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.

Guatemala Restaurant Guide | The best View Cafe Sky in Antigua Guatemala

The best View is Cafe Sky in Antigua Guatemala
We need to say a few more things about Cafe Sky in Antigua Guatemala.  A word of warning though before you go.  Bring a sweater if you think you’ll be there after 4 p.m., regardless of the temperature when you start off in the afternoon.  Also, you will likely not hear a word of Spanish, except from the staff.

Having sad that, I highly recommend this landmark Antigua Guatemala. On the third floor, you will find a vista that is hard to top.  The best perch is the bar stools that face out westerly, directly onto the city. Here you have a panoramic view of the town and its environs. Order yourself up a gin and tonic, a michalada  or good old Gallo beer.

My advice is to avoid the margaritas since the bar mix is on the paint-thinner side and stay away from the tool and dye wine list.  Note to potential visitors:  the price of drinks at this bar includes a gratuity and they seem to have factored in the relative cost of the view and pass it on to greedy-eyed sightseers.  It’s okay, the extra Quetzales aren’t killing and really the view is worth it.

Looking straight out, that is west, you have an excellent view of the three volcanoes.  With any luck Fuego will be sending up smoke rings for its adoring audience. So to your right (north) is the Cerro de la Cruz, and depending on the time of day, you may or may not be able to see the huge cross on the green terraced land.  It depends on the slant of the sun.

Swivel your tourist noggin to the back of Cafe Sky and you will behold a beautiful chunk of the Central Highlands that cradle part of the city or send torrents of water infused with mud down on us all, depending on the season.  You are however safe as in your mother’s arms way up top of the blue building that holds the Cafe Sky nest.

To the east, that is to your left if you’re still looking at the city and if you are still sober enough to maintain a vertical position, you will see the San Francisco Church where lie the remains of Hermano Pedro, Central America‘s only bone fide saint.  The dome on the church is poised magic.

Best time to go is between 4:30 and 6 p.m. to get the whole sunset experience.
Cafe Sky is located at 1a Avenida Sur #15, Antigua Guatemala.