatemalan memories, we recommend picking up a box of these before flying out.