3 Best Restaurants in Las Verapaces, Guatemala

Homemade everything adds a nice touch to this farmhouse-style restaurant between the Biotopo del Quetzal and Cobán. Sauces, dressings, jellies, tortillas, and cheeses are all prepared on-site. The place comes into its own with its huge farm-style breakfasts of eggs, breads, plantains, beans, and cheeses. It's a terrific place to stop if you're out early in the morning. If you go for dinner, get there early: the place closes at 7:30 pm.

The lime meringue pie alone is worth a trip to this charming log cabin–turned restaurant just south of Cobán, but you'll likely want to precede dessert with a full Verapaces-style meal. The ubiquitous regional turkey stew kaq'ik is on the menu, of course, but you can also try roast lamb, beef, or rosemary chicken.

This large restaurant is popular with a local crowd, and at lunchtime you're likely to find a soccer match playing on the projection TV. The decor is simple, with tile floors, tall ceilings, and guitars hanging from the walls. The menu is extensive and includes pastas, grilled meats, seafood, sandwiches, and burgers, but the specialties here are traditional dishes such as kaq'ik (preceded by a bowl of hot chocolate), suban-ick (chicken and pork in a delicious tomato sauce), jocón (chicken in a mild green sauce), and sopa de tortuga (turtle soup). Save room for the homemade pies.