Dining at Lake Atitlan

The diverse array of restaurants around Lake Atitlan varies from French and Italian cuisine, to Argentine steaks and Indonesian curries, to good old-fashioned hamburgers, pizzas and barbeque.

And they do so in magical settings along emerald trails like the one to Zoola in San Pedro, or on the enchanted shorelines of San Marcos, Santa Cruz and Panajachel.

The budget traveler can eat breakfast for $2, dinner for $3-4. Pizza, burgers, and spaghetti are plentiful in every town.

A couple can dine in style at a world-class restaurant in Panajachel for less than $30. In fact, it's hard to find an over-priced meal in the best restaurants at the lake.

Some of the Lake's Best Dining

Along Avenida Santander, Panajachel's main street, Restaurantes Casablanca and Chez Alex offer dining in upscale surroundings. Steak lovers will head straight for one of the many restaurants specializing in grilled meat and poultry on this side of the lake.

Vegetarians are not neglected. The vegetarian mousaka at Le Jardin in San Pedro la Laguna is just one example. Organic food fans will appreciate the home-grown ingredients at places like Isla Verde in Santa Cruz.

Lake Atitlan's Top Restaurants

Unique restaurants in San Pedro, such as Zoola and Jarachik are hidden on narrow shaded paths that wind past corfields and intermittent flashes of the lake.

Other places to eat, such as Alegre, are found on the main street of the zona viva and offer panoramic views of the lake and mountains. The terrace at Hotel Mikaso has a close-up vista of the lake and San Pedro volcano. Mikaso's restaurant focuses on paella and other Spanish dishes.

Restaurant reviews will soon be available from the list of links on the right. You can also read or download the latest issue of Atitlan Sol, the only English-language travel magazine about the lake, for reviews of the newest and best places to dine at Lake Atitlan.