5 Best Restaurants in Coban, Las Verapaces

This is a "must stop" when you're in Cobán. Have a seat in one of the intimate dining rooms or out in the garden and enjoy delicious international dishes. Though the menu includes nicely prepared pastas and pizzas, the grilled meats, accompanied by grilled vegetables and a variety of homemade salsas, are especially succulent. All the vegetables, and even the lamb and pork, are grown organically on El Bistro's own farm outside of town. The coffee stands out even in a city known for the brew, and the breakfasts here are legendary. The homemade desserts are the best in the city; a brownie or a slice of carrot cake makes a great midday snack. The restaurant's gift shop also offers the highest-quality handicrafts in Cobán.

The owner of this popular café grew up on a coffee plantation near Cobán. Duly qualified, she serves the largest selection of caffeinated beverages in this coffee-growing region. Hot coffee, cold coffee, coffee with liquor, coffee with chocolate, and a wide assortment of teas make up most of the menu. She also whips up some of the best breakfasts in town. The café is on the grounds of the Viveros Verapaz.

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.

This modern, family-style restaurant is a good place to stop for lunch or a snack after touring the nearby Parque Nacional or El Calvario. Located on the second floor of a small shopping center, overlooking the street, it offers a wide variety of grilled meats and seafood, as well as lighter fare such as burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, pasta, and salads.