Antigua Guatemala Restaurant Guide | The El Chaman Bar

The El Chaman‘s menu and target clientele keeps changing, but you absolutely must go there for this unique Antigua Guatemala view over cocktails.  The spectacular second-floor view of the San Agustin Church ruins in Antigua Guatemala provides an insight into Spanish colonial capital that took hold so many centuries ago.

 

El Chaman Bar Antigua Guatemala

Daytime or nighttime, there’s a stunning sideways view of the church, built in 1657 and destroyed by successive earthquakes starting in the 18th century. The good Fathers of San Agustin decamped for the new capital in Guatemala City around 1751.

The south wall of the church is completely gone, leaving a full view of what’s left of the old San Agustin Iglesia and Convento in full sight — all the floors, doll-house style.

San Agustin in Antigua Guatemala (St. Augustine to you gringos) said, “Lord make me chaste but not yet.”  So here’s a lively bar, one that serves up heady drinks and sometimes pounding music, alluring to the senses and baser impulses.  That it’s juxtaposed with the tattered but glorious remains of a formerly holy edifice dedicated to the tempted saint, well, this is no small irony.

My recommendation: time an early cocktail and light dinner (pizza is okay).  That way you’ll be able to witness the church turn from gentle gray to heavy pewter shades as the light changes toward sunset.  Once the sun is down the flood lights come on and you can see the church in eerie nighttime shadows.  It’s extraordinarily beautiful.

Not only do you get a sideways view of the church, you get a downward and upward look that a sidewalk position at the north front of the building fails to afford.

The El Chaman Bar

As we were leaving, the next shift of younger patrons was starting to show up for the late evening and nighttime temptations that St. Augustine and the rest of us continue to struggle with.  It’s a life’s work.

Address:  7th avenida Norte #2 in Antigua Guatemala.

Antigua Guatemala Restaurant Guide | Cafe Flor in Antigua Guatemala

 

Cafe Flor Antigua Guatemala

Dumplings are not to be trifled with according to Antigua Guatemala Restaurant Guide.  So were really happy to test the versions offered at Cafe Flor in Antigua Guatemala.

First impression of the place is of Toulouse-Laurtrec oranges, saffron and umbra colours that immediately give the restaurant a warm ambience.  Mucho art on the walls and the formidable presence of a baby grand piano give this cafe a slightly lopsided and chaotic charm.

We started off with a shared plate of the dumplings from the appetizer section of the menu.  They were delicious and redolent with coriander, spiced pork, sweet scallions and just the just right fish sauce lilt.  We had to talk ourselves out of ordering another plate as the four little pouches of Thai goodness went down in a flash.

My lizard brain had been frog-marching me around for days, telling me to find a good plate of Pad Thai pronto. So I ordered the rice noodle dish, which has been a staple of the Thailand’s cuisine since back in the day when it was still called Siam. It was a vegetable and chicken Pad Thai, sunny with tamarind juice, just kissed with chili pepper, dolloped with fish sauce and accented with the must-haves of peanut, coriander and lime.

Pad Thais are like fingerprints; there are no two alike.  Often many of them fall into the ill-fated and disappointing ketchup noodle variety and others don’t make the grade because the chef is so heavy-handed with the ingredients that the noodles don’t have a chance to sing for their supper.

Happily, Cafe Flor’s version falls into the winning category. It has just the right blend of flavors, brought to a higher calling with the final touch, that is, the baptism of fresh lime juice presided over by the lucky diner.

We weren’t going to have dessert, but the description of the macadamia nut pie was too hard to resist.  This Cafe Flor confection is a riff on the much-loved pecan pie.  Since pecans are not native to Guatemala and prohibitively expensive if they can be located at all, Cafe Flor set about creating this pie-lover’s dream. Try it, but order one slice and two forks.  A little of this goes a long way.  By the way, this has nothing to do with Thailand, in case you were wondering.

On the whole we recommend Cafe Flor for its well-prepared and reasonably priced Thai fare and friendly atmosphere.  It’s conveniently located a minute from the Parque Central at 4a Avendida Sur #1 in Antigua Guatemala.

Antigua Guatemala Restaurant Guide | Best Restaurant and Sports Bar

Antigua Guatemala Restaurant Guide continue to offer their list of best views available from bars and restaurants in Antigua Guatemala.

The view from La Canoa Restaurant and Sports Bar seems deceptively mild at first glance.  But once your eyes adjust and start to do the 360-degree visual parade, you will be pleased you climbed to the 2nd floor patio.

The true glory of this view is the almost mathematical placement of the Volcan Agua, the long-defunct volcano that dominates the southern vista of Antigua Guatemala.  If you look in it’s direction you will be awe-struck, simply no choice.

Standing at 12,356 ft (3766 meters), this giant stands guard over the town and there is nowhere else in the city where there’s insight into its central strength like the top of La Canoa.  Like most of the incredible views in the city, it is best seen at sunset.   I dare even the most jaded among you to yawn at this spectacle, especially during the magic vista gazing time between 4 and 6 p.m.

Okay, now for the not so great news.  Just try not to look towards the northeast (remember Agua is directly south from you).  Or put another way, if Agua is at your back and you imagine a clock face to guide your swiveling head, then don’t look at 10 after 10, unless you love the sight of razor wire in the evening.  I’m sure there are some of you out there.

But for the rest of us, it’s easy just to divert your tourist neck over to 10 to 10 and there you will see a faint glimpse of the top of the San Augustin Church over on 7a Avendida in Antigua Guatemala.  It’s a bit like looking at the Venus de Milo: though she and the church are missing some very substantial matter, the remainder still lets you imagine what the whole must have been.  The beautiful lines are still there, even at the chimney level from which you will take in its 400-year-old splendor, earthquake lobotomy and all.

As for the food at La Canoa, well it’s your basic bar grub and it’s perfectly acceptable within the limits of this form.  The view not withstanding, the true draw of La Canoa is the sports bar.  Here on a cold night, you can count on the northern demons from Kanukistahn, explaining the game of hockey to the uninitiated innocents at the bar.  You’ve been encouraged in these lines or warned, depending on your point of view.

La Canoa Restaurant and Sports Bar is located at 5a Calle Poniente #6, Antigua Guatemala.